“This year, I’m getting my life and staying organized for the holidays. Christmas shopping on time!” This is usually my vow to myself as the holidays approach. Fast-forward to a few weeksdays before Christmas, as I’m scrambling to get my last gifts bought and somewhat wrapped in the nick of time. Oh, and yes, it literally happens every year, along with the frustration and aggravation that inevitably follow…
The holidays are one of the busiest times of the year, especially for working women and moms. This is where the gift of organization comes in really handy, what with planning the festivities, buying and wrapping gifts, as well as handling your responsibilities at work and at home. I remember dreading the approach of the year end, at the thought of everything I would have to do, amplified by my chronic tendency to procrastinate. I finally hit a wall when I caught myself unwrapping gifts at midnight on Christmas Eve when I realized that all the tags had the wrong names on them. Not to mention the horrible mood I was in, which prevented me from being truly present and enjoying this most wonderful time of year.
Despite my best attempts at not controlling my procrastination, I had to give in. After much trial and error, wrapping and unwrapping gifts with the wrong tags, here are seven tips that took my holidays from stressful and overwhelming to peaceful and enjoyable:
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Use the right organization tools
Getting organized requires the right tools to keep you on track. Anyone who knows me knows I’m obsessed with planners and office supplies. My absolute favorite is Erin Condren’s Life Planner, which is perfect for customizing how you plan your own schedule and to-do’s. The three weekly layouts to choose from let you plan your time, in your unique way! I enjoy the vertical weekly columns to annotate all my appointments, with the side spaces to include all my to-do’s for the week. I also love that it includes inspirational quotes and notes, along with stickers and extras to celebrate each task you accomplish, while you keep your spirits high all holiday long.
Purchase your Erin Condren Life Planner today!
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Prioritize!
There is way too much to do over the holidays to pretend to do it all. Over time, I’ve learnt to distinguish what’s really important from what’s not, and prioritize my tasks. For me, this means simplifying my schedule by taking care of the essential, and letting the rest go. What deadlines have to be met by the end of the year at work and personally? What relationships are you set to honor with your time and gifts this season? How much of your personal and household chores can you realistically accomplish?
Answering these questions can go a long way in being more organized and less overwhelmed, which translates into actually enjoying, instead of resenting, the holidays.
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Let go of control
I had to check myself at some point and recognize that most of my holiday stress was due to my then “control freak” tendencies. From wanting everything to be perfect to being anal over name tags, the need for control plays a large part in turning the holidays into a nightmare. Not to mention that every single task ends up taking more time than you’ll ever have, resulting in major disorganization, lateness and annoyances along the way.
What I’m learning is to let go of control and the need for perfection. “Done beats perfect” is my new motto, and has saved me much time, stress and energy too.
How do you stay organized over the holidays?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
