“It’s hard to focus on focusing,” our son said when he was about 10.

In the distracted days of December that’s especially true.

The calendar spills over. Activities with family, friends and co-workers tumble over each other.

There are presents to select, buy, wrap and deliver, cards to send, cookies to buy or bake, and too many decisions to make.

And that all piles on top of a full load of work responsibilities, often with year-end goals still to bring in.

Worry not.

It’s hard, but not impossible to stay focused at year’s end.

Here are a ideas for getting more done than you expect during the distracted and high-calorie days of December:

1. Enlist others.

Don’t pretend distraction isn’t there.

Discuss with your manager, team, even your customers in some cases, and certainly your family what the top priorities are for all of you.

Work with others to get good ideas and forge agreements about how to make December work.

2. Be clear, collaborative, consistent.

Be clear about what you can do. Be clear about what you really need help on. And be clear about how you can help others.

Then follow up, follow through.

3. Simplify and delegate.

Set no more than one must-do goal per day. OK, two. Really, no more than three.

You understand the point – there’s just so much time before any holiday, especially December festivities.

If you have more priorities than you can handle, delegate.

And if you delegate, be clear about what you need, by when, as well as any standards or details that are significant to success.

Then let the person get the job done.

Don’t look over their shoulder to see if they’re doing it exactly your way. It WON’T be exactly your way. Give them room to breathe.

4. Make commitments you can keep.

You know yourself pretty well by now.

You know what you can say “yes” to, and what you need to say “no” to.

Do it.

5. Pause.

Take a break. Step away or close your eyes, even for five minutes.

Breathe slowly, deeply.

Pretend you’re somewhere that you find very relaxing (although you may not want to come back).

It can be a brief vacation away, in five minutes.

6. Take something off the list.

The holidays are overwhelming?

Cut them down to size.

Take your least-liked tradition off the list.

No one will die if you do.

They may think they will but you may all find you actually like being free of the burden of having to do everything the same way, year after year.

And if everyone hates the change?

You’ll all value the tradition more when you bring it back next year.

7. Concentrate on communicating well.

These are some of the best gifts you can give anyone, anytime:

- Listen well.
- Be present.
- Arrive early.
- Wear a smile…and smiling eyes (there’s a big difference between a smiling mouth and smiling eyes. Smiling eyes show you’re smiling from the inside out).

8. If you find it relaxing to take a walk, walk.

And if you don’t, walk anyway.

You need the release of exercise – whatever kind you choose – even for a few minutes a day during this stressful if celebratory time.

Seriously.

Ten minutes or twice around the block does wonders for the spirit and the ingenuity, even when all options seem to be gone.

9. Have one less.

Even with the many temptations of December surrounding us, try to have one less cookie than you think you might be able to get by with (I write this as many biscotti bake in the oven. I know the temptation of fresh cookies).

Just one.

It’s hard to do when you’re looking right at that delicious treat.

But if you do, you’ll thank yourself tomorrow…and in January.

What ideas have you tried to stay focused, and keep your team focused during the fun but distracting days of December?

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