What organisation hacks are you in need of this festive season?
In amongst all the excitement of the festivities, it can be very easy to become overwhelmed and stressed out too.
Staying organised helps you to reduce some of that stress, and make the most of all the festive fun – which is what Christmas is all about!
Today I’m going to be running through some of the best and easiest organisation hacks. That way, you can focus more on the positives, and less on feeling the festive stress.
Plan ahead with a planner or calendar
In any aspect of your life, you can never go wrong with a planner! That’s what the premise of my organisational tips are all about…
Whether it’s a physical planner like I often use, or just using the notes and calendar apps on your phone, writing things down is the key to staying on top during the festive period.
Use your planner to track key events such as:
- Events you’re attending – these could be Christmas markets, staff parties, or your children’s nativity play. One in my calendar this month is an upcoming Sausage Dog walk!
- Cooking timings – if you’re the designated chef on the day, you may already have a tried and tested system when it comes to the main meal. But if you’re a first-timer, give yourself grace and plan out what you can, to make it easier on the day.
- Shopping deadlines – this is particularly important if you’re ordering online, and are a last minute shopper…
Write your gift lists early
Now that we’re already in December, if you haven’t started your Christmas shopping then this is your reminder to do so!
Off the back of the ‘plan ahead’ point above, gift lists needed their own point altogether, as there’s so many important things to consider.
Firstly, you’ll find your Christmas shopping so much easier if you know exactly what it is you’re looking for, and where you need to get it from. Categorise your lists by family members, friends, and co-workers etc. so you have a clear starting point.
If you like to work within a budget, you can also clearly define these within your categories, allocating a certain amount for each person/group to avoid overspending. It will also help with the spontaneous gift buying, because you know exactly what budget you’re working with.
Then finally, you can keep track of exactly what you’ve bought, and if you’ve wrapped it or not. I know this is important, because my mum can speak on it with first hand experience. There’s been a few years a little gift has cropped up in summer, because she forgot about it over Christmas…
When it comes to gifts, this is probably the only occasion where I prefer to use my notes app rather than a physical planner. Whilst I bring my planner a lot of places, if I’m out shopping I like to free up my bag with as much room for presents as possible.
Using my notes app helps me to keep track of everything I’ve bought so far, and what I still need to get. So use whatever system is best for you, as long as you use one!
Declutter, then decorate
The festive season can bring a lot of ‘things’ into your home. Whether that’s gifts for you, gifts for others, or decorations, it can create a lot of overwhelm if not managed properly.
When it comes to decorating, they can quickly pile up. Before your decide to decorate and bring in new items, think about decluttering first.
Clear out the old decorations you don’t use anymore, rather than hiding them away for another year to come.
Give your home a deep clean and thorough declutter, which includes the gifts you may no longer use. Consider donating any unused items to make space – it’s a chance to give back during the festivities as well.
When it comes to packing the decorations away again, think about creating a new system that will make your life so much easier the next time the festive season rolls around. For example, label your decoration boxes, or wrap lights around a piece of card to avoid tangling. You’ll thank yourself next year for putting a system in place this year!
Group tasks together
Make your life easier by grouping tasks together, and picking a time to do them.
It might seem overwhelming at first, but we’re trying to do the opposite and reduce stress with these ideas.
Are you the type of person who likes to send out Christmas cards? Put on your favourite festive movie or carols playlist, get comfy, and write them all in one sitting.
Bought all your presents? Wrap all your presents in one (or two) sessions, rather than one here, one there. Some people really hate wrapping, but the sooner you get it done then it’s one less thing to worry and stress about.
Lastly, have you thought about the Christmas food shop yet? Aim to complete it in the morning. Then you can spend the afternoon prepping any ingredients and freezing them, or baking your speciality dessert. Hopefully that’s more enjoyable!
Learn to delegate
You’re not superhuman, you can’t do everything. This is especially important to remember at Christmas!
Make the most of the people around you, and learn to delegate different tasks. Everyone’s situation may look different, but here are a few examples:
- Assign your family members different roles, such as decorating, cleaning, or setting the table.
- If you haven’t finished for Christmas and still have a lot to do, ask for some help with your workload.
- Ask each person coming to your Christmas dinner to bring something – that could be the crackers, after dinner chocolates or a bottle of wine.
Don’t forget to rotate the responsibilities to ensure the work is being spread out evenly.
Most importantly, once you’ve given someone a role, don’t take over! If you like to be in charge, that can be a lot easier said than done. But remember, you can’t do everything. Besides, Christmas is about spending time with loved ones, it doesn’t matter if it’s not all perfect at the end of the day.
Schedule a reset day
In amongst all the festive excitement, block off a few days to reset and relax.
You might have time off for Christmas, but it can quickly become very stressful that it doesn’t feel like time off at all.
If you can, take a few extra days to clean up and chill. You can use these days to sort through new gifts, return any items that weren’t right and tidy up from the big day.
Then, you can properly chill in anticipation of another big event – New Year!
What else are you going to be doing during those days in-between anyway? Most of us end up sat on the sofa, not realising what day it is, and feeling the time fly. Either utilise this time to properly chill out, or get ahead and get ready for the New Year…
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