If your Holiday Season could use less stress and more organization, these 8 tips can help!
1) Start earlier rather than later.
Organization is a "process" that occurs over time. It's a marathon, not a sprint. So start early and take your time. Avoid procrastinating and resorting to the "weekend warrior" trap of trying to get the entire household cleaned and decorated in just two short days. The sooner you start preparing for the holidays, the more organized it will be. Whatever you can get done now, will save you time later. Your future self will thank you!
When do you normally start getting ready for the holidays? Let me know in the comments!
2) Manage your schedule.
The holiday season can really take a toll on your schedule. There are so many MORE activities and tasks that we need to fit into our already busy lives. But over-scheduling our holiday activities will surely lead to more stress and disorganization. One way to manage your schedule is to use an old fashioned calendar. Start by filling in your calendar with all of your regular daily appointments and obligations. By putting those commitments in FIRST, you will be better able to see any openings in your schedule where you can add those extra holiday tasks and celebrations. It's a simple way for you to make sure you don't overbook your schedule with extra activities that you don't really have time for during the holiday season.
3) Simplify your goals.
Try to remember that "less is more" during the holidays. If time is tight, simplify your holiday goals. For example, if you find that decorating the entire inside of your home is causing you to feel overwhelmed, try focusing on going all out on decorating just one main room in your home instead of the entire home.
If you're stressed out about decorating the entire outside of your home, try just decorating around your front door. Hang a big beautiful wreath on your front door with some decorative garland around the door frame. Then add a fun holiday door mat. It's still festive, but a lot less work!
4) Don't let family "traditions" hold you hostage during the holidays.
Family "traditions" can add a lot of joy during the holiday season, but they can also cause a lot of stress. Just because a tradition worked well in the past, doesn't mean it will work well now or even in the future. Focus on only the traditions that truly bring you joy during the holidays, and let those "not so joyous" traditions go. Times change and people change. Forcing yourself to honor outdated family traditions will only cause more stress and less joy during the holiday season!
Let me know in the comments if YOU have any family traditions that you really don't enjoy anymore.
5) Simplify dinners during the holidays.
Every time you prepare a meal during the month of November, double the amount you're preparing, and freeze the second batch. By the end of the month, you will have already prepared all of your dinners for the month of December. Woot-woot!
6) Simplify your parties.
Let's face it... the holiday season is a party season. But if you're feeling overwhelmed during the holidays, hosting a big elaborate party only will only add to your stress. So here are 2 easy ways to simplify your parties and reduce your stress.
If you want a dinner party, why not make it a potluck dinner where each guest brings their favorite holiday dish. With everyone contributing to the meal, you're bound to have a wide variety of food for your guests to choose from.
Instead of a more formal dinner party where you serve an entire meal, opt for a more casual daytime party where you just serve snacks and light beverages.
My Holiday Planner can help you with your party planning. It includes meal planners, shopping checklists, as well as guest and activity checklists. Click HERE to get your planner TODAY!
7) Create "Manageable" To Do Lists.
Creating a "manageable" To-Do list is essential to keeping your holiday season organized. But many of us struggle with completing our to-do lists during the holiday season. That's because we're including the wrong tasks on our list. One problem is that many of us put "projects" instead of "jobs" on our daily to-do list. The video below explains why you should NEVER put "projects" on your to-do list.
8) Get EVERYONE in your home to participate with the extra holiday work.
They say that "many hands make light work", and there's a LOT of extra work that goes on during the holiday season. So go ahead and divide up those extra tasks! Children should get involved in the work too. There are so many tasks their little hands can do! EVERYONE should help out, so that EVERYONE can enjoy the holiday season. Here's just a sample of some the tasks children are capable of doing.
To see all of tasks that children can do to help get things ready for Christmas, check out my Holiday Planner! Click HERE to get yours TODAY!
I hope that these tips I've shared help you have a less stressful and more ORGANIZED Holiday Season!
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