When was the
last time you had a really relaxing holiday? I don't mean that peaceful
thirty-minute aftermath that follows a successful dinner party or the kids'
gift-opening extravaganza. I mean a holiday that is relaxing, from beginning to
end. That includes travel, dinner preparations, and shopping. All it will take
is a little organization and advance planning. Here are some tips to get you
started.
Plan your
travel now. Need to
be out of town to see family or friends? If you haven't already made
arrangements, make it a priority. Especially if you plan to fly, the
best deals disappear fast. Get online and start shopping around as soon as you
know where you need to be and when. Once the arrangements are made, start
getting things squared away with work. Whether you need to request time off,
reschedule a recurring meeting, or just let your employees know that you'll be
gone, do it as soon as possible. Depending on where you work, getting holiday
time off can be competitive. Especially in this case, the early bird tends to
get the worm.
Make a
budget. Unless you've
got more money that you know what to do with, it is easy for the holiday season
to turn into a financial headache. Ninety-nine percent of that stress can be
eliminated by thinking ahead and making a budget. Financial sanity doesn't come
from having a ton of money; it comes from spending it wisely.
Decide how
much you're going to spend and stick to it. Letting yourself creep over your
budget probably isn't going to make you a hero in the gift department, but it
might cost you a gray hair or two when it comes time to sort out the holiday
bills. How many times have you charged expensive items and spent
five months paying for them? See if you can break tradition this year by
drawing names or just sending cards. Tell the people you're not buying for that
you've pared down your gift list out of necessity and ask them not to buy for
you as well.
Avoid the
shopping marathon.
Unless you really do enjoy the "shop 'till you drop" marathon mall sessions,
skip the all-day shopping trips. If you start now (or better yet, six months
ago), you'll be amazed at how much you can get done by picking up an item here
and there while you're running your everyday errands. The secret is to sit
down, make a list of the people you need to shop for, and keep it with you.
Ideally,
your list will include one or two gift options for each person, too. Keep your
list with you and cross off a few people every week. Also keep your eye out for
stocking stuffers and similar small items. And as for that whole Black Friday
thing – if you don't enjoy it, skip it! Unless shopping is in your blood, the
money you'll save probably isn't worth the aggravation.
Wrap as
you go. Don't put all
of your wrapping off until the last minute. As you pick things up, go ahead and
wrap them as soon as you get a chance. Wrap a couple
extras for a guest who shows up
unexpectedly and gives you a gift.
It helps to have a dedicated
wrapping area cornered off that is well-stocked with all the essentials –
wrapping paper, scissors, gift tags, tape, etc. The easier you make it for
yourself, the more likely you are to get it done.
Simplify,
simplify. No matter
how cool your friends and family might play it, you are NOT the only one who
gets stressed out around the holidays. If the stress of preparations is getting
out of hand, don't be afraid to propose a simplified pot-luck dinner instead of
a more elaborate affair or a gift exchange instead of shopping for everyone
individually. Even if you just try this approach with a small group of friends
or extended family, it'll be at least a small relief for everyone involved.
When it comes to reducing you holiday workload, every little bit helps.
Make
friends with the Internet.
More and more shoppers are finally taking the plunge and skipping the
traditional brick and mortar stores completely. Internet shopping has come a
long way in the last few years and you might be surprised at how simple it has
gotten. You can easily compare prices and can generally find good deals on
shipping that will guarantee arrival in plenty of time for the big day.
Play your
cards right. Many people take one look at that mound of Christmas cards and can
suddenly think of three or four other things that require their immediate
attention. We love getting cards but hate the prospect of doing ours. So we
procrastinate until December 22 and pull another 2 a.m. shift to get them in the
mail by Christmas. So, I look at my cards as a process. Breaking the project
down into smaller pieces makes it seem more manageable. You can even begin
now! The first thing I do is create the labels.
Second, I stick
them on the envelopes with a return address label and stamp. Next, I write the
family newsletter and get it copied onto the special paper. Finally, I set up
an assembly line: (a) add a salutation to the card such as "Dearest X Family,"
(b) sign our names, (c) enclose the newsletter and a picture, and (d) seal the
envelope with a sticker. No licking for me! If you prefer to hand-write your
cards, the trick is to write five each day, starting the day after
Thanksgiving. Take some with you wherever you go, in case you find some free
time: at the doctor's office, waiting for a meeting to begin, or picking your
child up from a lesson.
Cheat.
Unless you really enjoy preparing mass quantities of food from scratch, there's
no reason not to take advantage of a short-cut or two. Particularly when it
comes to the dessert menu, there are plenty of quick and easy mixes that can
help you shave some serious time off of your meal preparation schedule. Just go
to the grocery store and find a few easy-to-make offerings or buy something from
the deli. For a special touch you can dress your desserts with extra holiday
sprinkles or a squiggle of chocolate sauce across the plate for a very
restaurant-looking presentation.
Give
yourself the gift of time.
How about purchasing a few months of housekeeping instead of clothes? Purchase
a gift certificate to a restaurant so you don't have to cook. Have the
veterinarian groom your dog instead of doing it yourself, being soaked, and
making a mess. Buy a book on tape to listen to in the car on the way to work.
Purchase a cell phone and eliminate phone tag by forwarding your calls when you
leave the office. Have your groceries delivered once a week for a month (less
than the cost of a blouse). Hire a teenager to do the major cleaning required
before houseguests arrive.
Remember
your priorities. Take
shortcuts where it really doesn't matter: buy cookies instead of baking them or
barter a task you don't like for one you do. I know two women who trade chores
at holiday time. One hates to bake; the other hates to do crafts. So one woman
decorates the other's home and wraps her presents beautifully; the other does
the meal preparation and holiday baking for the other! Cut out as many social
engagements as possible if you want more family time-you can't go to a school
musical when it's more convenient. Kids appreciate happy and relaxed parents
more than perfect decorations.
Get
moving! However you
choose to get a head start on the holiday season, you won't regret putting in
the extra effort early on. Keep yourself motivated by thinking about how nice
it will be to cruise through the end of December stress-free and full of holiday
spirit. You might make a date with yourself to visit the mall on the last
weekend before Christmas-just so you can observe the mayhem you successfully
avoided by being so productive!
Make it a
productive day! ™
About the
Author:
(C) Copyright
2007. Laura Stack, MBA, CSP (
www.TheProductivityPro.com ) is a
personal productivity expert, author, and professional
speaker, who helps workers Leave the Office Earlier® with Maximum Results in
Minimum Time™. She is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., an
international time management consulting company in Denver, Colorado, that
caters to high-stress industries. Laura is the author of several productivity
books published by Random House/Broadway Books and has been a spokesperson for
Microsoft, 3M, and Day-Timers®, Inc. She's been featured on the CBS Early Show,
CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times. Her clients
include Cisco, Sunoco, KPMG, Nationwide, and Coors.
