Favorite Holiday Organizing Gifts to Share

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holiday favorites organizing gifts

 

Practical gifts make the best gifts for the holidays. Each of us can use a little more functional and fun organization at home and when you travel. Here are a few of my favorite things!

 

Clear countertop organizers for jewelry, makeup up, or other small items

Airtags

Air tags to find lost devices, keys, or luggage

Electronics organizer for cords and small device accessories

 

Family fun at home or on vacation for fun communication and connection

Travel makeup organizer for on-the-go ease

 

 

 

 

 

Embracing Joy with ADHD During the Holiday Season

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The holiday season often means joy, laughter, and togetherness. However, for individuals with ADHD, it can also mean long task lists, impossible levels of perfectionism, and overstimulation with sights, sounds and emotions. With intention and strategies, you can enjoy the magic of the season.

 

Plan with Purpose

One of the strategies during the holidays is planning with intention and knowledge. Know what works best for your planning. This depends on your work flow and your energy level. You can create a detailed plan for each day or think big picture with a week dedicated to specific parts of your holiday plan. Make use of family and personal calendars, to-do lists, or digital reminders to help you stay organized. You may find that some days you need to regroup from the plan. Be realistic about what you can accomplish in the time you have. Curb staying up late to make up for your less productive times and reallocate that task to another day.

 

Prioritize Self-Care

Amidst the business of the holiday season, it’s crucial to prioritize self-care for energy and mood regulation. Making self-care a priority means skipping a party once in a while to get in bed on time, or skipping that last glass of champagne for a better night’s rest. Keep active with outside walks, time at the gym or pilates, or time for any kind of movement. Your  mental and physical well-being will help you better manage ADHD symptoms and reduce stress.

 

Embrace Simplicity

Too often we see the extravagance of the season as a necessity. We may feel that this holiday requires lots of twinkling lights and decorations.  Step back with intention to embrace simplicity. Choose those truly meaningful traditions or activities that you genuinely enjoy and spend time with family and friends.

 

Delegate and Collaborate

Throughout the year we need to delegate and collaborate. This is even more true during the holidays. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or delegate tasks. Family and friends want to join in the fun by bringing a favorite food during the holidays. Collaborative family events reduce the burden on you and also create opportunities for bonding and shared joy.

 

Practice Gratitude

Gratitude changes our perspective on everything. Pause and reflect on the abundance in your life and find those “glimmers” of joy that are a part of daily life. Perfectionism and comparison are the thieves of joy. Be realistic in getting up your calendar and task list knowing that you are grateful in the shared experiences of the holidays. Set a time each day to fully reflect on your gratitude. Many people enjoy a quiet time with prayer during this time too.

 

Embracing joy during the holiday season is possible through thoughtful planning, self-care, and a positive mindset. By prioritizing your well-being, simplifying your celebrations, and seeking support from loved ones, you can make the most of this special time of year. Remember that the essence of the holidays lies in the moments you share and the love you give through thoughts and deeds at this season.

Week by Week Holiday Planning

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week by week holiday planning

 

The weeks of December pass quickly! There are more activities to attend and more tasks to do as each week goes by.  Focusing on one task per week, even with all the events to attend, makes it easier to enjoy the holidays. You will have to make decisions on what is most important for your family, meaning that some tasks may not happen at all. Prioritize first, then follow this weekly plan.

 

Before the end of November – create your holiday calendar

Start off with your family’s holiday calendar. Holiday social schedules, school activities and religious events are all part of the fun and at the same time overwhelming.  Those with with ADHD feel stressed with all the responsibilities and multiple overlapping events. Be wise to choose which engagements are most important and put these on the calendar. For those last minute oops events, decide which take priority or if you can attend multiple events on the same day.  Prepare for the energy needed to attend, the transitions between events,  and the preparation time for you to be ready.

 

First week of December – decorate for the holiday

Decorating gets us in the holiday spirit. Gather on the weekend to decorate your home and tree for the holidays. Take out all the decorations, mark which ones you are using this year, and let go of what is broken and in less than good condition. Keep your perfectionism in check as  you and your family work together on this.

If you celebrate without decorating, use this time to volunteer and give back. There are many needs in your local community where you can make a difference.

 

Second week of December – purchase and wrap your holiday gifts

Gift giving is part of the joy of the season. Organize what you have and make a list to know what  you still need to purchase. Wrap as you go by setting up a wrapping station and place gifts under the tree as you wrap. Be prepared with tape, gift wrap, bows, tissue and gift bags. Many families are opting for the Four Gifts or the gift of experiences. Mail your gifts now to avoid the holiday rush and have these arrive on time.

 

Third week of December  -mail your holiday cards or bake holiday treats

Start by choosing a family photo and card. Many stores have 2 day delivery of cards. Gather the cards you have received and your contacts list to create an address list. Purchase stamps online or at local groceries or pharmacies. Enjoy watching a holiday movie while you address and stamp.

 

If cards are not on your list this year, use this time for baking holiday treats. Keep it simple with up to three treats to bake or make. Be prepared with holiday tins for gift giving. Invite your family to bake with you as part of holiday traditions. Bake extra goodies to serve at home.

 

Last week of December – preparing your meals and preparing for company

Enjoy the time together as a family and friends by preparing your meal ahead as much as you can. Do a high level cleaning of your home with a sweep through bathrooms and the kitchen. Set the table, grocery shop and meal prep.

 

Having just one focus every week gives you the opportunity break each task into manageable chunks and accomplish all your holiday tasks.

In honor of Thanksgiving

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Wishing you an abundance of love, laughter, joy, peace, comfort and friendship this holiday season!

 

Favorite Quick Tips for Holiday Happiness

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Thank you to my amazing clients who share so many strategies with me! My clients who have ADHD are creative and resourceful, finding ways to make the holidays fun with ADHD-friendly ways to get tasks done. Here is a list of favorite quick tips to embrace the holiday spirit!

 

Strategies for holiday planning

  • Family calendars and a dry-erase board make it easy to see what we have planned. We ask our family what they love to do and the favorite is always driving to see Christmas lights. We do that as much as we can. All our other activities are on the calendar.
  • Use your devices like your phone and iPad to keep up with details. Create an album in your photos to screenshot activities and tickets.
  • Plan as much time without activities as with activities. Your family-together time can be time at home with puzzles or board games.
  • Make a list of everything you plan to do: cooking, shopping, hosting, attending – everything. Then go back through the list and cross off 30% of it, planning for only the things that will be most meaningful and helping you to go in with more realistic expectations of how much you can accomplish.
  • Assign tasks to specific people by giving them a list. No doubt does who does what and your kiddos will know what to do to help.

Strategies for holiday treats

  • Homemade gifts are something I love to do and give. I prepare one easy treat, usually a recipe that has three steps and three ingredients. I keep supplies on hand to be able to make treats as needed throughout the season.
  • Bake multiple holiday treats like bread and cakes well ahead of time. Label and freeze to share later in the holidays.
  • Prep before you begin! It makes all the difference, especially for us Adhd peeps who get distracted. If we know we have 25 gifts to do with all the supplies and whatnot, our brains can work more efficiently to get it done.

Strategies for gift-giving

  • Santa’s workshop is filled with socks! The joy of fluffy socks for everyone, including teens, can be immeasurable. I keep a stock of socks of all sorts, gift bags and tissue ready to assemble as gifts. As surprises happen, I am prepared.
  • It is easy to go down a million rabbit holes searching for holiday gifts. Order from the same vendors as much as possible and keep the receipts in a digital folder for returns.
  • Buy a stack of generic gift cards like Amazon, Target, or Starbucks, for gifts and to keep on hand in case you forgot a gift.
  • Decide once on teacher gifts. An Amazon gift card in an envelope (labeled with the recipient’s name) attached to a movie-size box of candy makes a fabulous teacher gift!

Strategies for decorating

  • Start and finish early. We decorate the first weekend of November every year and take down our holidays right before New Year’s Eve.
  • We make an appointment with our holiday decorator early in the season to put up the treat and decorate the mantle. It saves us time and we enjoy the festive decorations longer.
  • Know when to end your decorating and start the next things on your list.

Strategies for self-care

  • Stay the course on everyday routines. Try to keep your routines of sleep especially as close as possible given all the extra stuff you are doing.
  • Ask for help. Easier said than done but every little way someone or some delivery can help make it easier.
  • Know your limits before you reach them. When you are feeling overwhelmed or over-tired, state your feelings and take a break.
  • Remember the power of music and smell. Holiday favorites bring joy to the day.

 

Create your own list of quick tips to keep in your holiday notebook for this year and the coming years.

Empowering Holiday Joy Using Lists

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Lists empower holiday joy

 

During the holiday season, the foundation of good project management is list making. Using lists helps you prepare and prioritize for each step of the holidays.  Check out these ADHD-friendly ways to use lists effectively during the holiday season.

The Power of Lists

Lists are a powerful tool for individuals with ADHD because these help to lift cognitive load, assist with processing and prioritizing of tasks, and bring order and serenity. Lists give structure to success because you can conquer everything in manageable chunks.  Having a place to hold all the ideas rather than in your head helps you enjoy the season.

 

Lists empower time management

Having a list will not guarantee success during the holidays. Prioritize first what will be most important since some tasks might be aspirational rather than practical.  Use your list as a guide to how for how you conquer both big and small parts of the holiday season. Write down how much time generally you want to allocate to each task. A suggestion might be by week so to keep on the same project throughout a week’s duration. Combine your lists with your calendar and assign specific dates to specific tasks on your list. You might spend an afternoon looking up recipes and writing a shopping list, then another afternoon baking holiday treats.

Lists reduce overwhelm

The holiday season overwhelms us with the amount of tasks added to your already filled days. Using your lists, you can create daily action lists with 3 Most Important Tasks. Your list can also include the one next step, rather than the entire project. Decide what is the best way for you to chunk your list whether it is by day, task, place of the task, or whatever categories work for you.

 

Here are lists of lists that can help you manage your holiday season.

    • Holiday binder: a comprehensive lists of schedules, information and all the lists for the holidays
    • Gifting list: all the items you are purchasing, where these are ordered from, and receipts
    • Grocery list: all the items you are serving and making for holiday gifts, including recipes
    • Family calendar: list of all the activities for the holiday season
    • Helpers list: a list of all those you can enlist for delivery services, extra help at home, cleaning, and baby and dog sitting
    • Digital wallet: all the tickets for the performances

 

The joy of lists

Make your lists fun by customizing what works for you. Digital lists can include a project management tool like Trello or Notes app. Paper lists are best written with jolly gel pens and markers. If you love stickers, purchase a pack of holiday stickers to remind you of tasks. A weekly planning time also ensures you stick to your list, rather than adding more and more tasks. During that time update your list with what has been accomplished to see and feel your success.

 

The holiday season will be a time of joy and connection, not stress and overwhelm by using lists effectively. Keep your lists visual and easy to see while using them. Avoid the temptation to stop using the lists, even if they are lengthy.  Use your list as a way to keep true to your holiday planning.  By harnessing the power of lists, using your customized approach to writing tasks, and building effective time management with chunking, individuals with ADHD can navigate the holiday preparations with greater ease and effectiveness.

ADHD and Holiday Preparation: Tips for a Joyous Holiday Season

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adhd and holiday preparation

 

The holiday season is a time of joy and celebration, bringing together spirituality and family. It can also be a time of stress and overwhelm for those with ADHD. There are so many more events to track and attend, lots of socializing, purchasing and organizing gift giving, food preparation, and decorating which all need to be started and completed in a short time frame. There may also be a bit of perfectionism with often accompanies executive function challenges with ADHD. With an ADHD-friendly approach to planning, you can enjoy a more relaxed and enjoyable holiday season.

 

Start Early: Begin with a Holiday Calendar

There is a lot of power to early planning and getting started on holiday events early. Giving yourself the extra time you need by starting early allows you to stretch out all the parts of the holiday season. Starting in early November, you can use your holiday calendar to outline all your commitments, including parties, family gatherings, and gift exchanges. With a visual strategy, you see upcoming events, where you might be overcommitted, and avoid last-minute hiccups that cause stress.  Host a family meeting for everyone to share their one favorite holiday activity to ensure it is included in this year’s events.  Post your paper calendar where everyone can see it and duplicate this information on everyone’s digital calendar. Start strong and end strong by checking this calendar every week and adding tasks to your task list.

 

Breaking It Down: The Art of Task Chunking

With so much to do during the holidays, it is easy to get overwhelmed and paralyzed. ADHD can make it difficult to tackle big tasks all at once. Make holiday preparation more manageable by breaking each part of holiday preparation into smaller, actionable steps. It is easier to focus on one area at a time. Segment your calendar with these chunks. A typical schedule might include one week with a single focus, such as a week for decorating, a week for gift purchasing, a week for food preparation, and a week of rest.  This approach gives you the time you need for tasks and the opportunity to focus on one thing at a time. Use this approach with all the related holiday activities as well.

 

Tech-Savvy Solutions

The best gift you give yourself is the gift of tech-savvy solutions. Everything you can do with your devices, such as purchase and track gifts, make calendar reminders, and take photos to include your holiday decorations. Use a simple app to capture all of this information, such as Notes or Google Drive so you know where to find your information. Make albums in your photos app to include all of this information.

 

The Gift of Thoughtful and Meaningful Gifting

While giving gifts is thoughtful, it can be a major stressor during the holiday season. To make it easier, create a gift-giving strategy. Think about a universal gift for families, individuals, and co-workers. Remember that finding the perfect gift is not the goal of the holiday season. Keep it simple with a single homemade treat just to let know people that you are thinking of them.

 

Asking for Help: Bring on the Elves

Help is all around you. It is a matter of asking and being specific about the task. Support is here with local grocery stores and delivery services. Share food preparation responsibilities with your family and friends to enjoy the time together. This is also a time to stay connected to your therapist, coach, and professional organizer who all want to support you all through the year.

 

Prioritizing Your Well-Being

You have a lot on your plate all year long and holidays add even more.  Holiday preparation is exhausting, especially for individuals with ADHD. Make your self-care a priority by keeping to your regular bedtime, maintaining a regular exercise routine, and time away from toxic people. Enjoy time outside to keep grounded and focused. Fill your home with the scents of the season to remind you of the joy of the holidays. Most especially this is a time of gratitude. Tap into deep-rooted gratitude with a daily record of “glimmers”.  These are small moments of connection and joy that occur each day through the holidays. These glimmers give back to you the real meaning of the season.

 

Holiday preparation can be challenging for anyone, but individuals with ADHD face unique hurdles in managing holiday projects. Embrace the holiday spirit, and don’t forget to celebrate your accomplishments along the way. Wishing you a happy and stress-free holiday season!

Holiday Planning Notebook

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holiday planning notebook.

 

Have you had scraps and notes everywhere for your holiday planning? Have you wanted to keep your holiday plans organized from year to year? Is being more organized this year one of your goals for the holiday season? Make your holidays more organized with a holiday notebook. It is a simple, easy-to-create notebook for you to use throughout the holiday season.

 

My gift to you this season is this free workbook for you to customize for your holiday planning. There are pages for your calendar, baking, meal planning, gift purchasing, and addressing cards. You can print this (click here holiday planning notebook printable letter size 2023) and place it in a 3-ring binder or save it digitally, turn the PDF into a Word document, and use it in Google Drive or word docs. 

 

 

 

Another option is for you to create your own with a 3 ring binder, paper, and slash pockets. 

·                     Collate your holiday notebook by deciding what categories are most important to you.  

·                     Choose a notebook with holiday theme colors

·                     Add tabbed slash pockets or dividers with labels for

holiday calendar with dates for activities

holiday recipes

holiday card lists with completed addresses

gift lists (including online purchases)

decorating ideas (with pictures of each room fully decorated.)

annual family traditions (websites for holiday entertainment)

·                     Include a pocket folder to hold the receipts

·                     Add a password list for access to all your favorite online stores.

·                     Keep in an easy-to-access spot for your use throughout the season!

 

Enjoy the holiday season even more with your organized holiday notebook. A holiday notebook is a way to consolidate all your ideas, lists and more for the holidays! 

 

 

Baby Steps for Establishing Consistency

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baby steps for establishing consistency

 

Throughout the Fall we are working toward creating, managing, and improving our routines. For those with ADHD, maintaining routines can be a challenge because of focus, distractions, and interest. It is not for lack of intention or motivation that gaps occur. Lack of consistency is a struggle. With strategies, it is possible to adhere more consistently to routines. Check out these ways to establish and maintain routines.

 

Establish routines with ADHD in mind

Knowing how you work best is the best start.

  • Start small with adjustments to your routines. These small starts prevent being overwhelmed. A micro-step makes a difference. According to Thrive, the tiniest step forward can help you build the routines you want. A micro-step toward better productivity starts with spending 5 minutes prioritizing your to-do list each morning.
  • Establish an environment that supports your routines. Placing your medication in a place where you see it each morning supports taking your medication regularly. Walk your environment to learn ways you can make it more empowering.
  • Use reminders and leverage technology to support you. Using alarms with certain ring tones for certain tasks reminds you to initiate that routine. Use a variety of timers to remind you to start and end your routine. Make routines visual with charts and checklists placed strategically to cue your routine.

Empower time management to support routines

Time management focused on ADHD strengths helps you be more consistent in your routines.

  • Know yourself and how you work best. Do you need a set time block for a routine or do you need a workflow that includes a series of steps? In either situation, walk through your routine to be sure you have established sufficient time to start and complete your routine.
  • Account for or eliminate transition time. Transitions are difficult for those with ADHD to switch between tasks. You can factor in transition time to allow for the completion of the routine. If possible, eliminate a difficult transition to ensure your routine begins.
  • Create external support for your time management. These are both physical support and in-person support. Physical support can be a clock, a timer, a phone, or a device. Our friends and colleagues support your efforts by being team players in your routines. Those around you can remind you and help you be more consistent.

 

Create a strong foundation for routines with self-care

There are always times when an oops will occur in your routines. Be kind to yourself and get back on track the next day. If you find there are too many oops, look at the structure of your day to find ways to create a better scaffolding.

  • The best routines start with a great bedtime routine. Start small by creating an hour of wind downtime to get ready for bed. You will nee this time to prepare mentally to get to sleep.
  • Positive affirmations and re-focusing perspectives help keep your goals of consistency possible. “Don’t give up on the person you are becoming.” Find a mantra that supports this effort.
  • There is a fine balance between rigidity and consistency. Allow for some flow of flexibility in your schedule to accommodate unexpected events. Also, balance structure and overcommitment. When you are overly optimistic about what you can accomplish in a day, regardless of how important it all is, you will not be able to maintain your routines. Keep a positive attitude about routines and you will become more consistent.
  • Remember that consistency does not mean perfection. It might require you to create data to support your success. Find your own success number rather than 100%.

 

Establishing and maintaining routines will require some extra effort for individuals with ADHD. It is the hardest part of all routines. By starting small, leveraging external aids, and empowering time management for the way you think,  you will create consistent routines.  The big picture is about creating a structure that gives you ample opportunity to thrive.

Baby Steps to Add Structure to Your Work Week

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Baby steps to add structure to your work week

 

Do you remember the structure of the school day?  There were time blocks for each subject and time for lunch and play.  As adults it can be difficult to find a pattern like this that fits for our work week. By starting small, you can create a productive structure throughout your week that makes life smoother. Here are 3 baby steps to add structure to your work week.

 

Theme Days

Assigning lengthy time blocks to specific topics makes it easier to be productive. A Theme Day assigns a set of certain tasks revolving around a specific area of work to a certain day. This could be Money Monday or Financial Friday. I have added Set up Sunday to my week to be sure I am ready to start the next week ready, organized, and prepared.  This strategy gives you ample time to complete the tasks, keeps you focused, and give you structure to your week.

 

Book end your day

Self-care happens best when scheduled. Take advantage of classes that occur twice a week to create structure. Attend the same classes for two days a week. For me, that is attending my Tuesday – Thursday 6 pm pilates class. This way I know that I have covered my exercise goals and ended each day with ample time for rest. By book ends, meaning the structuring the beginning or end of the day, I have followed Parkinson’s Law of work expands to fit the time allotted.

 

Incorporate routines

Routines are consistent patterns of activity that reinforce productivity and well-being. Having both start of the day and end the day routines helps create a daily structure for your week.

Start your day with a prioritized list of tasks each day. If you need a warm up to get started, organize the materials that are needed for each task then jump in.

 

End the day by closing down your station. Make a note of where you ended on your work. Re-prioritize your list for the next day. Place materials and resources back, clear your space, and push in your chair.

You will be relieved at the end of the day and excited at the start of the day with these new rituals that add structure to your week.

 

Empower horizontal time blocks

As you review your daily time blocks, add one horizontal time block at your most productive time slot. This power period at the same time each day throughout the week gives you time to do your most challenging and valuable work at your best time each day. Set this time block for projects that require deep thought. As a result your productivity will soar from dedicating this structure to your week.

 

Organizing your day with structure gives you a natural rhythm which offers powerful work flow. Add one of these baby steps to structure to your week this week.