Reduce Stress with Holiday Organization
Stress
Overwhelm
Time crunched
To-Do lists swirling around in your head!
Do any of these things sound familiar…Welcome to the Christmas season.
When I had my 3rd child (the 2nd child born in December!) I decided that I was not going to get sucked in to the rush of the Christmas season. It is so easy to get swept away with all of the things to do that we quickly forget the fact that Christmas is really about anything BUT stress! It’s about Jesus Christ and that is a reason to have JOY…Stress and joy cannot go hand in hand!
While you probably know by now that health and fitness is my passion, I also have a passion for productivity and organization! These things help us to “Win the day!” By that I mean, setting ourselves up to feel like at the end of the day we came, we saw, we conquered!
It is true that our feelings roll over into the conversations we have with ourselves and our beliefs about who we are. These thoughts, whether positive or negative then lead to the actions we take to support (or not support) those beliefs
If we spend our days being unorganized and rushing around in a frantic mess unable to find things and remember events, we will inevitably tell ourselves “I suck at this” and then, we WILL suck at this because our actions (frantic rushing around) lead to our thoughts (“I suck at this”) which lead to reality (we suck at this).
Not to mention that when we are organized we have more time for our workouts, we find ourselves in the fast food drive through less often and we might even find time to prep our healthy meals
Let’s do a new thing this holiday season
Let’s flip it!
Lets’ get awesome at this whole holiday crazy and let’s finally start actually enjoying all the fun events and people that December has to offer to our lives
In my Trainer on Tap fitness membership site we have really been focusing in on this organization aspect in the past week. This is going to set us up for a spectacular New Year.
In this post I am going to share some of those tips with you. If this is totally up your alley and you need more of this I invite you to join us in the studio, you can check out the details HERE.
Let’s dive in:
Just a heads up, you are going to be setting a lot of reminders for yourself during this blog post so go get your phone or calendar and let’s get to work
Pre-Holiday
I always recommend to my clients that they begin batch cooking healthy freezer meals such as soups, stews and chilis (You can check out my Pinterest Boards for great ideas and recipes) so when life gets crazy they can feel the relief of some healthy go to meals. There’s nothing better that feeling of “oh, yeah! I’ve totally got this” when it comes to having a meal already made during an insanely hectic week in mid-December. Remember, we become what we tell ourselves! Another option for healthy meals during the holidays the Blue Apron services
Scheduling Events and Appointments 
Step 1: Put ALL of those events swirling around in your head down on a Month-in-View calendar. This will help you to see that:
a. Things do not feel as crazy on paper as they did swirling around in your head,
OR
b. You have a lot going on and seeing it on paper motivates you to get organized now!
Step 2: Don’t forget to schedule in the date you will ship your Christmas packages. This also means that you will have to schedule in a date to have those packages ready for shipping. There’s nothing worse than standing in line at the post office when you could be home enjoying time with your family
Step 3: Now is a great time to take a moment and look at the appointments you have lined up for December. Never hurts to think ahead! To make next year even better start to shift any appointments you have this December toward November or January for the coming years
- Do you have a dentist appointment in mid December that just gets in the way? Push your next 6 month visit a little later in June so that by next December you can push that mid December appointment into January. Get it? FREEDOM! 🙂
- How about Dr appointments – Do the same…push those more flexible annual appointments a little earlier or a little later to free up time in December— That’s like 2 whole workouts you can get in just by saving yourself drive time, weighting room time and appointment time!
- Carpet cleaning, auto detailing, vet visits…Do some of these things pop up on your calendar in December?…Get them rearranged for other months in your calendar for next year
- Beauty appointments. Next year take a look at your calendar and schedule your hair and nail appointments as far away from the Christmas rush as you can but close enough that you are still looking fabulous for family pics and parties. Plan to schedule family pics right after a hair and nail appointment in November and coordinate that with any annual parties in December you want to look great for. Or, go for the full meal salon deal in November so December can be quick touch ups! Put it in the plan for next year!
SCHEDULE IT: Put reminders in your phone right now for September or October of next year so you can start thinking of rearranging some of these things. If you wait too long all that your hairdresser has left might be the 7pm Wednesday evening in mid December appointment…Noooooooo!
Step 4: One more thing to schedule in. If you take a look at your calendar you will have a clear picture of when the “crazy” begins. The weekend before all of that begins (the calm before the storm weekend) I want you to set yourself up for success. This is your time to get caught up, get ahead and get prepared to ROCK this season. Consider this a power weekend. You will be so glad you put in the effort now.
Here is what that weekend will look like:
Friday: Schedule time to finish up your shopping – I promise you will be so happy you did.
Saturday: Batch Cooking
Be prepared with healthy recipes in the freezer. Have all of your supplies ready to go before the weekend starts. If you haven’t checked out my Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/MissiBalison ) boards yet, go pick out a recipe or two from the Healthy Soups, Stews and Chilis board and get ready to make your life easier!
Sunday: House cleaning blast!
Now, usually I like to relax on Sunday but desperate times call for desperate measures – I often find that if my home is cluttery…so is my head. There is enough to remember and take care of right now that brain clutter (and house clutter) will just add to the stress. Ask your family to pitch in. Explain to them that in order for EVERYONE (you know that saying “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy) to be able to enjoy themselves for the next few weeks it would be a blessing if they all pitched in to do a nice big clean…Turn on the music, give everyone a list and meet back in one hour and see how much you got done! Then celebrate by watching a movie or playing a game together
If you get these things done it will really help set the stage for feeling “on your game” for the rest of the month
Schedule it now.
Ahhhhh! Look at you thinking ahead! Doesn’t it feel awesome? Organization is truly the gift that keeps on giving!
Now that you have opened up your schedule there is no reason to not make ALL of your personal training sessions! Am I right?
**** I want you to take a minute and notice the relief that having a clear plan in place brings to you! It is priceless. Don’t you feel like you pretty much own the world right now? You’re about to be “that mom” or “that boss” that is relaxed, comfortable and confidant in the midst of chaos.
To-Do Lists
To Do lists are crucial to reducing stress. When you get all of those things out of your head and on to paper you can have the 
peace of mind that you are not going to forget anything. No more lying awake at night trying to remind yourself not to forget!
List all of the things you need to do for these events and gift shopping. I like to list my to-dos in sub-categories such as: Things to Purchase, Things to make, Things to schedule, Things to do. This helps me to see where I can “Batch” projects or get multiple things done in one sitting (such as gift wrapping – See below for help saving time with this) so I save time getting all the supplies gathered up just once.
Step 1: Make a To Do list of “all the things” that are going to need to be done this month to get ready for Christmas…Here are some ideas:
You may have one item on multiple lists (ex Christmas cards will need to be “purchased” before you can
“to do” them) Make sure that if you have items to “Purchase” for things on your “Make” list, that you jot them down. If you will need supplies for a particular project, make sure you list those in the purchase list so you don’t have to make multiple trips to the store…Go for the “one and done” theory – Get it all in one trip and save yourself all of that time running back and forth from the store and waiting in ridiculous lines
Step 2: Now, put these things in your calendar…Make a date to get your purchasing done by, schedule a crafting or baking day, Schedule those family pics
Here is a great website that has some printable lists that will help you get organized
>>>> http://www.bargainblessings.com/free-printable-christmas-o…/
Saving Time and Stress:
Step 1: Create “collection sites” in your home for items that you find yourself running around looking for during the holiday season… Here are some examples.
1) Wrapping Supplies: ribbon, tape, gift bags, paper…get it ALL together in one spot. A 5 gallon bucket with a handle on it is a great collection spot for these things because to can quickly grab it and take it to whichever room you will be doing your wrapping in.
2) Clothing giveaway: Later in the month we will be doing a “Cleanse” to start the new year with a fresh space. Get a box or bin to start tossing giveaway items (books, clothes, home decor…) in as you are walking through your house.
3) Gift collection basket: Have a place that you can collect the random gifts you have purchased for those special people you want to acknowledge this year (hairdressers, teachers, personal trainers 😉 , pastors…)
When your gift wrapping basket and gift collection basket collide it is a beautiful thing!…and a great time saver. Not only will you feel peace about having those gifts already purchased but when you have a minute to wrap them they will be ready when you walk out the door.
Step 2: Storage Secrets
How much time did you spend looking for your Christmas decorations this year?
After the Holidays…like right after, I want you to head to Walmart and pick up the discounted red and green Rubbermaid bins. Make sure you get enough for all of your goodies and maybe one or two extra to store random Christmas gifts you purchase throughout the year (that’s a tip to come:) You will be so relieved next year when you go to look for the decor items and they are all in one place. I recommend doing this for any other holiday that you decorate for. Using the colored bins makes it that much easier to find. I promise it makes a big difference. Every minute you save searching for these items every year can be used to enjoy the people in your world!…And a good workout!
SCHEDULE IT:
- Put this in your calendar for the week after Christmas.
- Set it up as a reminder to pop up on your phone. Like right now!
Shopping and Budgeting
Step 1: Shop early. Not only will you save yourself the stress and frustration of last minute shopping but you will save time by shopping when there are less people out and about
Step 2: Budget. This is a big one! Now it might be too late for this year but I really encourage you to create a budget for next year. There can be so much strain on the finances during the holiday and reducing that stress will mak
e your month much more enjoyable…and isn’t that what it’s all about. Here is my budgeting tip for you:
Go get yourself a nice manilla envelope to save ALL of you holiday receipts in. ALL of them…Go ahead, I’ll wait…..
1) Label the envelope: “Christmas 2016 Receipts”
2) Put it in an easy ta access place
3) Jot down notes this year on all of the Christmas related expenses (jot them down on your manilla envelope so your thoughts and receipts are all in one place when you sit down to create a budget
At the end of the month when you have a little down time you are going to add up all of the receipts, divide by 12 and make it a your goal to set that much aside every month next year to save for all of those additional expenses that “pop up” and cause us stress each December.
You may be quite surprised how much you’ve spent and this is the perfect opportunity to reign that in and create a budget for next year.
Don’t forget to factor in categories such as:
- Gifts – family, friends, coworkers, service workers (itemize each category)
- Home decor
- Parties
- Extra food – parties and family meals
- Travel
- Shipping expenses – stamps, postage, packaging
- Gift wrapping supplies
- Donations
- Charity events you attend
- House cleaning services – if getting ready for a big party
SCHEDULE IT! Put a reminder in your phone to pop up in the last week of December to remind you to schedule in your budgeting session
Reducing this stress and having a monetary plan in place will drop the joy right back in the center of your life next December! I guarantee it!
Step 3: Coupon codes galore:
Here’s a quick money saving tip for you. Did you know that you can often do Google search for coupon codes at popular stores such as Michaels, Kohls, Old Navy… Lot’s of them. Before you hit the register type in “Kohls coupons December 2016” and see what you get. It’s a pretty awesome way to save!
Step 4: Snatch up those post- Christmas deals:
I know you’re busy and probably a little burnt out on shopping by now but take a minute to schedule in a quick shopping trip to Wal-mart, Rite Aide, Target sometime during the week after Christmas to snatch up some deals on Christmas decor, wrap and seasonal type gifts for next year! You can get some great deals on those “token” gift gestures you find yourself needing at the last minute for NEXT year! Think: women’s luncheons, white elephant parties, cookie tins, wrapping supplies, teacher gifts, gifts for the garbage man or mail man, your barista, secret santa’s, neighbors, hostess gifts… Think about all of those gifts you bought this year or wish you had had on hand this year! You will be able to get those things for close to half the price you paid this year! Don’t forget to keep your receipts so you can factor in “Post Christmas Deals” into next years’ budget! Remember that extra Christmas storage bin you bought?…Now you have a nice dry place to store those post holiday treasures… Well aren’t you clever!?
SCHEDULE IT: Set a reminder for shopping for those post Christmas deals.
BONUS TIP:
Do your kids love the Elf on t
he Shelf? Every year it sounds like such a fun idea but as the month wears on, the fun wears off! Plan out your the mischief that your elf will get into ahead of time and keep a list and any supplies you will need in a special place so you don’t find yourself crawling out of your warm bed to set the scene!
Well, it looks like you have a little work to do but the few minutes you take today to look ahead and get organized will bring you a month of joy, extra time for your workouts and spending time with the people you love!
Are you still struggling to find time and motivation to get your workouts in this holiday season? Check out what we have to offer here at Missi Balison Fitness, where we offer motivation and fun extras free for our studio clients!!
