How To Stay Organized During the Holidays
With the holidays coming, things can get completely overwhelming and chaotic. Between the regular daily routines, plus holiday meal planning, gift shopping, and extra holiday events, things can get lost in the shuffle.
One way to stay on top of your to-do’s is by keeping a calendar and separated lists for different things you need to do during the season.
Why Keep Your Lists Separated:
Nobody, I mean, NOBODY, likes a super long to-do list. Having a really long list can be so overwhelming and make you feel totally defeated before you even start with anything! Trust me, I’ve been there.
You have everything written on one list, you look at your list to figure out what needs to get done, then, you freeze. Frozen because you don’t even know where to begin, nor do you want to begin.
We get this feeling from our physical environment and even our to-do lists. By keeping things separated, it can help keep you motivated to actually keep you working on your list.
What Lists To Keep:
Here are some ideas of the different lists that I have and like to use during the holiday season specifically:
Budget List
Gift Giving List
Decorations List
Grocery Shopping List
Kitchen Utensil/Gadget List
Planning Checklist
Christmas Card Sending List
Meal Planning & Recipe List
How to Keep Track Of Your Lists:
1. Paper and Pen: I have always been a paper and pen type of person when it comes to lists and calendars, however, I have found recently that there are certainly some disadvantages to this method. For instance, if something comes up during the day and I do not have my planner on me, I end up writing a note in the “notes app” in my phone and then have to write it again to my master list when I get home. I guess this isn’t the WORST thing, because it does end up on my list. If it works, it works.
2. Digital DIY: Another way to keep your lists separated, categorized, organized and with you at all times, is by using digital resources. There is an app called Trello that you could use as a list builder. This lets you create “boards” with multiple types of lists/categories.
3. Digitally Done For You: The third option is by using a holiday checklist that has already been done for you AND is customizable! Yes, I am going to shamelessly talk about my holiday planner here! I have created The Ultimate Holiday Planner already for you. It is a whopping 33 pages of timelines and checklists (for Thanksgiving and Christmas) already made up and categorized for you. The best part? Well, there are TWO “BEST PARTS”.
FULLY CUSTOMIZABLE - you can add in (or delete) anything to your list that you would like, to make it customizable for your family and traditions.
DIGITAL AND PRINT COPY - this planner is for you whether you are a paper and pen person like myself or you want everything to be digital and readily available for you on your phone! The planner comes with a digital planner that you can download and edit, AND a PDF version that you could print off yourself and create your own holiday binder that you can take with you wherever you go.
It’s never too late to start planning and making things easier for yourself! Go ahead and click the link below to snag your copy today!