It’s the end of October. The leaves turn colors, the temperature drops and … retailers get the jump on the holiday season. Yes, I know, we all complain about this very early emphasis on Christmas and the other winter holidays, but think about it … they may not be entirely wrong!

No matter what holiday (or none) you celebrate, the mid-winter season is usually full of parties and gatherings, gifts and mail, housekeeping, and extra business projects for year-end. Every year about this time you start to feel the tension mounting of how to get it all done. You may know what you need to change in order to fully enjoy the season, but you may not have a clue where to start! In fact, this is one of the biggest topics I’m asked for advice on from my clients.

Guess what – now’s the time to start planning!

Take Sheri for instance. Sheri contacted me because she has a major project at work during November. Yet she has a large family and dives into every holiday. She did the right thing – rather than start stressing now, she decided to take action and make a change. Here’s what I told her:

[Tweet “Now’s the time to start planning a holiday season you’ll truly enjoy!”]

First step is the vision!

Write down your answers to these questions and revisit them often over the next few weeks.

  • What does the perfect holiday look like?
  • Who do I want to spend it with?
  • What activities do I enjoy?
  • If I only had two hours on Thanksgiving, how would I want to spend it?
  • What is one thing I’m most looking forward to this Christmas?
  • Where do I want to spend New Year’s Eve?

The temptation is to skip this step. It’s “only thinking,” my clients will tell me. “I want to know how to streamline the process” others will say. “Give me the meat and potatoes,” a recent client exclaimed.

But how can you create a season you’ll truly enjoy unless you know what you want?

Once you can clearly see your vision, you can go on to decide what tasks you’re willing to take on, which you want to delegate to other family members, and how to get organized.  My book “Ho Ho NO! Tips for an Organized and Stress-Free Holiday Season” provides more answers to the question, “How can I possibly get it all done?”

In fact, some of the strategies you will learn include:

  • How to get all the tasks and notes organized
  • Managing self-care
  • Organized gift-giving strategies
  • Time and calendar management

The moral of the story: take a cue from retailers and start now to plan a satisfying and enjoyable holiday!

Download my book “Ho Ho NO! Tips for an Organized and Stress-Free Holiday Season” for free if you’re a “Kindle insider” and have a kindleunlimited subscription. If not, it’s only $2.99!

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