How 9 Game Changers Leverage Holidays

~ 5 min read ~

Amidst all the gift-giving and family gatherings December brings, it can often be challenging to find clarity and rest for the year ahead. Due to the unstructured nature and joyous time holidays entail, we can sometimes feel unsettled with the list of To-Do's we avoid and the missed chance of getting ahead the time off could have been.   

Everyone approaches leisure time differently – some enjoy soaking up family time while others look forward to buckling down and working ahead. I had the opportunity to hear how 9 Game Changers, like world renown consultants and leading millennials of Canada, leverage the holidays and their responses were fascinating:

1. Reflect and Plan

Manu Goswami is a man on a mission. He was recently recognized as Startup Canada's Young Entrepreneur of the Year, likely due to some of his involvement as a UN Youth Ambassador, TEDx Speaker, and successfully launching 11 High Impact Ventures (not to mention his own Agency).

But when it comes to the break, Manu uses his time to reflect and plan on areas he can best execute in 2017.

For me, this is in finding speaking engagements and sharing my story with as many platforms as possible. My main priority is to recharge, refocus, and reinvent myself. The break is a time of self reflection and it allows me to assess what went well in the year and what I need to improve on.

2. Vacation time

Justin Lafazan is an acclaimed Entrepreneur, Speaker, Best-Selling Author and CEO of Next Gen Summit. His story has been featured on outlets such as USA Today, Forbes, and Entrepreneur Magazine (to mention a few), and his capacity to continually deliver on his mission of equipping the next generation of entrepreneurs is nothing short of remarkable.

He sees the break as a time to unplug and enjoy vacation with family.

Having a time to shut off the work email and engage with family can create a great space to reflect and plan for the future. And for Justin, soaking up a vacation with family in Mexico this Christmas is just that.

3. Side Projects:

Jules Schroeder began her entrepreneurial endeavours at 18 by launching her first 6-figure business online and is currently the founder of Unconventional Life, a podcast and media platform on the Forbes under30 channel. She is also a marketing consultant for global brands and thought leader in instructing millennials how to create non traditional ways of earning income.

Jules points out that the holidays are a fantastic time to work on creative projects and initiatives. It is a time where everything seems quiet in terms of email, people reaching out, etc. thereby, making it a conducive place to brainstorm. Her advice for others is to "enjoy some of the space, and tackle something that excites you - which you ordinarily would not have enough time for because of other pressures."

This last week alone, she has built a 3-Day Life & Business Accelerator Summit for this upcoming January - a perfect example of an initiative that was completed by being proactive over the holidays.

4. Reconnect and Focus

Dorie Clark is not only an incredibly respected voice on strategy, but has also consulted and spoken to clients such as Google, the World Bank, Microsoft and Morgan Stanley. Aside from incredible books she has written, she frequently contributes to the HarvardBusiness Review, Entrepreneur and Forbes. But when the Holidays come around, her mindset shifts.

Her top two priorities are to reconnect with friends, whether that be going to the movies or out for dinner and to focus on work tasks. After having down time, she mentions how her week between Christmas and New Year's will be to create materials for a productivity masterclass that she's leading early January.

Dorie is an industry game changer that believes the mix between rest and focus on work tasks can pay many dividends.

5. Unwind and Invest

Wali Shah is an up and coming Music Star from Ontario and a highly acclaimed millennial Speaker and Performer. From speaking at TED and being recognized as one of Canada's Top 20 Under 20, Wali's drive originates from his desire to inspire people as an artist and educator. 

Some things that may surprise you about him may be his feature on MTV with Selena Gomez, performing at the Air Canada Centre, or even free-styling with Kendrick Lamar. With how demanding a year can sometimes be, he makes it a priority for his break to be spent unwinding and brainstorming for what's ahead.

Wali finds value in taking time to slow down. This fosters a space to reflect on his progress, attend conferences that enable him to recharge, and better equip himself for the next year.

6. Reflect

Eric Termuende is an international speaker, entrepreneur, and author of Rethink Work. His founding of the DRYVER Group and contribution to outlets such as Forbes and Huffington Post clearly reflect his keen drive to educate people on the future of work. These past 2 years alone, he has presented at over 60 events across the globe to communicate that.

His top priority over the break is to invest time to reflect - looking over pictures, progresses, and successes from the past year. Eric believes we get can get so lost in the 'business' and 'hustle' of work and that the holidays can be an excellent time to appreciate and absorb the development and relative successes that have passed.

Reflection is a cornerstone to effectively preparing for the future. The break facilitates a phenomenal space to do just that.

7. Family and Friends

Jared Kleinert is a globally accredited speaker, world renown consultant, award-winning author and recently coined as USA Today's Most Connected Millennial. From Fortune 500 boardrooms to the TED stage, Jared's caliber of experince and drive only continues to soar, as he plans to launch his new book, 3 Billion under 30, this spring.

Even with this drive, Jared's top priority in the break is to invest time with family and friends.

His perspective is:Too often, I think we are quick to forget why we work so hard in the first place, or who we should be sharing our successes and struggles with. For him, spending quality time with people that are closest to him will make all the difference personally and professionally going into the next year.

8. Hustle Harder

Brian D. Evans is a serial entrepreneur, advisor and coach for countless start-ups. He has also been credited as Forbes' 7th highest marketing influencer in the world, likely tracing back to the amazing growth Influencive and BDE Ventures has seen under Brian's leadership as Founder and CEO of both.

His philosophy is that after he has taken time to rest and celebrate, he ramps up and hustles harder to get ahead.

"When others slow down, I speed up. It's a time of year to capitalize and gain a competitive advantage. Brian agrees that it is important to take in the holidays, but he is also a strong advocate of using the break as a pocket of time to do something. Most people give up on New Year's goals so quickly. Instead, he recommends setting achievable step-by-step goals that will help you build momentum to launch into the upcoming year.

9. Refine

Maya Burhanpurkar isn't like most 17 year-old students, let alone any student for that matter. She has been awarded as not only one of Canada’s Top 20 Under 20, but also the National Brescia Emerging Female Leader of the Year. While other high school students are winning track medals, Maya has been accredited with the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee medal. And in her spare time, she features in interviews for her documentary on climate change.

Her break has involved spending time with family and friends, but because of her vast array of projects on-the-go, she is finishing up an autonomous robotics paper to publish in an international conference and preparing for her research position in at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics this next year.

With her example of work ethic during the year, taking time to conclude and refine her final projects over the break can be a perfect way to best prepare for the year to come.

Some Last words ...

These 9 game-changers understand that the most valuable commodity we have is time and how we choose to leverage it truly influences the trajectory of our year. Whether it be unplugging from social media or ramping up the project list, I encourage each of you to evaluate and possibly readdress new ideas on how you can more effectively approach the holidays.

Feel free to share, comment or send a message if you have enjoyed the read. If you have any comments or questions, don't hesitate to reach out or send a message. I can also be reached further on Twitter and Facebook.

Happy Holidays!

#studentvoices #productivity #timemanagment

Joel is a BBA student from Vancouver pursuing a specialization in Management. He works on the Student Government as the Director of Operations and is also coordinating a Fundraiser Gala this upcoming January for a charity called Lighthouse Voyage. He hopes to pursue a position in the marketing or private equity field this summer by integrating his passion for storytelling and strategy to refine the ways brands connect.