Wow! Everything from Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, New Year and beyond! All in just over a month! How can you not be organized, if you prepare for everything and enjoy it?
To get started, please quickly think of the first three words that come to mind when you think of the holiday season. Do not think too hard and not to judge - you can do your thoughts honestly. The following are some of the different words are mentioned earlier in this exercise:Dashed - Overwhelmed - Joy - Tired - Church - fear - Travel - Stressful - Family - Anticipation - Family - Happy.
As you can see, we all love and peace too hectic. Especially women, are expected to mages, so that everyone in the holiday dreams come true! Moreover, if what you are looking for in this time of year is spiritual or religious and non-commercial, you must meet one last effort with the media to do!
Listed below are some practical tipscan help you have less stress, less expensive and more enjoyable holiday season, and hopefully you get closer to your perfect holiday season. This acronym can help you to be used with this lesson and can work in almost any situation planning: PLAN. The plan is to reach at the top of something in an orderly and successful manner. Yes, say what we do is a good old-fashioned time management!
P stands for "PREPARE"
Envision:
Close yourEyes for a minute. Imagine your perfect holiday season. If you had the power, just this season the way you do it, how would it look like? Everyone's idea of the perfect season will be different. Give this some serious thought, because if you do not a vision, a goal of what you have, how you can organize and plan for you? This is one of the cornerstones of the organization. What you also need to note is that you may not be the "Currier and Ives" can have a perfect holiday scene of Christmas.Remember to adjust your vision, the reality of life: the time available, the money available and your current circumstances.
A perfect example of unreasonable expectations and goals is in the movie "Christmas Vacation" with Chevy Chase scenes. Do you know? He wanted the most elaborate decorations outside. He spent his Christmas bonus before they arrived. Relatives from both sides of the family came, not to get along. Unexpected guests arrived. Then, of course,everything that could go wrong did! Now ... in Hollywood, this may be a happy ending. In real life, maybe not. My husband and I watch it every year right after Thanksgiving, on the ground around us and help us realistic expectations for the season.
List and prioritize:
Make a list of which, what must be done, not in the lead only what you want to do, but also the things that other things like the shopping before mailing - wish lists before shopping, etc. Remember, you can thePriorities, based on your ideal holiday season! Some things have to go - it just is not time for everything. Track what you do not want to do. Sometimes' NOT to-do lists "are important and give us permission, within the limits which we live are currently experiencing.
Get everything on the calendar:
Do this on your November and December calendar. Read this article now gives you time to really think and plan for this it! It is always best to use onlya calendar, for having more than one often forgets to get transferred elements both to miss appointments, etc. If you do not have space on your current activity calendar, you can empty those in Microsoft Outlook Express or Word template. If you have enough space on your current calendar, perhaps you'll want a different color ink for your vacation planning products, green or red, to use perhaps.
Events / Activities: Please note that you only 24 hours in a day and the majority ofthose are spent sleeping and working. Spontaneity is one of the great things about life can be so sure, you can dangle a little room! Do not forget the events that you always do that "facts" - like the neighborhood are open, religious events, the odd wedding in December, which appears in mind. Maybe you can build in some service activities, such as visiting nursing homes or to volunteer at the food bank. Celebrate your wealth by sharing with others. Inventory: Decoration
Supplies- Packaging,
baking, etc. Organize Christmas cards must travel gifts
L is for the start of action: to organize holiday is a collaboration between family members, roommates, friends, neighbors, colleagues. Enlist help! Get the men are involved - they are responsible for creating this holiday season, too. Children must be involved, but they also need time with the family relaxed, self-stimulation, and realistic expectations. Delegate - within the group that you rent the interaction with aCatering companies, etc. Let us a little longer at each of the action items that you have listed:
Events / Activities on the calendar. Be sure to look at it! Inventory: Remember the holiday LED lights you bought on sale at the end of last year? Probably not, but if you take stock, you will find them and not tempted to buy more! They want to know what you have listed it in the way of all: Wrapping Paper & Ribbons for Gifts, cooking special needs, gifts that you alreadypurchased and hidden away because they were on sale and you knew exactly who would they give you, right?; leftover holiday cards that you can use when buying supplies for this year a couple of short runs! Organize: This is one of the most important things! By finding what you previously bought or heard the feeling is a feeling of calm and peace in this hectic time. Is it messy, chaotic and out of control now, before the holidays? This coming season will only beAdd to your clutter - physically, mentally, lost in time! Even if you only just a room you'll find your sense of clarity in this wild season increased. To determine just where you're going to start, but most importantly, do not start! As you can see a pile or stack or find a drawer that is not closed, thinking about how it should be / how you want it to be and examine each item: Do you love it? Use it? Need it? Does it work? Is it in the right place? While you are busy coming weeks about these thingsslip around the house type, so watch out and stay on it! Other than organizing the space, you follow your holiday inventory, gift lists, card lists, etc. in one place - like a three-ring binder lets you remove or pages easily and quickly, can add. Shopping / Gifts: What is the best gift you ever gave or received? Perhaps it was a gift of time or made by hand. Remember, if you go shopping for others. If you want to buy, choose gifts with a view to charity, andSensitivity, not the "secret gift rules," such as: on the gift list now, you're always there, or should, the women give gifts to their close friends, but people should not accept gifts for their male friends, whether it It is alcohol! And not all problems are cured by buying more! Give you make a thoughtful gift, and to ensure that they have a Gift of Joy! Some ideas are:
* Services / activities / Gifts / Subscriptions: Do not try to show more disorder caused in the apartment of a person to create or ruin your budget! Buy Experiences instead of stuff, or supplies for the people. Pursuit of ideas throughout the year than when you hear the beginning of Wish List someone in July. Make lists of things you want to be acquired before the time for a specific individual.
* Use the Internet or catalogs to order home that you do in odd hour. Many times these companies will provide free shipping.
* Can buy your gifts, where you can get them a gift pack also saves you time and money on the wrapping> Returns.
* Buy gifts that are in essence, donations have: If you know the recipient, a special reason to let him or her know that you made a donation in their name. For example, buying chickens or ducks in the name of a person through Christian Children's Fund or Heifer.org or donate to charity or food bank. You will have saved time, served a good purpose to do your shopping faster and your heart is good!
* Travel: Ship your gifts ahead of time.
* Budget: TheThe more you have planned, the easier it is to stay within your budget. It is also to hold that you tried for last minute impulse shopping. Commerce you get when you are not watchful! Draw names. Get a gift per family (one that's perhaps eliminate?) Or to gifts and focus on the activities of the family. Set price limits with simpler, less expensive gifts. Only buy for the kids, or just a great gift for each child. Do not forget the extra costs that can add up, also ask for gifts of paper, ribbons,Ribbons; transport requires gas, time and vehicle maintenance. Entertaining, perhaps, needed food during the preparation of the event, special utensils, baby-sitter. Decorating requires attention inside and outside the home. Holiday cards require printing, rubber stamps, trips to the post.
Holiday Cards: Be realistic. Nobody wants to read a 3-page letter to leave, nor do you have time to write it! When sending Thanksgiving / Christmas / New Year cards, take a careful look atTime and money involved. Of course you want to touch base with friends and relatives - Hallmark would not otherwise! Perhaps, if you reduce that contact throughout the year. Try Aunt Josie a card with the back of the child-to-school pictures in September, instead of Christmas. Remember when the cards arrive, you check the address and make sure that the current on your computer in your address book or whatever you decide to retain this information. In our houseWe started doing very short poems on e-cards to all our friends and relatives who have e-mail, over 95%! We save time and money, but our poems are still very personal accounts of the major events of the year.
So that brings us to: ACCEPT AND ADAPT! In this section, the shortest, but also the most difficult! This can be a very tough time of year for many people for many reasons:
Traditions / Rituals doing: what have always done (lowering of Christmas --Tree ala "Christmas Vacation" or expectations for solid holiday baking). Memories / current conditions / Changing systems or lack thereof - I remember those who are alone, too! Unfulfilled expectations, emotional stress Financial stress
It's so hard to do, but so important! How do we deal with changes of circumstances and the stress of the day?
You do not Treat yourself to leave, new traditions / rituals / make something. Budget constraints: Plan a dessert and coffee, not afull sit-down dinner Practice gratitude: negative thinking fuels stress. Turn it off! Give yourself and it comes back to you tenfold. Balance your expectations / skills with others are "flexible! Avoid media hype! Turn off the TV and read a book or magazine and make your Christmas stress a favor. Take care of yourself! Get the exercise you need to know. If you do not have time for the regular step or yoga class, at least for a walk every day or every other day for half an hour.
ReadingThis article now is the time you plan to minimize stress for you ... N-JOY, I saw you at the beginning of this article on three words that come quickly to mind when you think think the holiday season. You see things a little differently than now? Do as little or as much as you and your family want and is reasonable.
Slow down. "Just say no!" Take time to laugh and have fun. Take a deep breath and relax. Present and not just be run. Engage yourvision to reality - with your expectations realistic! Celebrate your organizational progress, your new time management and reflect on your achievements. Set aside time to reflect and think about simplifying your life -. Keep up on the organization, a small portion at a time every day and you will get through the chaos!
After the holiday season is over, take control:
Sort and clean up your holiday decorations Store them in identifiable orange boxes (/ red / green) double donationsGifts or unacceptable, if you do not return can practice 1 in / 1 out "rule (or the" 1 in / 2 out "rule, if your degree of disorder warrants) So do not just get in the holidays -- Enjoy!
Copyright 2008 Rhonda McNett / Sensible Organizing Strategies