Get these holiday tasks out of the way to more fully enjoy the season!
Best time to shop? Best time to plan? Best time to organize, stock, and prep? The answer for all of the above is now!
Professional organizer Jenny Layton called out four holiday tasks to do now that will bring more joy to your celebrations later.
4 Holiday Tasks to Get Yourself Organized
By Jenny Layton
It feels like just yesterday when we were talking about the kids going back to school! I remember saying, “We are going to BLINK and the holidays will be here.” Wasn’t I right? The holidays are here, and while there is a lot we all look forward to, we also know there is a lot to do. This calls for some organization, so here are four holiday tasks to start organizing the season now so we can have a lot more joy and a lot less stress.
1. Identify the Holiday To-do’s – and Holiday Clutter
One of the best, and worst, parts of the holidays is how busy it gets. Not only do we have all the holiday tasks – decorating, shopping, wrapping, cooking, sending Christmas cards – we also have all the celebrating – the parties, the performances, the traditions. All of this can quickly feel overwhelming, so the first thing we want to do is get it all out of our head and onto a piece of paper. That way we can take a realistic look at everything that needs to be done.
I know it may feel like an unnecessary step, but trust me here… take out a sheet of paper and do a mind dump. It’s always eye opening to see just how much we put on our plates during this busy season, and this is exactly why we do it. Once we have a full view of what we are asking of ourselves over the next few months, it’s the perfect time to look at your holiday season through fresh eyes and ask yourself if you really want to do all the things you’ve listed on that paper. Look for ways to simplify! Maybe you’ll realize that the kids have outgrown certain traditions. Maybe you’ll decide to forego the stress of Christmas cards or neighbor gifts. This is your chance to design your holiday to be the kind of celebration that YOU will enjoy. It’s easy to get so busy checking all the boxes and making it a great experience for everyone else, but we need to remember that the holidays are for us to treasure as well. We can’t do that when we are overworked and stressed out.
Have a discerning eye and realize that clutter isn’t just the stuff that piles up on the counter. Clutter is anything that takes more than it gives, and if there are things on your list that take a lot of work and give very little joy and connection in return, this is a good year to do some holiday decluttering.
2. Map Out a Holiday Calendar
Once you’ve decided what you’re committing to, map it all out on the calendar. This can feel a little like a Tetris game, trying to fit it all in, but this is such an important step because just like we want everything in our house to have a home, every holiday task or party or tradition needs a spot on the calendar. If you can pin down those details right now before everyone’s calendars are already set, you’ll love how good it feels to have already made all of those tough decisions early in the season.
Coordinate now to get the family and work Christmas parties on the calendar. Make sure you know about the school programs. Schedule a date for those fun traditions you want to keep. Extra credit – as you put them on the calendar, reach out ahead of time and schedule the babysitter, plan the menu, or order the white elephant gift or ugly Christmas sweater. The key is to get those details figured out now while you still have a lot of runway. Everything gets so busy as Christmas gets closer that the more we have taken care of ahead of time, the more we’ll be able to enjoy all the fun things we are planning because we won’t be bogged down with all the little things to do.
3. Tackle the Gift List Now
I think there are two types of people in the world… the people who are done shopping by Halloween, and the people who refuse to even think about it before Thanksgiving. If you still have it all looming over you, I recommend at the very least you start making your gift lists now. This can be one of the most stressful parts of the holidays for women because it feels like we are buying for everyone we know, and we are spending so much money. But, if we can think about it ahead of time, we can order things easily, we don’t risk low inventory or rushed shipping fees, and we aren’t making last minute decisions that blow the budget.
Schedule a personal appointment with yourself. Block out an hour or two sometime this week, schedule it on your calendar and treat it like a real appointment, and make a list of all the people you are buying for and make decisions now about what you want to give them. You can wait for Black Friday, or you may want to just order them now – but getting ahead of the gift giving game can really take a lot of pressure off of this busy part of the holiday season.
4. Stock Up On Supplies
- Wrapping supplies
- Kitchen staples, paper goods
- Décor supplies – Christmas lights, command hooks
- Extra gifts for last minute parties, gift exchanges, an unexpected gift you receive, etc.
High five yourself for being so on top of it. Sometimes those little wins are just the boost we need to feel like we have it all together during the holiday season.
Check out Jenny’s holiday podcasts for more advice on keeping holiday tasks organized during the rush.
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