The holidays are a wonderful time to spend with your family and friends. However, it can be challenging to manage the many things on your schedule during this busy time of year. To help make sure that you enjoy the holiday season and don’t become overwhelmed by it, I’ve put together some helpful tips that will help you stay organized and get things done in a timely manner!
Create a centralized calendar
If you’re hosting family over the holiday season, having a shared calendar is invaluable. If you don’t already have one, take some time to create a Google Calendar that all of your guests can access and update as needed. Then, make sure everyone knows how to share their own schedules with it so everyone’s itineraries are clear!
In addition to this obvious use case, we love using the shared calendars feature at work because it helps us keep track of meetings and appointments with clients or partners in our industry outside of our office space. It also helps me stay organized when planning my husband’s birthday party; you keep track of which people RSVP’d and what they said they would bring so you know whether there will be enough drinks or desserts by the end of the evening!
Schedule some downtime
There are a few things that can help you manage your time and energy better around the holidays. The first is to plan ahead, which means setting aside some downtime. You might even want to take a nap or do something you love like walking in the park. This helps give you the space and energy needed when it comes time to get back into work mode.
The second thing that can really help productivity is having some flexibility built into your schedule during this busy time of year. If something comes up unexpectedly, it’s good for people who need to be flexible with their schedules so they can accommodate those changes without feeling stressed out by them.
Outsource tasks that you don’t love doing
You’re not the only one who has to deal with a crowded holiday schedule. And it can be tempting to try to do everything yourself, but that’s a recipe for burnout and stress.
Instead of doing things you don’t enjoy, why not outsource those tasks? There are plenty of people who will help you get through this busy time!
Let’s say that you have a lot of writing assignments coming due in December and January. Why not find someone who can write them for you? It doesn’t have to be some other freelancer; maybe it’s your niece or nephew! If they’re old enough, most kids love writing papers–and if they don’t, then at least they’ll get experience with deadlines while getting paid (the college application process is stressful enough).
Find ways to say no
- Be honest about your reasons for saying no. If you’re avoiding a commitment because you’re afraid it will interfere with your work and family obligations, don’t feel any shame in saying so.
- Don’t say yes to everything. Unless someone is literally asking you to do something illegal or immoral, there’s no need to feel guilty about turning down an invitation or two—especially if they conflict with other commitments.
- Don’t be afraid of what other people might think of your choices when setting boundaries around time management (or anything else). Sometimes saying no is the best way to get ahead in life!
By being proactive and knowing what it is that you want, you can balance your schedule and still enjoy the holidays.
It is easy to overbook yourself during the holiday season. The best way to combat this is to manage your time and say no.
It’s also easy to get stressed out over all the things that you have to do, so it’s important not to get overwhelmed or take on too much at once.
Lastly, don’t forget about yourself during this busy time of year! You deserve some self-care time as well!
Conclusion
In today’s fast-paced world, it can be hard to stay organized. Thankfully, there are plenty of digital tools that can help you keep track of all your to-dos. From managing your schedule to set reminders for future events, these five tips will help you stay on top of your holiday shopping list and make sure everyone gets what they want this year.
