Top 5 Tips for a Smooth-Running Christmas
We’ve said it many times before and we’ll say it again – effective organisation is essential for excellent time management. There is no time of year where you need great time management skills more so than in December so we thought it was the perfect opportunity to share a few tips for a smooth-running Christmas. Have you got any top tips you would like to share with other readers? Add a comment below or get in touch to let us know. We would love to hear from you.
Map out your Christmas – Before you start planning your Christmas schedule, take a large sheet of paper and jot down absolutely everything you need to do. Now think of what you want Christmas to be like – full of party games and presents? Relaxing? Cosy family chats in front of the fire? Make a list of what you must do in order to make these things happen. Now get your calendar and schedule in each of these tasks, remembering to including time for shopping, wrapping gifts, writing cards, posting them and going to your Christmas parties.
Menu Plan – Whether you will have a houseful on Christmas Day or just want to make sure you have enough festive treats for yourself and your partner, plan it all in advance. Again, think of everything you will need – you really don’t want to find out you have no stuffing/gravy/sprouts just as you go to put them into the oven!
Delegate! – This is another of our favourite time management tips. No matter how good you are, nobody can manage everything by themselves. Outsource as many tasks as possible, particularly time-consuming or specialised ones such as decorating, window-cleaning, general cleaning or even catering. Could we be your guardian Christmas Angels?
Make a (Shopping) List and Check it Twice – If it works for Santa himself, it will work for you. No more last minute shopping; make a list of who you need to buy for and what you need to buy. Plan your route around the shops so you can fit it into no more than three trips and have it all done by mid-December. See our recent blog for more related tips.
De-clutter – We are willing to bet that you have a stash of decorations which you never use. You may have inherited them from a family member or maybe they are old decorations which don’t fit in with your new colour scheme. There’s nothing wrong with your decorations being less than perfectly matched but there’s no point having piles of them sitting in boxes. If you didn’t use it last year and don’t intend to use it this time round, bag it up and donate it to charity. Next year’s Christmas is already easier now that you’ve culled some of the excess!
Keep an eye on our blog for more top tips on organising Christmas. If you have a specific issue which you would like assistance with, we would be more than happy to help. Just contact us to find out what we can do for you.
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