Get Organized and Reduce Stress During the Holidays

The 6^th key is to create and stick to a budget, and pay cash.  When shopping during the holiday season, sticking to a budget and keeping track of costs and receipts can be challenging, but worth it.  There is nothing worse than having a “surprise” of the credit card bill (especially if one spouse is doing the spending, and the other one is opening the bill!).

Keeping a pouch in a three ring binder (similar to a pencil case) is a great place to store receipts,  and then keep a sheet of paper with it so you can record your purchases. 

The next (and 7^th key) to reducing stress is to create a step-by-step plan for sending out your holiday cards!  If you send out photo cards, you add to your stress by taking just the “perfect” family photo.  For next year, take a picture during the summer, and have the prints made right away.  Order the cards in September, get them stuffed, embossed, and sealed in October.  The first of November start addressing a few each night in front of the television, and/or in car pool line, then take one night to stamp them all, and have them out soon after Thanksgiving.  Breaking down this tedious process over several months will  make a typically over- whelming process seem manageable!  If you are just getting started, break down the steps, and write down deadlines for each step, so you do not get overwhelmed by the whole process.

The 8^th key is to store your holiday decoration in one place, in clear storage bins, or colored coated storage bins (such as red and green, or blue and white).  When it is time to get them out, it will be easy to get them out, or easy to instruct someone else which ones they are.  You can also take pictures of where you placed them, and put the picture in each storage bin, so it will become a “no-brainer” for you (or your holiday decorator) to get them up quickly.

The 9^th key is a fun one!  Plan and host a “Bring your Holiday Project” party!  Make a list of your closest friends, set up some long tables and chairs, and invite them to bring their holiday cards, gifts that they have to wrap, or just stop by while out shopping!  You can test out your holiday baked goods on them, and serve some festive libations!  Your party could become a deadline for you (and your friends) to accomplish a chunk of your To Do Lists!  Keep the evening simple, so you do not add to your stress, even though you are trying to reduce stress for others!

The 10^th and final key is to plan ahead for next year, while accomplishing things for this year.  You can do that by keeping a list or journal of what you did this year.  Record everything from what you bought for parties and holiday meals, what recipes you used, to who was on the guest list.  Purchase a three-ring binder, and section it off with tabs.  You can then keep track of every thing that you did this holiday season.  You can even purchase write-on-dividers, and write out different categories, such as “Gifts,” “Entertaining,”  and “Budget.”  Your Master Task List can be placed in the front, and you can then use it for the next year.

Reducing your stress during the holidays is the best way to remember the true meaning of the season!  Even if you get a late start this year, you still can accomplish a lot in a little amount of time, if you get organized, and incorporate your massive holiday To Do List, into your daily routine and life.