You survived Halloween and Thanksgiving, which means the winter holidays are just around the corner! The next few weeks will be a whirlwind of shopping, planning, hosting, traveling, and celebrating, all on top of your already frenetic life. This should be a joyful time of year, but with all that is on your to-do list, it feels overwhelming. Instead of hiding under your covers until January, tackle the holidays with this three-prong strategy: Outsource, Delegate and Simplify.
You deserve help – who says you need to tackle the entire holiday season by yourself?
Consider outsourcing time-consuming pre-holiday tasks.
Are there time-consuming tasks on your pre-holiday to-do list which would be best done by professionals? Think Christmas light installation, raking leaves and winterizing your lawn. Then there’s gutter cleaning, decluttering your family room or guest bedroom. Maybe you’d like to have guests over but planning and organizing is not your strong suit. Your dining room has been decommissioned for a while now. Your table is buried under craft projects, paper, and boxes full of who knows what. A professional home organizer can help you declutter and make your space guest ready. Additionally, I have it on good authority that organizers will happily assist clients with decorating Christmas trees, setting tables, and even wrapping gifts!
The holidays will be less stressful when you delegate tasks.
When you free up family members from time-consuming tasks (like all-day Christmas light installation), they will be more open to other tasks you delegate to them. How about using an app to delegate and keep track of tasks? We like Any.do as you can tell Amazon’s Alexa to add a task to your to-do list as you are standing in the kitchen (as a 50-year old woman, I tend to remember all sorts of holiday errands while making dinner). Create lists, tasks, and reminders, and even track your progress. Any.do syncs seamlessly across your many devices—from your digital assistant to your smartphone to your tablet to your browser. Which makes it a cinch to take your lists everywhere you go! Whether it’s checking off your shopping list items, assigning tasks, adding due dates, or setting reminders, using an easy tool like an app can ease your burden.
Streamline your to-do list and relax over the holidays!
Martha Stewart has huge team of professionals to make her home holiday ready. If she had to do it all on her own, she would certainly need to simplify. Sometimes we try to live up to an unreachable standard when it comes to the holidays. If you are hosting Thanksgiving, aim for a simple potluck with tried and true recipes, not an elaborate feast requiring specialized cooking equipment and new furniture. Keep it simple, order a fully cooked bird from the grocery store, and have a more enjoyable day! Although handmade holiday greeting cards are beautiful, consider how much time you’d save by ordering Christmas cards from Shutterfly or another online service. If you like to make homemade gifts, keep in mind the big picture of to-dos, then set an amount of time you would like to work on each gift and stick to it.
Simplify gift giving with gifts of experience.
When it comes to gift giving, consider the following when you are out shopping: Most Americans are drowning in possessions and clutter. Storage companies can barely meet the demand for storage space. American children have more toys than other leading countries, and yet they are bored and overstimulated. What activities do your friends and family members enjoy? Ever consider that time itself is a gift? Then consider the gift of experience. We’re not talking about sending your BFF to a week in Tahiti. It could be as simple as theatre tickets or a cooking class, or even taking someone on a hike to a special spot. We like this blogger’s creative list of 50 of the best experience gifts.
Outsource, Delegate and Simplify. With help, you can ensure that your holidays are fun, relaxing, and enjoyable.