5 Ways Your EA Can Save Your Sanity (And Holiday Spirit!) This Season

It’s no secret that the most wonderful time of the year can also be one of the most stressful. Between shopping for gifts, organizing holiday meals, and planning time to travel or host for your loved ones, you can end up with a lot more than just turkey and cranberry sauce on your plate. Not to mention your kids will be out of school, and you’re still an executive with a business to bring through Q4. Needless to say, there is a holly jolly whole lot of stuff going on this time of year.

Where you can save on stress, you can better appreciate the magic of the holiday season and focus on the things that will help you ring in the new year with your business a step ahead. Here are five ways your EA can help keep you from feeling like Scrooge!

1 – The Gifts

Keeping up with what gift to give this person, and why this person can’t get this gift, but that person should certainly get that – it can all add up to a lot of extra unnecessary stress. Asking your EA to step in as Santa can save you time and the inevitable decision fatigue of shopping yourself. Your EA can become a lifesaver. 

Just let your EA know who is on the nice list, any allergies, or other considerations. Give them a budget, and they can take care of both personal and corporate gift buying. The sooner you hand this off, the better. We’re all praying and keeping the post office in our thoughts, but it’s better to get the gifts ordered early this year – as in now. (Need ideas? Find our recommendations here and here.) 

2 – The Food 

There is a lot of cooking to do around the holidays (and because it is the holidays, not a whole lot of time to do it). Your EA can help you out there as well. Not everything (or even anything) has to be homemade. Your EA can order sides or desserts, the main course, the drinks, and nearly everything else AND have it all delivered right to your door. 

And don’t be afraid to delegate. You don’t have to be the only one cooking for the holidays, don’t be afraid to ask Uncle Joe to bring mashed potatoes, or Aunt Jean to bring green beans. If everyone chips in a little bit, it can help you spend less time in the kitchen, and more time at the table.

3 – The Kids

This time of year, your kids are out of school quite a bit, and between your work obligations and your spouse’s obligations, and the fact that it is frowned upon to let elementary school kids run amuck in an empty house – child care is a must this time of year. Your EA can help you find the right babysitter, or child care services in your area, and schedule you all of the time you need to get some work done. If you already have a nanny or regular babysitter, they can coordinate schedules so you don’t have to stress about who is watching the kids and the kids don’t get themselves on the naughty list. 

4 – The Hosting 

If you’re the lucky one who gets to host the family reunion, you know how much work can go into finding the right day and time to get together. Not to mention getting the house clean and decorated. This is another way your EA can save you a couple of gray hairs.

Your EA (who you know from the business side of your life is an expert calendar wrangler) can coordinate everyone’s schedule, and pick the best time and day to host and send out invitations. Scheduling airport trips and arrival times will also help you keep everything straight. They can also hire a house cleaning service, schedule a time for them to come by, and help get your house together all without you having to lift a finger. Clean-up services and professional massages can be arranged for the holiday aftermath, too. 

5 – The Travel

If you are not the host of this year's get-together, you know travel arrangements are often the stuff of nightmares. Don’t worry, eight tiny reindeer are not required to get you where you need to go!

Your EA can help you book flights, and organize your travel information (using your preferences– window seats anyone?), to save you some stress. And, if you find you need to get a little time away from your family, your EA can also book a hotel or create a work emergency at the drop of an SOS email. (Kidding! Mostly.)