Inside Secrets and Holiday Tips Used by this Professional Organizer and Productivity Consultant
Holidays come around each year and each year we are looking forward to the real joy of the holiday. How do we professional organizers and productivity consultants make the holiday merry and bright? Here’s tried and true tips we use!
- Organize as you decorate and undecorate. Donate unused decorations right after the holiday. This way you are not storing decorations another year and you are keeping only what is most important and treasured. Use an ornament organizer and mark your bins with specific contents to make decorating easier and more fun next year.
- Start early if you decide to send holiday cards. Have your family photo ready by October. As you receive cards, update your holiday card list. If you decide to keep your cards for the next year, here’s a way to keep them year after year.
- As you are going through the holiday season, make a note in your smart phone about what worked best in terms of holiday hacks. These are inside secrets you learned as the season progressed. Here’s an example. Our Houston Zoo Lights are fabulous and you need to purchase tickets that morning in case of weather glitches and to be sure tickets are available that day.
- With new and traditional recipes, make a note on the recipe what small changes you made. Each year I make cream puffs and I have notes on what worked best with oven temperature and ingredients.
- Keep your Christmas receipts together in a ziplock and ask for extra receipts for returns. You will eliminate hassle with returns.
- Check in with your family on what family traditions to keep and what has gone by the wayside. Spending an evening relaxing at home and getting in bed early helps everyone enjoy the season.
Wishing you a very merry holiday season!
So funny, because yes, I do many of these things. All online purchase receipts (and packaging) go in one place, in case a return is needed. I update my card list as new addresses and names who up in my mailbox. I am started to declutter my decorations stash – finally got my daughter’s items sent off to her (I figured now that she is married, she needs to find space for them!) Gotta keep working the plan, even during the holidays!
The holidays can be such a stressful time. A little bit of organizing and planning along with knowing when to say yes or no can make all the difference. I love that you keep lists from year to year to help make your holidays happy.
@Linda – as professional organizers it seems only natural!
@Seana – yes, we organizers love to keep organizing, holidays included!