Although Thanksgiving is already behind us — can you even believe it? — December is already speeding by, as we head into the winter holidays and the new year.

It’s a chaotic time full of travel, gatherings with family and friends, work events, last minute shows, and more — and it can seem like our list of obligations has no end in sight. 

As we all know, this is a stressful time of year for anybody. For those in the music industry, the last few months of the year can pile on even more pressure.

If you’re feeling completely overwhelmed, in a haze, and you find yourself wishing it was already January 2, you’re not alone. Here are my best tips for surviving the end of the year.

Prioritize

Prioritizing will be your best friend this time of year. Trust me. 

Everything can feel so important and urgent right now, but the truth is that there are some things that can wait until next year. Literally. 

Maybe you have to submit your new single to the distributor by tomorrow, but it’s hard to find the time to write that caption for the Instagram post. Or, maybe there’s an important family dinner you have to go to on Saturday, getting in the way of you designing the cover art for your new album. 

There are times when it’s actually more beneficial to push certain tasks off to a later date. I know, I know. That may sound completely insane to some (or maybe all) of you, but hear me out. For instance, maybe this year you wanted to start gardening, or you wanted to learn how to bake an apple pie so you could impress your family at Christmas dinner. Instead of squeezing these activities in before December 31, doesn’t it make more sense to tackle them when you’re not already drowning under a to-do list that’s a mile long, so you can enjoy them? Maybe you push off baking until March – that gives you plenty of time to perfect that pie so you can knock people’s socks off next Christmas!

Take the less urgent tasks off your plate for now. You will alleviate some of the pressure to not only make the holidays perfect for yourself and for those around you, but to make the end of the year perfect when it comes to your career.

If you have a routine, try to stick to it

Some people thrive in a routine, while others don’t. If you’re someone who absolutely needs a routine in order to get things done, try your best to stick to it right now. The holidays and the end of the year are chaotic enough, and if you get thrown out of your usual schedule, it can make it even more difficult to do what you need to do.

If you’re starting to feel unfocused because the demands of December are starting to pull you in different directions (and away from your regular routine), resist the urge to let it go completely until after New Year’s.

Of course, there are only so many hours in a day, so it may not be possible for you to get everything done that you’d like (that’s where prioritizing is going to come in handy!), but at least try to maintain the pieces of your day that are most important to you. For example, if you exercise every day at 5 p.m., keep doing it. If you work on your social media on Mondays and Fridays at 2 p.m., keep doing it. If you read every night before bed, keep doing it.

Although these may seem like insignificant practices, continuing to honor them as part of your daily schedule will help you to better cope with the chaos that may be swirling around you, and keep you fortified throughout the season.

Start planning for next year

December can also bring anxiety about what awaits us in the year to come. To help alleviate some of that apprehension of the unknown, why not start making a plan now?

What are the goals you’d like to achieve next year? Do you want to form relationships with certain people in your industry? Do you want to make a new album? Do you want to film your first music video? Do you want to leave your tedious full-time job to finally make a career out of your side hustle? Get it out of your head, and put it down on paper. 

If you’re already a planner, this tip will probably find you in your glory. If you’re not already a planner (which is totally valid), give this a try.

Take time for yourself

The end of the year does not only bring career stress; it can also stir up some pretty heavy emotions that can make it difficult, and perhaps even painful, to make it through the season. 

We may be reminded of those who are no longer with us, and find ourselves mourning how things used to be in the face of devastating change. 

And so, it is during these times especially that taking care of yourself should be of the utmost importance. This can mean giving yourself a 20-minute break to take a walk, taking the time to make yourself a healthy meal, planning a dinner date with a friend, or even going to sleep early. 

We need time to rest so we can perform at our best. If we’re not carving out those moments – no matter how small – to nourish ourselves in mind, body, and spirit, we’re doing ourselves a huge disservice, by preventing ourselves from being able to enjoy the present moment and continue moving ahead successfully.

In the end, the holiday season is all about enjoying – enjoying the company of the people we love, enjoying good food, and, hopefully, enjoying some well-deserved time off. So, although it might feel uncomfortable to momentarily let some things slide, it’s totally OK to put some not-so-urgent tasks on the back burner. It’s more than OK to take care of ourselves so we can not only survive, but conquer, this time of year triumphantly with our sights set on all the possibilities that 2024 holds.