As we head into the holiday season, words like overwhelmed, stressed, buried, overloaded will pepper our conversations more than ever. Those words describe feelings that make sense, as this time of year brings more things on our plates and the time constraints are real. I read a great article last year in the Wall Street Journal about finding one's "sweet spot" on the stress meter. It centered on a known fact that everyone's "sweet spot" is different and it's important to keep an eye on your stress meter. To do that you have to learn to heed early warning signs and hit the reset button when appropriate. Know too, that studies show that a person's capacity is shaped by both genetics and experience. Altruism is a trait that helps people find meaning in the work they do and when combined with a history of mild adversity they are able to cope and do more. And don't forget enthusiasm is what we call stress when we're doing something we enjoy. Stress is really brought on by doing things we don't truly enjoy or don't feel we have control over.

So how do you know if you are too busy and unhealthy stress (yes, you know there is plenty of healthy stress), is causing havoc? I'm not talking about the type of overload that causes insomnia and high blood pressure. I'm talking about "frayed at the edges" stress that makes you cranky. You can of course feel it. You can also ask those around you who you trust. But to ward it off really early, that can be done with some pretty tactical measures. First, don't be afraid to add, yes I said add, something you really enjoy to your to do list. It can help you examine your to-do list with more scrutiny and weed out those things that aren't vital - a double benefit. As part of scrutinizing your to-do list, ask yourself, if I take this on or say yes to an invitation or request what am I saying "no" to? And it might help to remember my belief in "strategic laziness," described as hating to do any work you don't have to do and loving to do work that gets you to your end result the quickest. The practice is a philosophy that helps you do more with the time you have, with the least amount of effort.

Remember, time really is finite. Year-end budgets, last minute deals, pushes for more revenue by year end, annual reports and a multitude of other things really do take extra time and have hard deadlines. Finding your sweet spot and staying as close to it as possible will help you handle things. Take as much control as you can and decide where there's room for movement in your schedule. Accept the fact that year-end and the holidays mean you really are putting 10 pounds of potatoes in a 5 pound sack. There's right and wrong ways to do that.

I enjoy this time of year immensely and my way of managing is giving up on some sleep. I look at managing this busy season much like I might have a sporting event I've decide to take part in. I mentally and physically prepare. I know that the extra load is temporary. There's a reward of having completed what needed to be done and rewards to be reaped. The benefits outweigh the negatives.

If you have some tips on how to ward off the impending potential overload, I hope you'll share them. Think of it as your gift to your fellow readers. There you go, I just gave you an option of adding something more to your plate or saying "nope, I don't have the time!"

Come join our discussion on our blog, or I welcome your feedback through email.