How to sustain the holiday feeling

holiday feeling Peter Crocker Even as January ends, my street is still dotted with discarded Christmas trees, drooping fairy lights and half-deflated Santas. I know how he feels. With the tan faded and toys broken, how can you sustain that holiday feeling?

I’ve never managed to fully sustain that holiday feeling myself, but hope these strategies will make the difference this year:

Plan another holiday

The fact that we’ve just had Australia Day helps, but I’ve already planned some more time off later in the year. Even though it’s months down the track, just booking it makes me feel better and it’s something to look forward to now the grind’s got going.

Focus on resolution results

Now’s the time to revisit that overoptimistic list of New Year’s resolutions and start to focus on just a few key results. The year generally starts with lofty ambitions to get super fit and healthy, but by Australia Day, I’ve changed ‘get fit’ to ‘run twice a week’.

In terms of business resolutions, consider picking just two goals you’d like to reach in 2009 and list the specific actions and timings needed to achieve them.

Write it down and pin it up

I’ve written up a few goals and resolutions and stuck it to my door. It is a constant reminder to help focus my activities and makes me feel organised, too.

Lower the expectations

I’ve wondered before about whether our desire to always love our work is unrealistic. I like having a distinction between work and holidays. I remember the great feeling of freedom of breaking up from school. If we have no doldrums throughout the year, how do we enjoy the full elation of setting off on holidays?

How do you keep the holiday feeling alive? Is it possible? We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions.

And to the guy across the road, please take down your fading Christmas decorations. They’re an unwelcome reminder that the long break is over for another year.

Until next holidays.

Love your work,

Peter Crocker is a director of Flying Solo responsible for the areas of marketing and advertising. He is a business copywriter specialising in websites, videos and marketing communications.

27 Jan 09

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As a WAHM - the holiday feeling is;
Kids whining we are bored! - what are we going to do?
Sticky key boards! - Fighting the whole family to stay out of my office - it is not the fun zone!
I don't want to try on school shoes / school uniforms/ buy stationary - we are not at school yet - don't remind me Mum!!
I should't have to do any chores mum - I am on holiday! Don't you understand what a holiday is about Mum?
Bring on the start of school so I can relax. . . Heather Smith from CAMP HILL, Brisbane, QLD
Everytime I leave my Blackberry at home or in the car, I'm on holidays! Grant Hyman from Sydney | Read my articles
I know how you feel about the guy across the road, Peter. I'm ready for the new leaf!
We keep the holiday feeling by having a 'family excursion' each Sunday, and it's absolutely not negotiable.
Even if it's just a walk to the beach, the husband, the babe and I enjoy each other, forgetting about work/bills/worries. We do try and go to new places each time, though; despite being born and bred in Sydney, there's so much I haven't seen!
Come Monday, we still have that lovely holiday feeling.
As a side note, Peter, your goal change from getting fit to running twice a week reminds me of Nigel Marsh's 'Fat, Forty and Fired' and 'Observations of a Very Short Man'. By setting himself impossibly easy goals to achieve, he could feel like he'd accomplished something, and then he could use the motivation to step up with the next set of goals. Whilst not for everyone, it certainly worked for him! (These books are absolutely hilarious, by the way.) Amanda Jephtha from Sydney
I'm concentrating on just two things, Peter: walking twice weekly is just not enough for our brains tp work best...try hard to make it daily. If you worry about time consumption, do a few quick flights of stairs. And if you can KNOW what you [realistically] want, and then want it hard enough, the odds are you'll get it...but it's a process, not a job. Must go...I'm off to the stairs. Jack Saxon from Sydney
You know, to be honest, I like ending the holidays. Especially long ones like this. Truth is, I don't get any work done when on holidays and I love getting organised and getting back into it.
So for me, I don't try and prolong the feeling, but like you, look forward to the next time! Emma from Brisbane
I hit the ground running on 5 Jan and was exhaused about 3 days later! A few days after that I booked a holiday for 12 days in March and another for a week in September. Bring it on! Mel Kettle from Brisbane

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