Piyusha Singh, GMLC Class of 2017, recently kicked off a new column based on LinkedIn called ThrivingThursday. This space is to share strategies and coaching that help executive women balance success, resilience, and personal growth. The article below is shared with her permission. Follow Piyusha on Linkedin. 

As we near the end of the year, you’re probably juggling all. the. things. End-of-quarter and year-end projects, holiday parties, social gatherings, kids cramming a semester’s worth of schoolwork into a week, plays, recitals—the list is endless.

If you’re thriving in this chaos and loving every minute of it, keep doing your thing—you’re crushing it! But if, like me, you’ve realized that the holiday season leaves you needing weeks to recover, consider this approach:

Step 1: Acknowledge That You Cannot Possibly Do Everything on Your List
The to-do list? It’s never going to be fully checked off. Sit with that. No, really—don’t just read that sentence and nod sagely. Sit down and think about specific tasks you might not get to and how that makes you feel. What emotion comes up? Fear? Anxiety? Shame? Let yourself fully feel it. This is the emotion we’re running from, the one that keeps us spinning on the hamster wheel. Facing it is the first step to breaking free.

Step 2: Consciously Let Something Go
Instead of letting circumstance dictate what gets done and what doesn’t, make a deliberate choice to let one thing go. Decide intentionally, feel the emotions that come up, and build the muscle of saying no. It’s not all that important what you choose, but that you choose it intentionally and are willing to feel your emotional reaction to your choice.

Step 3: That’s It For Today
This isn’t about fixing your over-scheduling habit in one sitting (because, surprise—that’s just another hamster wheel you’re getting on). It’s about cultivating the practice of checking in, making intentional choices, and getting familiar with the emotions you’re avoiding by overdoing.

Step 4: Repeat Tomorrow
Your brain is going to tell you that giving up one thing a day isn’t going to do much for your to-do list. But it’s never been about your to-do list—it’s about reversing the narrative in your mind from “do more” to “do what’s really important”. You may not give up much in absolute terms, but you’ll learn how to cultivate breathing room. And that is .

So far this season, I’ve reprioritized two work projects to 2025, skipped homemade teacher gifts, opted out of the office Secret Santa (this one stung a little), replaced a fancy Christmas Eve dinner with favorite takeout and a sundae bar, and given up on bathing the dogs one last time in 2024 (why was this even a thing?). Can’t wait to hear what you’re giving up.