Episode 120 - Take the Stress Out of the Busy Holiday Season - SIMPLE STRATEGIES to SIMPLIFY & Make the Holidays EASIER - Intentional Edit

Parties, events, wrapping, shopping, cooking, baking, gifting, sharing, celebrating – it’s a busy time of year and all the extras can quickly increase our stress levels. This episode is full of simple ideas to take some of the stress out of the holiday season and give you a game plan to enjoy more of all the activities this time of year.

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Episode 120 - Take the Stress Out of the Busy Holiday Season - SIMPLE STRATEGIES to SIMPLIFY & Make the Holidays EASIER

Full Episode Transcription (not edited):

Parties, events, wrapping, shopping, cooking, baking, gift giving, sharing, and all those celebrations. It’s a busy time of year and all the extras can quickly increase our stress levels. This episode of the Intentional Edit podcast is full of simple ideas to take some of the stress out of the holiday season and give you a game plan to enjoy more of the activities this time of year. Hey moms, welcome to the Intentional Edit podcast. Do you wanna stop feeling overwhelmed and finally get your home organized? Do you find yourself up late at night worrying about how you are going to get everything done and not drop the ball? You are wondering where to start and what to do. There is never enough time in the day the piles of laundry are building up and it’s already time for afterschool activities, homework, snacks, and carpool. Again, I’m Lauren.

(00:49):

I too want an organized clean home where my family can make long lasting memories and be present in the moment. Feeling like there is never enough time to complete all the daily tasks is exhausting. So simplicity all around a healthy meal on the table at dinnertime and a family that contributes to the chores really is attainable. Stop telling yourself that you have to do it all or it will never get done, or that picky eaters will never allow for a complete free dinner. In this podcast, you will learn exactly how to declutter, implement systems and maximize routines that remove the overwhelming unorganized parts of life, bringing simplicity to your life and home. Come on, it’s time to create a life you love.

(01:31):

There is a lot going on this time of year. It always tends to be a stressful season because of all these additional activities, parties, events, decorating the to-do list is a mile long, and then there’s a ton of other things that I’m forgetting when I’m saying this list, but you know what I’m talking about. It’s all the things that happen this time of year that aren’t part of our normal lives and our normal schedules and what we have to do on a regular basis can be pretty hectic and feel like it’s a lot. So when you add all this extra stuff on top of it, it can truly be overwhelming. I know I was feeling the pressure of it all yesterday and I had to do a few things to get my head back on track and really formulate a game plan for the next couple of weeks so that I can truly enjoy what this season is all about.

(02:25):

Last year I added something is that I don’t normally do around the holidays and I could feel how like intense that was to figure out when those things were going to happen and I probably took on more than I should have. But in those moments last year, I realized that I wanna take it down a notch this year and I wanna be more intentional and I want the things that we spend our time on to be special, like more special because we are making an intentional effort to spend the quality time and do these things and not add in so many of those extras that really didn’t add to the season, they just added to the stress last year. You know, I love the word intentional because I’ve already said it in this episode. I like to bring a lot of the decisions that we make and the thing is that we do be intentional.

(03:21):

You will hear me say that over and over because it’s so important in our decisions. It’s important in what we do in our homes, how we organize our homes, how we organize our lives, and really how we spend our time. So I’ve done some things over the years that have helped me to lessen the stress and make some of the holiday season seem easier. They’re kind of like strategies and ways to help me stay organized and really on top of gift giving. I have a huge list of family and people that I need to purchase gifts for. So just staying on top of that is a huge task in making sure that the boxes are shipped and the gifts are wrapped and all of that happens on time when we handle these things and we have to add on to these things and we need to get it done.

(04:12):

We have more time to do things because we have a plan, we have a system, we have these things organize and orderly because of our plan so we can check off the to-do list if they’re hanging over our head. It’s not something we’re constantly thinking about because we have a plan in place to tackle these things. If you wanna spend more time with your family and your friends or do activities that are only available this time of year, then you have to be proactive with the plan and your how intentional you are about what you are agreeing to, what you are committing to, and what you can fit into your calendar. I didn’t want to live a life where I was constantly squeezing something else in and always finding a way to pull off an event or a task just making it happen at the last minute of it or by the skin of my teeth, or what even is that expression when you are just adding things in and barely getting it done, compromising your sleep and your wellbeing to take on these things, it’s really not worth it.

(05:17):

I wanted to get to that place where I could enjoy what I was spending my time doing, and that doesn’t mean that I stopped volunteering, I stopped committing, I stopped all the extras. It just means that I was more intentional and I always say be ruthless in your decluttering will be ruthless in what you allow to take up your time and what you choose can stay and what needs to go. All of that can happen if you value your time and you are knowledgeable about what are you going to spend your time doing? How do I want my day to look? And that takes changes, it takes, takes commitment, it takes a plan of action that you will actually stick to in the end, it would all be worth it because you’re making life easier. You’re simplifying, you’re going to make things simpler by coming up with a plan, by spending time up front to tackle the holiday season.

(06:18):

By this time, if you’re a repeat listener, then you’ve heard me talk about the simplified home program that I created and you know that that program was designed because you asked for it and it takes the overwhelming tasks and responsibilities and makes them manageable so that you can spend time doing the things that you actually want to be doing instead of constantly picking up the house, cleaning, folding laundry, complaining and being surrounded by clutter 24 7, the process of setting up the good systems to streamline your holiday prep. You’re planning, you’re hosting your parties, you’re shopping, and the things that you’re celebrating is what is needed. So just like in the Simplified Home Masterclass program that I created to tackle all this in your home and bring simplicity to that, you have to come up with a plan to bring simplicity to your holidays, into this season of the year and this season of life with the way that it is and with the things that you want to do, added together with the things that you have to do.

(07:22):

It’s so easy to become overwhelmed when you think about more. The more of this, the more of that, more, more, more that all of this stuff becomes packed into our lives during the next few weeks. And if you are feeling it now, it’s going to intensify. You’re feeling it, you’re struggling, or you’re dreading the tasks and the to-do list, I can promise you, you are not alone. So many people feel this way and a lot of people even have negative feelings about this season and the busy holidays all year long and they don’t look forward to it or they only have little things that they look forward to and they really dread it, and that’s not what this time of year is all about. So you want to be better, you wanna make things easier, but how do you do that? There’s a few things that I’m gonna talk about today.

(08:15):

There are things that I have done that have simplified this time of year over the years for me and for my family and the ideas that I’ve talked about on the podcast before that I’ve shared with clients. There are things that you can implement in your life so that you can have a simpler holiday season too. Now, it’s not realistic to think that you can implement all these things like this week and then you’ll have success and the holidays won’t be a struggle and there won’t be any stress. But you can easily take on one thing, the thing that it would be the most helpful for you, and that would be your starting point. Next year you can add in something else, you can can make a game plan even earlier and you can commit to that. So then you can make another positive change and follow through with that process and you can add these so that this part of your life gets a new routine and becomes a little bit easier each year.

(09:11):

This is the perfect example of how small things add up and they make a big difference. They make a huge impact on that simplicity in your life. And if you choose for 2023 to be the year that you tackle your home, maybe you do some coaching sessions with me or you sign up for the Simplified Home Masterclass, you can’t be in a completely different place next year with your home. Having the routines, having the systems at your house and having a clutter free environment, less clutter and more organization overall in all the rooms of your house, those are the results that you can expect from the Simplified Home Masterclass. So if you decide and you commit to make that program you are going to complete in 2023 and get dialed in on your systems and your organization within your home, then when it comes time for this busy holiday season, it will be significantly easier for you to implement some of these changes and some of the things that we’re talking about on this episode because you already are in that place of being organized, having systems that work for your family, having good routines, you’ve simplified and made so much easier that adding a little bit more to it doesn’t rock the boat as much as it has been in these past few years or this year.

(10:34):

So the first thing I want you to think about is stop comparing yourself. Stop the comparison game. If you are on social media or any visual platform or you are seeing and you are constantly consuming, it’s overloading you more than you think. It’s this constant overloading you to do more, create more, make better food, find more recipes, but also stick to a healthy meal plan and diet over the holidays. Don’t gain too much weight, don’t be too unhealthy, but do all those things or be spontaneous, but also you need to plan that extraordinary vacation and take a trip and have amazing photographs and all of these memories that come with it or host parties for your family and host parties for the kids friends, have a celebration for your neighbors, but also your home should always be spotless and decorated like a professional for a holiday display or something that a professional would do, and your gifts under your tree should be perfectly wrapped.

(11:35):

Everything should look great, and you’re doing all this with a smile on your face. You never get frustrated or angry. Oh, and then don’t forget about the family photos and the outfits that your family will wear because you guys are always coordinated. Your hair and makeup is always perfect. You have new clothing for all these events. That’s what social media is pushing us to do. It’s making us want more, want things that are, that are unattainable and constantly compare and then when you compare and you don’t have it or you don’t have even half of it or what you’re doing feels mediocre or less than compared to what you’re seeing, it gets you down and it’s not fair, it’s not realistic. Most of these people that you’re seeing are being paid to show you these things. They’re making money and selling these things. This is their job.

(12:33):

So their house is supposed to look perfect. They’re in a way the advertisers for these companies to sell things to people like you and me. So if you’re on social media, make sure the people that you’re following are inspiring to you and they’re helping you to do something that feels good or bringing goodness into your life. They should not be bringing you down. They should not be causing you stress. They should not be causing you to compare and feel like what you’re doing is never good enough. So I want you to take time today to delete, unfollow, even. Remove the app completely from your devices and changing your social media. Scrolling habits will give you more time to, well <laugh>, changing your social media habits will give you more time and it will increase your mood if it’s causing you to feel bad, even if you’re not realizing that in the moment, it will help you feel better because you’re not always in that comparison game and you’ll probably be surprised at how much you go to grab your phone or you pick it up or you go to open the apps and look at them because when you aren’t consciously trying to reduce that, then you’re not even thinking about what you’re doing and it’s a habit.

(13:50):

It’s like an addiction. You’re just doing it all the time. So stop the comparison game and limit your social media, whether that’s time on these apps or it’s just editing those apps to get rid of the things that aren’t inspiring to you and bringing goodness to your life. The second thing that you can do, and this is a big one, it is a giant brain dump. You’re going to make a list. I don’t care if it’s a digital platform, like in the notes on your phone or an Excel spreadsheet or just a paper and pen. Paper and pen is great too. Do whatever you’re most comfortable with and get everything out of your head and onto paper into this document on this piece of paper, the notes app, whatever it is, have it all in one place. I want you to do a big brain dump with the events that you’re going to.

(14:39):

If there’s something that you need to purchase for one of those events or a meal that you need to bring or groceries that you need to get something that you need to pick up, add that to the list. Put the details in there so you know what to do. If you needed to get a new outfit or accessory or order something, put it on the list, get it ordered, get it done. If you need to bake something, buy something. Make it anything ahead of time. All of this should be on the piece of paper. The other thing that you should be doing for this list is figure out your gift list. All the gifts that you need to get, all those people should be on the list. Make this a document or a list in your notes separate from the other one. That is something that you can reuse every single year.

(15:27):

Include on there the name of each person, and you can get very specific with this. You can include the budget, how much you’ll spend on them. You can include columns for when it is wrapped, when it is shipped, where you need to take it to, whatever makes sense for you. Don’t go crazy with the details. If it’s more that you will just fill these things out, then that might not be necessary. Only put the things on that are necessary that will keep you on track. I do this, I like to organize mine by the family or the celebration that we’re doing. So if I have a sibling and they have kids, they’re all in one group. If I have, you know, another family group, kids, adults, whatever, and we all celebrate at one time and all the gifts go with me to that event, those are all kind of grouped together in order by family, and that’s how I am able to keep it organized that I can easily see if something is missing for that event or if it’s someone that lives in a different state and I need to mail that gift or those gifts for that family, I can keep track because I have check marks on my list.

(16:35):

When those things are purchased and completed, that means they’re wrapped and done and if one out of the five is missing, then I know I can’t ship that box yet. So those are easy ways to keep track of those kinds of things when you have a lot of people to shop for. So organized by family, by celebration, however it makes sense for how you can keep track for when you are going to give those gifts. So when I wrap those, then I check them off the list and then I know that they’re purchased and they’re done. And when that list is done for the season I I know that my shopping is over with. I don’t have to get anything else. Also on that list, do not forget the teachers, your coworkers, any like coaches for sports or extracurricular activities, neighbors, service worker type people, anyone that you like to get something for, whether it’s a gift card or a gift that you pick out or something that you make.

(17:34):

If the gift needs to be purchased or made and you need to give it to them, put those people on the list. Think about this as like the list is a working document that you can use as the season goes on. You are a family that sends holiday cards. This is just an extension of that. Every person that you want to send a card to should be on a holiday card list and their address should be included and you should use that year after year. It’s something that you can update, but if you are still looking through the context in your phone or an address book, every time you want to send Christmas cards, you are wasting a huge amount of time. It saves money to saves money. It saves time to have all of those pieces of information, meaning the name and address in one document.

(18:25):

You can quickly see how many people you send cards to order the cards, pick up the cards, purchase them, and get that finished. If it’s in an Excel document, you can even print out address labels or print out your envelopes that you’ll be sending. These are things that simplify and make life easier. Do not waste time anymore going through the context in your phone or looking at the addresses of the people that you’re sending Christmas cards to have it all in one place and the idea behind making the list and the brain dump is the same thing. Anytime you can create something and use it over and over again and have a working document, you can always go into a document and change a couple addresses. If people move or you need to remove them or you make new friends and wanna add someone else, if a baby is born or someone gets married, you have a new family member, add those to the list for the shopping and the gift giving.

(19:20):

Make these documents so that they can be working documents for the seasons in life when you need to use them and you can use them year after year. It will save you time, it will save your sanity because you are not trying to remember all of these things and recreate every single year. My list, I keep it in Excel, it’s an Excel spreadsheet and I do use it year after year. This is something I created, oh gosh, probably 15 years ago by now. I just add and change the names as needed and it saves me time and it’s much easier because it’s a little modification and I can use it on the computer or print it out and make things easy. The next thing I want you to do is be realistic with the time it takes to get everything done. That comes with the holidays.

(20:08):

You’re gonna add things to your schedule. You will have to schedule time to get everything done. Just because there’s more to do, it doesn’t mean you have more time available to you. If you need to get gift cards, buy them when you’re at the grocery store or you’re in the same parking lot as that store where you need to purchase something from instead of making separate trips, save time that way. If you are having a party or you need to get things to decorate cookies or gingerbread houses, get those supplies. Get the supplies for the school party treats or the ingredients that you need to bake something. Traditions with baking. Get those things when you’re already at the grocery store. If you make gifts for your neighbors and you need to pick up supplies at a specialty store for that, get those things when you’re out.

(20:56):

If you’re in that area, it saves you time. Don’t make a separate trip. Don’t go to the grocery store on additional time to get these things when you could get them when you’re already there. Add them to your grocery store, save time where you can and then schedule time to do things that aren’t a regular part of your week or your month. Schedule those where they make sense. Another thing that I want you to do is this would be the fourth thing that has helped me. So in addition to scheduling, think about what you’re saying yes to or what you’re saying no to. When you are asked to participate in something like a party or an event or volunteer your time or even host something or make something that is like a food or a dish that’s homemade. I was a yes person, so I’m guilty of this.

(21:46):

My natural response is to please people. So I was in a place for most of my life where I would say yes to things that I didn’t want to do. Over the years, I’ve gotten better about picking and choosing and not saying yes to everything. Just because I’m asked to do something, I don’t have to say yes to it. If you are at all like me, you will struggle with this too and you feel like you should be doing more and you take on more, but it’s really not in your best interest and it’s not in the best interest of your family. You have to pick and choose. You have to get better at saying no, so take a second. When you are presented with a commitment or anything that takes your time, I want you to remember your time is your most valuable asset.

(22:31):

It’s your most valuable resource. You can never get more time, you can never make more time. You can never get it back once it’s wasted. So be intentional with your decisions that you make that revolve around committing to anything that is going to take away from what you want your holiday season and your family to be and to feel this season. If it’s going to take up your time, just take a few seconds and think about is this really worth it? Do I have the time to do this and still have the holiday season that I want to have? Is this the best decision for me? If not this year, maybe next year, maybe never. Take a minute and imagine like what is that perfect holiday season? What is the idea that you can have around this time of year? What does that ideal holiday look like for you?

(23:24):

And if the commitment that you have to say yes or no to doesn’t fit in with that ideal scenario and what you’re trying to create, it’s time to say no and you don’t have to give a reason why. I know that is so hard. I always want to explain myself when I have to decline something, but you don’t have to and it feels awkward and it really, it’s uncomfortable at first. If you’re like me, you won’t like saying no, but the more you do it, the easier it gets and you will be able to look back and be so thankful that you didn’t participate in those things that were unnecessary and that you really didn’t need to be doing because you want to be intentional with your time and remember, your time is the only thing that when it’s gone, you cannot get it back.

(24:13):

Those are four things that have really made a big impact on simplifying my holiday season and making it so that we can pack it as much as we want to have more fun and get more done during the holidays. If there’s something specific that you’re struggling with and it’s overwhelming you, it’s a bit because of the busyness this holiday season and you need to make a plan to conquer it, you needed to break it down so that you have these things that you’ve created. You’re tackling one area. What is the thing that’s most overwhelming to you? What is the thing that is causing you the most stress and come up with a plan to conquer that. It might be the list that I suggested. It might be say, starting to say no to things. Come up with your plan and break down the steps to see what you need to do, and that is the way that you simplify and you save time.

(25:12):

You can use these techniques in this episode and the strategies that I shared here so that you can have those ideas and take those to move forward. Start with one this season if you feel like you can implement two that might be possible, but take these strategies and start to implement them in your life where they make sense to really simplify the holidays, come up with your own plan, or even ask us in the intentional edit community over on Facebook for some ideas and we will help you solve these struggles. I would love to help you over there, so be sure to join the group if you haven’t already joined. The link is in the podcast description and share your struggles so we can cut some of the overwhelm down for you this holiday season and help you figure out how to simplify around the holidays and really all throughout the year.

(26:08):

Thank you for listening to this intentional Edit podcast episode. I will meet you back here for a tip Tuesday episode next week. Thank you for listening to the Intentional Edit podcast. If you found today’s episode valuable, tell your friends about it by taking a screenshot, sharing it on social, and tagging me at intentional edit. I’ll be back soon with another episode. In the meantime, find me@intentionaledit.com and be sure to follow intentional edit on social platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. To ensure you catch future episodes, click the subscribe or follow button now. I am grateful for a five star rating and review from you. Be sure to let me know what you liked about this episode and what you want me to cover in the future.

Episode 120 - Take the Stress Out of the Busy Holiday Season - SIMPLE STRATEGIES to SIMPLIFY & Make the Holidays EASIER

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Lauren is the founder of Intentional Edit, a home organization and lifestyle company focused on consciously editing to create efficient and organized spaces. Lauren believes that a functional home that looks and feels good has a positive influence on all aspects of life. Creating systems that allow for the home to function more efficiently, therefore, eliminating most of the clutter and chaos is her priority. While trends come and go organization is always in style!

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