When it comes to getting ready for the holidays, there are a few guidelines that will help you get what you want done in a minimum amount of time and with a minimum amount of stress. You may find these guidelines are helpful for managing all aspects of your life in addition to your holiday planning.
“If you want to eat an elephant, take one bite at a time.”
So it is with holiday planning.
1. Everything needs a home – even your notes for planning the holidays. A three-ring binder dedicated to the task is very helpful and inexpensive.
2. Break down big tasks into smaller tasks.
3. Write things down. Write things down. Oh yes, and write things down.
-Use lists when you go shopping.
-Use your calendar to record all events and to schedule time to complete tasks.
-Every day write down the most important things you should accomplish during the day.
4. Think before you act. In other words, plan.
5. On the other hand, avoid “analysis paralysis.” If you think you are prone to over-analyzing then use your timer to limit your activity. Make it a game to get as much done before the bell rings.
6. Work on your tasks every day even it is only 15 to 20 minutes a day. This workbook is a valuable tool for your holiday preparations; however, it will not make the holiday “happen for you” without your participation.
7. Acknowledge your progress, and look ahead to what is up next. Enjoy imperfection.
8. Communicate! Involve your family.
9. Allow for a margin of error. This is crucial to the graceful recovery of plans gone awry. Keep between ten and twenty percent of your time and resources (hint: money) as undedicated. If something takes longer than expected or any unexpected expense crops up, you won’t have to worry.
10. If you start to feel overwhelmed, do a brain dump.
-Take a few minutes to write down everything on your mind.
-Next to each item on your list, write down what the next action should be to take care of it.
-Decide to decide. Either schedule the needed actions, delegate them, or disregard them. Yes, it is OK to decide NOT to do something as long as you are discarding an item that is not crucial to your plan’s success.
The most important tip is to remember why we celebrate the holidays: a time to reflect on our spiritual beliefs and celebrate our families and friends. May peace and joy be with you in your celebrations.
Showing posts with label holiday planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday planning. Show all posts
Friday, December 05, 2008
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Prepare For Holiday Guests
Will you be hosting houseguests this holiday season? Use this checklist to attend to the visit details. Writing down the details will make you feel more prepared and less stressed. Plus your guests will love that you thought of everything!
1) When are your guests expected to arrive?
a. Day ______________
b. Time______________
2) Will you need to pick them up at the airport?
a. Their airline and flight number: ____________________
b. Their expected arrival time: ______________________
c. Where will you meet them? ______________________
d. Check on the flight status before leaving for the airport.
3) When are your guests expected to leave?
a. Day_______________
b. Time_______________
4) Will you need to take them to the airport?
a. Their airline and flight number: ____________________
b. Their expected departure time: ______________________
c. The time they must check-in at the airport? Check with the airline and the amount of time to allow before departure. ______________________.
5) How will you accommodate your guests?
a. Where will they sleep?
b. Do you have enough pillows, bed linens, blankets and towels?
c. If not, what do you need? Put these items on your master shopping list.
d. _____________________________________________
6) Do your guest have any special dietary requirements or requests? What are they?
7) ___________________________________________________
8) Have you planned the meals and snacks to include these requirements and extra servings?
9) After tidying the guest room make sure there is a clock, a notepad and pen, tissues, and a good reading lamp by the bed.
10) Some magazines and a small bowl of sugar-free hard candy are a nice touch.
11) Have extra travel-sized toiletries available just in case.
12) What activities do you have planned? Do you need to make any final confirmations?
a. _____________________________________________________
b. _____________________________________________________
13) After your guests are settled, give them a tour of your home. Show them how to work the door locks, how to work the alarm system, work the stove and the coffee maker. Let them know if there are any special rules for the house – such as no table scraps for the puppy.
14) Give your guests a copy of the house key with a local map. Mark the location of your house – along with the address and phone number – and any interesting near-by sites.
Remember, everyone benefits from a little quiet time. Do not feel obligated to constantly entertain your guests. In fact, they may enjoy some time for solitary exploring.
1) When are your guests expected to arrive?
a. Day ______________
b. Time______________
2) Will you need to pick them up at the airport?
a. Their airline and flight number: ____________________
b. Their expected arrival time: ______________________
c. Where will you meet them? ______________________
d. Check on the flight status before leaving for the airport.
3) When are your guests expected to leave?
a. Day_______________
b. Time_______________
4) Will you need to take them to the airport?
a. Their airline and flight number: ____________________
b. Their expected departure time: ______________________
c. The time they must check-in at the airport? Check with the airline and the amount of time to allow before departure. ______________________.
5) How will you accommodate your guests?
a. Where will they sleep?
b. Do you have enough pillows, bed linens, blankets and towels?
c. If not, what do you need? Put these items on your master shopping list.
d. _____________________________________________
6) Do your guest have any special dietary requirements or requests? What are they?
7) ___________________________________________________
8) Have you planned the meals and snacks to include these requirements and extra servings?
9) After tidying the guest room make sure there is a clock, a notepad and pen, tissues, and a good reading lamp by the bed.
10) Some magazines and a small bowl of sugar-free hard candy are a nice touch.
11) Have extra travel-sized toiletries available just in case.
12) What activities do you have planned? Do you need to make any final confirmations?
a. _____________________________________________________
b. _____________________________________________________
13) After your guests are settled, give them a tour of your home. Show them how to work the door locks, how to work the alarm system, work the stove and the coffee maker. Let them know if there are any special rules for the house – such as no table scraps for the puppy.
14) Give your guests a copy of the house key with a local map. Mark the location of your house – along with the address and phone number – and any interesting near-by sites.
Remember, everyone benefits from a little quiet time. Do not feel obligated to constantly entertain your guests. In fact, they may enjoy some time for solitary exploring.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Use A Planner to Reduce Your Holiday Stress
Now is the time to talk to your family members about what their ideal holiday celebration entails. Take notes. You might be surprised to find out what is important to everyone. It is just as important to find out what everyone dislikes. Discuss how the family can focus on making the holidays meaningful. How can each person contribute to the celebration? Set the tone for a relaxed and open conversation. Discuss the budget now to avoid a debt problem. A blown time-budget is just as harmful: no one has fun when stressed and exhausted. Accepting your limitations is good and healthy.
Use your family discussion to launch your plans. Create a homemade “Holiday Planner” to work out all the details. As a result your holidays will be less stressful and more meaningful because you will be in control of how you celebrate.
To create your planner get a three-ring binder filled with paper and some tabbed subject dividers. Put the notes from your family discussion in the front along with the budgets. Put calendar pages for the months of November and December in next. The calendar will keep you “honest” about how much time is available. Immediately cross off time that is not available so you can get an accurate picture of your free time. Try to keep about 20% of your free time unscheduled in order to accommodate the “unplanned” events (like the flu) and provide some needed downtime. Planning downtime is necessary – no arguments, please. Use these calendar pages are “work sheets” for seeing how everything will fit together. You will want to transfer set appointments and events to the calendar your family uses every day.
Each section in the planner represents one aspect of your holiday. You may want to consider the following: “Get the Home Ready”, “In-Home Events”, “Outside Events”, “Gifts and Cards”, and “Travel”. Use a three-hole punch on some large, manila envelopes so you can file an envelope at the beginning of each section. The envelopes will hold the receipts for that section. Remember to write down what the receipt is for before filing it. Generate the details for each section by asking yourself as many “who”, “what”, “when”, “where”, and “how” questions as you can. Write down as many details as you can.
If you are traveling, the “Travel” Section should be put together first so you can book your transportation and accommodations early for the best price. Spend a few minutes daily working out details such as what to pack, who will care for your pets and home while your gone, and what you will do once you are at your destination. Obviously, you do not need a “Travel” Section if you are staying home.
In the “Get the Home Ready” Section detail the cleaning and decorating that needs to be done. This is the time to get the public areas of your home in order. Forget about organizing closets and drawers and making major renovations. Book professional cleaners immediately since the holiday-time is their busy season.
Set aside a few minutes to look at the decorations you have already. Give away those decorations you do not love and toss those ones that are falling apart. Make a note of the things you need to purchase, and plan when to pick them up. When should your decorating be completed? Look at the calendar, pencil in your decorating time with some “fudge factor” time. Consider working for small increments of time over several days. A lot will get done with minimum impact to your energy levels.
The “In the Home Events” Section will contain the details for entertaining your family and friends in your home. Not only should you list the big parties, but also things as simple as watching special holiday videos and baking. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth planning. Entertaining involves some in-depth planning, and I just cannot cover all the details in the course of this article. But if you focus on breaking each event down into smaller tasks that can be scheduled on the calendar you will greatly reduce your stress. A few questions to get you started in your event planning are: Who to invite?, When to invite?, What menu to serve?, What to serve on (paper plates or china)?, and What music to play?
In the “Outside Events” Section gather schedules, ticket prices, maps, invitations and any information that you may need in order to attend the events your family is looking forward to. Consider the impact on your budget and on your time. Store the event information in the order of their dates. RSVP, if needed, and record the events in your calendar.
If you do nothing else in the planner, the “Gifts and Cards” Section alone will make your life easier. List everyone who will receive a gift from you along with some information about them such as their clothing sizes (if applicable), hobbies, and any strong likes and dislikes. Spend some time brainstorming about gift ideas for each person before you go shopping. You might even want to ask everyone for his or her wish lists. I guarantee this planning time will reduce the amount of time you spend shopping and help you adhere to your budget. Get gifts that need to be mailed first. I would allow a minimum of one month for international mail and two-weeks for domestic mail. Homemade cookies and breads are great hostess gifts, but if you do not like baking consider buying hostess gifts in bulk. You will not have to shop for each party. Scented candles, wine, chocolate (of course!), and luxurious hand cream are thoughtful items.
Wrap gifts in small time increments in over several days. Store your gift-wrapping items together so you will not need to hunt for your supplies each time.
Aside from getting gifts, sending holiday cards take up the next largest amount of time. Decide up front if you will write a personal note in each card. Obviously a personal note takes longer than just signing a card. Plan for your preference. Put your mailing list in your planner. Divide the number of cards you will send by the number of days available until your targeted mailing date, and you will have the number of cards you need to write each day. As each card is completed check off the name from your mailing list.
Once the holidays are complete spend some time reflecting on what worked and what didn’t work. Jot down a few notes in your planner. This feedback will give you a jump-start to the next year’s holiday celebration. With planning you gain the power to create celebrations that enrich your life and a peace that transcends the hectic pace of today’s lifestyle. Happy Holidays.
Use your family discussion to launch your plans. Create a homemade “Holiday Planner” to work out all the details. As a result your holidays will be less stressful and more meaningful because you will be in control of how you celebrate.
To create your planner get a three-ring binder filled with paper and some tabbed subject dividers. Put the notes from your family discussion in the front along with the budgets. Put calendar pages for the months of November and December in next. The calendar will keep you “honest” about how much time is available. Immediately cross off time that is not available so you can get an accurate picture of your free time. Try to keep about 20% of your free time unscheduled in order to accommodate the “unplanned” events (like the flu) and provide some needed downtime. Planning downtime is necessary – no arguments, please. Use these calendar pages are “work sheets” for seeing how everything will fit together. You will want to transfer set appointments and events to the calendar your family uses every day.
Each section in the planner represents one aspect of your holiday. You may want to consider the following: “Get the Home Ready”, “In-Home Events”, “Outside Events”, “Gifts and Cards”, and “Travel”. Use a three-hole punch on some large, manila envelopes so you can file an envelope at the beginning of each section. The envelopes will hold the receipts for that section. Remember to write down what the receipt is for before filing it. Generate the details for each section by asking yourself as many “who”, “what”, “when”, “where”, and “how” questions as you can. Write down as many details as you can.
If you are traveling, the “Travel” Section should be put together first so you can book your transportation and accommodations early for the best price. Spend a few minutes daily working out details such as what to pack, who will care for your pets and home while your gone, and what you will do once you are at your destination. Obviously, you do not need a “Travel” Section if you are staying home.
In the “Get the Home Ready” Section detail the cleaning and decorating that needs to be done. This is the time to get the public areas of your home in order. Forget about organizing closets and drawers and making major renovations. Book professional cleaners immediately since the holiday-time is their busy season.
Set aside a few minutes to look at the decorations you have already. Give away those decorations you do not love and toss those ones that are falling apart. Make a note of the things you need to purchase, and plan when to pick them up. When should your decorating be completed? Look at the calendar, pencil in your decorating time with some “fudge factor” time. Consider working for small increments of time over several days. A lot will get done with minimum impact to your energy levels.
The “In the Home Events” Section will contain the details for entertaining your family and friends in your home. Not only should you list the big parties, but also things as simple as watching special holiday videos and baking. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth planning. Entertaining involves some in-depth planning, and I just cannot cover all the details in the course of this article. But if you focus on breaking each event down into smaller tasks that can be scheduled on the calendar you will greatly reduce your stress. A few questions to get you started in your event planning are: Who to invite?, When to invite?, What menu to serve?, What to serve on (paper plates or china)?, and What music to play?
In the “Outside Events” Section gather schedules, ticket prices, maps, invitations and any information that you may need in order to attend the events your family is looking forward to. Consider the impact on your budget and on your time. Store the event information in the order of their dates. RSVP, if needed, and record the events in your calendar.
If you do nothing else in the planner, the “Gifts and Cards” Section alone will make your life easier. List everyone who will receive a gift from you along with some information about them such as their clothing sizes (if applicable), hobbies, and any strong likes and dislikes. Spend some time brainstorming about gift ideas for each person before you go shopping. You might even want to ask everyone for his or her wish lists. I guarantee this planning time will reduce the amount of time you spend shopping and help you adhere to your budget. Get gifts that need to be mailed first. I would allow a minimum of one month for international mail and two-weeks for domestic mail. Homemade cookies and breads are great hostess gifts, but if you do not like baking consider buying hostess gifts in bulk. You will not have to shop for each party. Scented candles, wine, chocolate (of course!), and luxurious hand cream are thoughtful items.
Wrap gifts in small time increments in over several days. Store your gift-wrapping items together so you will not need to hunt for your supplies each time.
Aside from getting gifts, sending holiday cards take up the next largest amount of time. Decide up front if you will write a personal note in each card. Obviously a personal note takes longer than just signing a card. Plan for your preference. Put your mailing list in your planner. Divide the number of cards you will send by the number of days available until your targeted mailing date, and you will have the number of cards you need to write each day. As each card is completed check off the name from your mailing list.
Once the holidays are complete spend some time reflecting on what worked and what didn’t work. Jot down a few notes in your planner. This feedback will give you a jump-start to the next year’s holiday celebration. With planning you gain the power to create celebrations that enrich your life and a peace that transcends the hectic pace of today’s lifestyle. Happy Holidays.
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