Sorry. This will be contrary to what the average person has planned, but have you considered vacation day goals? The holidays will bring lots of opportunities to do little AND to do a lot. You could make a reasonable list of things you wish to accomplish and reward yourself for the accomplishments!

For me, the holidays mean trekking to Seattle to enjoy my family! Generally, I’m the only one on vacation. Everyone who needs to work is working and so are the folks who enjoy their jobs. The “aha moment” came when I realized that one of the keys to personal success is to only take breaks that you’ve earned.

I’ve adopted a personal mantra…#NoDaysOff. It’s not that I do not intend to rest. It’s Just that I intend to create balance. It would be terrible to rest when you’ve not accomplished a goal. You can gradually reach goals by taking small steps!

Here’s a few things you can do that won’t adversely impact your #VacationMode:

1. Listen to 3-5 podcast that highlight an area of interest for you. You can do this in the car on your way to the mall!
2. Spend some time at a bookstore in the section that meets your interest! Check out the periodicals for articles and other inspiration!
3. Build a Pinterest board that relates to a goal you have!
4. Pick a time period like 1 month or 6 months and set reminders on your phone or calendar for goals, benchmarks and opportunities to reward yourself.
5. Pick a closet to clean and/or organize! Set a goal to throw away one bag of things you do not need.
6. Pick a recipe you have been interested in trying and share the dish with a close friend or associate. It’s a good way to reconnect.
7. Go somewhere new. Cheat on Starbucks for a local company and share your thoughts with friends on your social media platforms.
8. Schedule an hour of personal productivity.
9. Make a list of the things you need that will be better to purchase after Christmas!
10. Buy a plastic bin and stock up on holiday decor for next year once it goes on sale!