From Productivity to Presence: How to Slow Down and Find Peace Through the Holidays
November always sneaks up on me.
It’s that funny in-between space—Halloween candy still on the counter, Christmas music already in the stores and on the radio, and a to-do list that somehow grew overnight. Before the rush of the holidays, I find myself needing to stop, breathe, and remember what really matters.
Let’s catch our breath together.
The truth is, most of us don’t enter November rested. We’re carrying a year’s worth of work, family commitments, and big emotions. We’ve been moving fast—pushing through deadlines, trying to meet goals, showing up for everyone else. And after the last few weeks of my Goal Getter series, we’ve spent a lot of time talking about getting things done: building better systems, strengthening our mindset, overcoming the inner resistance that keeps us stuck.
That’s all good work.
I love systems and structure. They help me steward my time well and make sure the important things actually happen. But what happens when we get so good at productivity that we forget to be present?
Productivity without purpose can start to feel like pressure.
And when that happens, we drift into hustle mode—where everything depends on our performance.
It’s a little like trying to walk on one foot. We wobble, limp, overcompensate, and eventually wear ourselves out. To move forward in a healthy, wholehearted way, we need two feet: productivity and purposeful presence.
This blog is about finding that second step—the one that steadies us before the season ahead.
The Productivity Trap: Why Caring Too Much Can Lead to Holiday Hustle
If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent a lot of your life trying to be both effective and available. You care deeply about the people around you. You want to show up well for your work, your family, your friends, your faith community.
And that’s beautiful. But it can also be exhausting.
When our worth gets tangled up with what we accomplish, even the holidays—this supposedly sacred and joyful time—can start to feel like one long performance review.
The cooking. The decorating. The shopping. The scheduling.
And if we’re honest, the comparison—to how we did it last year, or how someone else does it better.
None of it’s bad in itself. But when we forget why we’re doing it, all that effort becomes empty.
So here’s a question I’ve been asking myself lately:
Where am I hustling for approval instead of choosing connection?
Because I’ve realized something: I don’t just want a productive season. I want a peaceful one.
My Unexpected Favorite Christmas
It might sound strange, but my favorite Christmas in recent memory was the one we spent during COVID.
That year, everything was quieter. No big gatherings. No travel. No last-minute shopping marathons.
On Christmas Eve, around four or five in the afternoon, dusk started to settle. The lights on the tree were sparkling softly. We put a simple batch of drop cookies—store-bought dough, nothing fancy—into the oven. My mom was already at our house, snoozing on the sofa, half-watching the twinkle of the lights. I sat down with a warm beverage and just sat.
I remember the smell of those cookies filling the house. I remember feeling this deep, unexpected joy—like my whole body exhaled.
On a “normal” year, that same hour would have been filled with frantic cooking, showering, getting dressed, making everything “just right” before guests arrived. But that year, it was smaller. Slower. Softer.
Later that evening, after dinner, because we couldn’t go to Mass, our little family gathered around the tree and the manger set. We prayed through the readings for Midnight Mass, shared reflections about the meaning of Christmas, and made a spiritual communion together.
It didn’t look like my usual picture-perfect holiday—but it felt more like Christmas.
I don’t want another global pandemic. But I do want to bring those lessons forward—the slower pace, the deeper connection, the presence that made everything else feel more meaningful.
When have you experienced a simpler season that felt surprisingly beautiful?
Redefining Success: Finding Peace Instead of Pressure This Holiday Season
Here’s what I’m learning: success doesn’t have to mean doing more.
Maybe success looks like staying centered when things get chaotic.
Maybe it’s being fully present at the table instead of mentally running through tomorrow’s list.
Maybe it’s remembering that the people you love would rather have your calm presence than your perfect performance.
What if this holiday season wasn’t about how much you can fit in, but how much of your heart you can bring to it?
What does a "successful holiday season" mean to me?
What's important for me about that?
What actually matters most?
These questions are simple—but powerful. Because how we answer them will shape how we spend the next two months.
Visioning the Holidays with Intention
Here’s the thing: November is the best time to decide what kind of holiday you want to have.
Once the turkey’s in the freezer and the calendar fills, it’s much harder to change course.
So before the invitations pile up and the shopping carts start to overflow, take a moment to vision your season.
How do I want to feel?
How do I want to show up?
What can I let go of?
If you’re a journaler, take five minutes to write your answers. You might be surprised by what you find.
And if your faith is part of this process, think of Advent as the sacred practice of waiting—not rushing, not performing, but preparing your heart.
I’m usually pretty good at remembering the holidays are about God.
This year, I’d like to take up the invitation to do the holidays with God.
The Middle Matters: Finding Meaning in the Messy Middle of Life and Leadership
So many of the women I coach—and honestly, the space I find myself in too—are “in the middle.”
Middle of life. Middle of leadership. Middle of caring for others and trying not to lose ourselves in the process.
In the middle, it’s easy to feel stretched thin.
But it’s also where the sacred work happens.
We don’t have to have it all together. We just have to be willing to show up honestly, fully, and with love.
What if my quiet presence is more than enough?
What if it’s exactly what’s needed?
That’s what I want this year—to live like presence is enough.
Designing a Holiday Season That Feeds the Soul
You don’t have to overhaul your life to create a more meaningful holiday.
It starts with small, intentional shifts—simple choices that help you stay grounded.
Here are three that I’m holding onto this year:
Plan pockets of peace.
Build in mini-pauses between events. A short walk, a few deep breaths, or a no-phone morning can change the whole day.Protect your margins.
You don’t have to say yes to everything. Leaving space in your calendar allows your spirit to breathe.Prioritize connection.
Not the perfect party or meal—but the people and moments that make your heart feel full.
What’s one small shift that would help me stay grounded this season?
A Gentle Invitation
We don’t have to “do” the holidays perfectly.
We just have to live them with presence—with eyes open, hearts soft, and spirits tuned to what really matters.
This season, let’s give ourselves permission to slow down, savor the sacred, and redefine success—not by what we achieve, but by how we show up.
Because the truth is, the world doesn’t need us to do more.
It needs us to be more—more grounded, more generous, more present.
Take the Next Step: From Holiday Overwhelm to Ease
If this idea of slowing down and showing up feels like the reset you need, I’d love for you to check out my free mini-training, Overcoming Overwhelm.
It’s a quick, practical way to help you pause the pressure and find peace in the middle of busy.
And if you know a friend who could use a little encouragement before the holidays? Forward this along. Sometimes, the simplest gift we can give is the reminder that we don’t have to do it all.
Let’s enter this season not just remembering what matters most—but living it.
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