How to Make December Less Chaotic

[Mycala]

From the Massage Pet Peeves thread:

Is i just me or te past two weeks the wafflers , the shoppers and the last minuters are out in full force? They are really stressing me out. And the phone calls and emails back and forth...GAH!

So, my question to everyone is this:

Do you normally have "issues" during the month of December?

If so, how do you handle it, and did you implement anything different this year to make the month run smoother?



I'll start.

December is generally a hectic month for us, and quite chaotic. As the media has been kicking our poor turkey to the back-burner and basically running on over Thanksgiving in lieu of "sales and gifts", I've seen the chaos creep into the last week or so of November these past few years.

My clients usually have busy schedules, more work and more parties to go to, which means book/cancel/re-book/cancel and then waffle, only to re-book and make it a week or so later.

This year I implemented a new strategy which seemed to help. At Thanksgiving, I started booking clients in advance (granted I have clients who do this, but I don't actively push it). I told my clients the holidays would be busy and appointments would fill fast (which is the truth), and that they needed to go ahead and plan for the month of December, and could watch their schedules closely to call and cancel in advance, if needed. I also mentioned to them that they were welcome to wait to book any appointments, but since it was the "season", they most likely would not get fit in at a time they preferred.

This made my December a lot less chaotic than normal. Not perfect, but I definitely noticed a difference.

 

[Pompal 09.]

I did the same. I asked ppl to book in advance and warned them that they may not be able to get in on a shorter notice.
I also have a blurb on my web site that states that Dec. is a VERY busy month so plan accordingly.
I also try to give myself AMPLE time between appointments in case I need to sell GC's or return phone calls. Normally I do 1/2 hour in between but sometimes I do 15 min. In Dec. I stick to the 1/2 hour rule and sometimes even more.
On Friday before Xmas I had a friend sit at the desk and sell GC's. I did it last year and it definitely took the pressure off. One word of caution: have GOOD instructions for the friend! Last year the person who helped me got freaked out that someone's credit card wasn't going thru and walked in during a massage to ask me what to do!
I make sure that I have all my supplies ready to go (like my business card is inserted in the Gc or that I have enough tape in the credit card machine) AND that my cell phone is charged.
I had my hair cut shortly before Xmas and my hairdresser sorta summed it up nicely: it's December, Xmas time, it's busy so it's inevitable that there will be dleays and some people will have to wait. There is NOTHING I can do about it so I won't worry about it. So I thought about her words a few times and it helped!

 

[Elana A]

Every year I make changes to try and make December easier on myself. This year was equally hellish, as usual.

I tell everyone that if they don't have a prescription, and are a "maintenance" client, that they should plan on other self-care for December because the schedule is reduced.

I take the ENTIRE week between Xmas and New Year's off.

I schedule shorter days.


Next year, the week before Thanksgiving I will change my voice message to state that no new clients will be accepted until January 15th (or close.) Next year, I will not have holiday gift certificates available except for regular clients who would like to purchase them for friends or family. Next year, I will have an accountant.

I wish I could just crawl in a hole in December, I just get maddeningly behind, race from thing to thing, forget stuff, plus this year I left town for a workshop AND got sick AND took a scheduled week off. I think I worked a grand total of just under two weeks in December. bleh. Oh well, less taxes I have to pay! :roll:

 

[2 days left !]

I went on a cruise, and plan to go again next Dec.

 

[thebomb]

Smart guy

 

[skydog]

you both can come along, and bring your husband-fellers too.