The holiday season is upon us, and with it the ever-increasing demands on our time and energy.
We’ve spent an entire year DO-ing. And as much as the hustle-bustle of the holidays would suggest otherwise:
now is the season for less doing and more being.
Be present.
Be grateful.
Be fabulous.
Be {fill in the blank with your vibe for this time of year}.
Our “doing” energy this time of year is best used tidying up loose ends, finishing the things we started earlier in the year, and dialing in habits that will help us finish the year on a high note. And when it comes to habits and the holidays, permission to do the least (when doing the most is unrealistic).
‘Tis the season to be merry, and to go micro with your habits.
What are Micro habits?
Micro habits are the habits that take you two minutes or less. Think: brushing your teeth, making your bed, and making your coffee. These are the kind of micro habits that are so ingrained in our daily rituals that we do them practically automatically.
And you can use this micro habit approach for the hustle & bustle of the holiday season, or really any time life gets hectic. The idea is to find the smallest increment or dose possible that still has impact.
Start with Visualization
If this is truly the season to be merry and to BE, start with what that looks like for you. Close your eyes. And picture her.
how is she dressed?
where is she?
who is she with?
how is she moving?
how does she feel?
what’s on her mind?
Picture the dream version of you in several different scenarios: starting her day, gathered with family, traveling, and doing her most important work. What is the vibe? And what sort of habits might support that vibe?
My dream self is dressed in holiday cheer, with the ones that she feels most connected to, at ease (and dare I say not easily triggered). She’s not frenzied, disassociated, or running perpetually late. The vibe is very much “vibrant and at ease.”
I aspire to be her. All holiday season long.
The habits that support that vibe? The same ones that have served me all year. But as I pack for Thanksgiving I’m considering some 2-minute versions of familiar habits.
Here are three microhabits that I’m playing with this holiday season.
1- Connecting with my Inner Child
Your “inner child” is the part of your subconscious mind that holds your childhood memories, emotions, and experiences, both positive and negative.
Whether you realize it or not, she is often running in the background. But around the holidays, with family dynamics and traditions aplenty, your inner child is more easily triggered. All she needs is some attention.
Here’s how I’m giving mine some attention, but going micro with it:
I keep this picture of younger me on my desk and on my phone as a reminder of my 7 year old self essence. Then I close my eyes and have a conversation with her:
I start out by acknowledging her spunk and admiring her unapologetic way of moving through the world.
I then tell her a little bit about me - where I live, how old I am, and what events I have coming up.
I ask her if she needs anything from me.
I ask her if there are any messages she has for me.
I thank her and tell her I’ll be talking to her again soon.
This summer I did 21 Days of IFS Parts work, and this is a version of that. And I’m playing with this concept of a 2-minute check-in with my inner child during the holidays.
Today when I talked to her she asked if I wanted to go rollerskating. While we skated I filled her in with my latest: where I live, who I’m dating, the job I’m interviewing for, what we are doing for Thanksgiving. She wasn’t very concerned with the details, she just reminded me how much she loves to play. She made me promise that I would stay playful in it all. I promised (and packed my rollerblades for Thanksgiving).
2- Adding time to BE in my Calendar
The thing about less doing and more being, is that for most of us our default is to DO. And I have an overly scheduled calendar to prove it. But for the rest of the year I want to carve out more white space in my calendar to BE.
My nieces came over yesterday to paint placemats for Thanksgiving, it’s this thing we do every holiday. And when I have plans with them I tend to work right up until the moment they either arrive or I need to leave to go pick them up.
But you know what felt amazing? Blocking off 30 minutes on my calendar pre-paint project and calling it EASE. It allowed me to transition from work mode to play mode. It allowed me time and space and ease to set up my space for fun and play and painting. (It’s not lost on me that in the morning I was talking to my inner child about play and by afternoon I was playing with my nieces via our paint project, there’s something very magical about having little loves in my life).
The action of creating white space on my calendar and blocking time for ease and transition on my calendar is the micro habit that I’ll be practicing all season long.
3- Intention Question of the Day
My intention for how I wanted to feel in 2025 was thriving (my word for the year). I also like to set intentions throughout the year specific to travel, projects, and the like.
Here’s how it works for travel: I set an intention for how I want to feel during the trip. A single word. And then every decision that arises I can just ask: will this make me feel the way I want to feel? If yes, proceed enthusiastically.
Taking that into the holidays, I have set an intention to feel connected. So as a micro habit, I am going to ask myself this every morning:
What can I do today to feel more connected?
In this way, I get to curate my own experience and filter every decision through the lens of connectedness.
How do you want to feel this holiday season? And what can you do right now to feel that way?
Happy Holidays,
