Organize + Energize: 5 Things to do Now to Reduce Holiday Stress

Tuesday, December 01, 2015

Kristin MacRae, GoLocalPDX Organizing Expert

Are you planning on having a stressful, chaotic, and unprepared holiday season this year or are you going to coast through well organized and with your sanity intact? It’s a choice you can make and believe it or not, you can have control over your stress during the holidays. Granted, there are situations that will arise that you can’t control, but wouldn’t it be great to control what you can?

Here are 5 things you can do now to reduce holiday stress:

Clear the mental clutter. Grab a pen and paper. Think about all of the different categories you need to focus on during the holidays. You may have menus, gifts, home décor, cleaning, and any other categories. Dedicate a piece of paper to each and it’s time to dump your brain and clear the mental clutter. Take it one category at a time and just start writing things you need to get done in each category. Don’t worry about putting it in any time/date order; just release the mental clutter and jot things down. Once you get everything written down, then you can go back and give things a timeline.

Use a calendar. Check the lists you’ve created and now it’s time to plug items into your calendar. Create timelines so everything flows. Start delegating and transferring responsibility to other family members where you see fit. Don’t forget to add the little things like cleaning the house, exercise, food shopping, and regular day to day activities into your calendar.

Start creating to-do lists. Once you are finished filling in your calendar, now it’s time to create daily to-do lists from the categories you’ve created. Every Friday, take a look at your calendar for the week ahead and create a daily to-do list from your calendar. You’ll be able to see your entire week in front of you. Plan your errands around where you will be that week so you are as efficient as possible. Plug your tasks into your week and get stuff done!

It’s never too soon to plan. You may be thinking that you have plenty of time to get stuff done. Don’t procrastinate and wait until the last minute. The last minute will arrive and there will be other things to do. Start planning now and you’ll be way ahead of the game, which will alleviate much of your stress.
Simplify. Don’t make the holidays more complicated than they need to be. Everybody celebrates the holidays in their own way. Take a look at what you’ve done in the past. Can you simplify anything that you’ve done in previous years? Keep things simple.

You may be saying, “I’m so busy. When will I find the time to do this?” This should take you no more than 1 hour depending on how much responsibility you have during the holidays. Instead of going on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest for the evening, take this time to make your lists. You could split up the time and tackle a little during TV time or a little before bed. I can guarantee you can find time if you make the time. If you make it a priority, you’ll find the time to do this. Put this on your to-do list for this week and tackle it. Think about the end result. You’ll have a stress-free holiday season and will actually get to enjoy the holidays with your sanity intact!

Kristin Carcieri-MacRae, the founder and owner of Organizing in RI, has always enjoyed finding creative ways to streamline the environment around her. She has appeared on air on Patricia Raskin's Positive Business Radio and her articles have been published in the Rhode Island Small Business Journal and New England Home Life. Kristin's CD, Organizing Basics, is a 1-hour guide for the person who wants to get organized but doesn't know where to start. She is also available for organizing workshops. Tune into her weekly radio show, Organize, Energize! on talkstreamradio.com.