4 Ways to Grow During the Holidays

The holiday season can be a great time to grow you blog, ministry or business.Did I really just say “grow” a few days before Halloween??  If you are anything like me, you can’t stand much more “growing” during the upcoming holiday season!

But I’m not talking about physical growing (thankful for that??).  I’m talking about growing your business, your blog or your family.  It’s tempting to just put things aside until the New Year, and it’s certainly important to spend time with family and friends during this special time of the year.

But there are also some easy things you can do to grow during the holidays.

This page contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through the links. All opinions are my own. See our complete privacy policy and disclosure statement here. 

1.  PLAN

Y’all know making plans are my passion!  If you have tons of ideas for next year and haven’t quite sorted them into a plan, try the Idea Tornado Toolkit.   The Mind Map and the Planning Six Pack are easy tools to help you pull those random ideas into a plan.

2.  LEARN

School will be out for the holidays, but that doesn’t mean the learning should stop!  Check your local museum or library for special programs for the kids.

And while they are occupied, you can take an online course to grow your blog or ministry.  I love the courses on creating printables and email list building from Laura at I Heart Planners. Lena Gott’s Traffic Transformations is one of my favorites, plus she has some great free resources there as well!  I don’t know how to choose one. I’d love to hear your recommendations in the comments if you’ve taken some great online courses for blogging, business or ministry.

3. COLLABORATE

The holidays are the perfect time to team up with others. You can build relationships while you bless others … WIN-WIN!  Partner with some families in your neighborhood to bring Christmas to a needy family. Get together with other businesses in your area to offer a special night of celebration and carolling.  Or round up your blogging buddies and offer an amazing giveaway.

4.  REST

Yes, rest.  Close the laptop. Put your feet up.  Park your mind in your happy place.  I’m learning the value of having some margin in my life to refuel and recharge.  It’s hard for me.  I have to force myself to step away.  But when I do, I find that I’m more creative and productive when I get back to work.

God wired us to need rest, a Sabbath, to function properly and to focus on the many ways He has provided for us. So take a rest during this Christmas season to provide some space for growth.

 

RESOURCES

Visit my Resources page for even more free resources and recommendations!


Tired from trying to share your God-inspired message while working your full time job?

Do you wonder if it’s worth it, or even possible, to build a ministry or business on the side?

I have good news for you. It is possible. It is worth it. You can do it.

That’s why I’m glad to share with you the four-part Honor System, to help you honor all the work God has given you to do. These are the hard-earned lessons I’ve taken away from chasing after my dreams and maintaining the career that supports my family.

Grab it here!

RESPOND

What are you going to do to grow through the holidays?  Collaborate, Plan, Learn, Rest … share your best idea!

I’m linking up with Crystal Storms at #IntentionalTuesday, Jaime Weible at #SittingAmongFriends, Holley Gerth at #CoffeeForYourHeartand Kelly Balarie at #RaRaLinkup, Susan Mead at #DanceWithJesus, Missional Women at #FaithFilledFriday, and Susannah Kellogg at #FaithandFellowship, with Kelly Balarie at #RaraLinkup, with Holley Gerth at #CoffeeForYourHeart, with Crystal Storms at #HeartEncouragement, with Susan B. Mead at #DanceWithJesus, with Arabah Joy at Grace & Truth

32 thoughts on “4 Ways to Grow During the Holidays”

  1. I can’t think of one single favorite Christmas memory but lots of traditions from my childhood Christmas’ at home 🙂 Like all my Mum’s sister’s family coming to our house and after the meal we would all go out for a walk, with all the dogs, normally in the snow!

    Reply
  2. One of my favorite memories from Christmas is the day my son was born! Just in the knick of time to be here on that day too! I cooked my first Turkey dinner that day, but didn’t get to enjoy a bite. All day in labor and I was determined to finish making the meal. 🙂

    Reply
  3. My favorite Christmas memory is the year I got my small little piano. I remember it like it was yesterday. My dad wanted me to play so much. I did end up getting a big piano and taking lessons later.

    Reply
  4. My favorite Christams tradition is going to Christmas light seeing after the local Christmas parade, it’s a tradition I’m keeping with my kids. A new one we are starting is an advent kit that u purchased from a lady at church, it goes along with balloons they pop one day and each day has a new activity and reading to go along with it. It starts tomorrow and they can’t wait. I also can’t wait to share in the excitement!!! Thanks for offering the opportunity for the giveaway!!

    Reply
  5. It’s hard to stay productive during this time for sure – thanks for the tips! It’s easier for me this year because it’s my first year out of school, so at least I don’t have a big holiday break to kill my productivity 🙂

    Reply
  6. Planning … check! Rest is my 2016 word of the year. I can tell you it’s going to be a challenging word. Thankfully, I believe God’s intention for my rest is more an attitude of trusting vs. striving rather than just inactivity. : )

    Reply
  7. You provided a lot of great resources here. Thank you. 🙂 I like the idea of growing through the holidays. I’m thinking I’m going to grow by being more intentional about what I do with my blog. And I want to make some great memories with my family. Those are my goals. 🙂 Thanks for getting me thinking about this!

    My favorite Christmas memory? I think it might be the Christmas mornings we spent when I was a girl, Bing Crosby playing on the record player and my grandparents joining us as we ate breakfast and opened presents. 🙂

    Reply
  8. I will be making specific time for rest. This seems to be a theme for me over the last year. I’m slowly learning how important it truly is. Taking time to rest is difficult, but oh so necessary! Thank you for the timely reminder. Visiting from Holley’s #Coffeeforyourheart

    Reply
    • Rest is a huge theme for me as well. I’m really trying to work at it. Not being all that successful, but trying! Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
    • I’ve definitely enjoyed using it. And several sections I’m not ready for yet, but are sparking ideas to think ahead. Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  9. As a child growing up, my Mom would bake cookies and we would take them down to the local fire station as a gesture of thank-you. The firefighters were the ones who helped save me when I was hit by a van with a driver who ran a red light. I cherish this memory always. Each year there were new firefighters at the station with some returning older ones but they loved hearing my story and that we were thankful for them.

    Reply
  10. My favorite Christmas memory is of when I was a teenager my uncle was staying with us. Now I have trouble with my back and sometimes I would sleep on the floor. Well there I was sleeping on the floor of my room in front of my door and my uncle comes by with a bicycle he and my dad had put together he reach over to close my door and it bumped into me. I thought he had had a heart attack how he hit the floor. Lol! I just scared him. It was probably 3am and it was dark in my room he didn’t know what to think. That next morning he kept calling me a spook. I loved times my family got to spend with us Christmas day.

    Reply
  11. My favorite Christmas memory is actually the year we surprised our kids with a puppy for Christmas. It was so fun to watch their faces.

    I like the tools you shared to help you plan and utilize your blog planning time better. I think I am needing that.

    Blessings,
    Dawn

    Reply
  12. Thank you for these great tips and for the giveaway. I love spending time with my family and I love giving gifts. Thank you for being a friend at Sitting Among Friends. Hope to see you post up again next Wednesday.

    Reply
  13. Love these! My favorite Christmas memories involve going to my grandparents house on Christmas Eve. Love those traditions.

    Reply
  14. I love this challenge to keep growing our ministry/business during the holidays! My plan is to post shorter blog posts to free me up to work on my book. Also work on a new subscriber freebie.

    Reply
  15. Such a good reminder to grow even when things are crazy…and PLAN! I’m just figuring out how to do this with my new, baby, blog.

    Thank you for your encouragement.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Nathana Cancel reply

Let's Do

our-thing

Help For

your-thing

Is your to-do list out of control?

Grab my best to-do list tips and learn to overcome the de-railers in your week

WHY I DO MY THING

Do A New Thing equips busy communicators and leaders with project management and problem solving skills so they can turn their big ideas into a successful ministry or business.

Privacy, Disclaimers and Disclosures

LET'S CONNECT

Contact Me