We’ve been talking a lot about productivity. But it’s not just because we want people making long lists and checking them off. It’s because we want to have the freedom and peace that comes from having a clear mind—so that we can truly enjoy the holiday season and time with family!
At our recent team retreat, we loved the opportunity to connect and share ideas about how do this in our own homes and families, and we’re excited to share these perspectives with you!
Isn’t this fun? Meet our team: Danielle, Taryn, Jill, Kristen, and April!
Here are just a few ideas to get you thinking about how you can balance enjoying the season while still not letting anything slip through the cracks.
1 – Have a conversation with your family.
Before “planning everything,” we want to make sure we understand the needs, wishes, preferences, and ideas of our family members. This is also a great time to figure out who wants to do what, so we can all share the responsibilities associated with the holidays.
2 – Schedule the “Must Dos”.
There are a lot of optional tasks and projects that may pop up, but if the REALLY important events, purchases, and tasks are on your calendar, you can breathe easy knowing that it’s okay if all the “extras” don’t get done–because the most important things WILL.
3 – Give yourself as much white space as possible.
No one wants to end the year with a meltdown, but sometimes our energy gets poured into so many different areas that we feel we have zero time to just “be.” The good news is that WE get to choose how to schedule our time, and it’s totally possible to create space that can be the source of so much joy.
QUESTION: What things make your holidays feel like a success? What things feel like they might be too much for this season?
CHALLENGE: Add essential events, purchases and events for this season to your calendar.
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Our goal is for everyone to really enjoy the holidays and be able to look back on the precious memories we’ve created, but not have anything slip through the cracks in the process. Sounds like a dream, right? But it’s totally possible! We’ve created a totally free LearnDoBecome Holiday Workshop with a simple video series, some templates and some fun bonuses that will help you create your best holiday season yet!
Click here or on the image below to check it out–and share with your friends and family!
And if you want to take this a step further and get your whole life in order–pile-free and full of mental clarity–we would love to have you join our free class, How to Stop Drowning in Piles. We teach four simple steps that you can implement today to manage the details of life so that you can do more of the things that matter most!
Click here or on the image below to join us! We look forward to seeing you there!
![[Podcast 36]: Three Ways to Balance Spontaneity and “Planning Ahead” During the Holidays #ChristmasIdeas, #ChristmasPlanner, #PreparingForAdvent, #ChristmasCountdownPlanner](https://learndobecome.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/HolidaySpontaneityPlanning.Pinterest.LearnDoBecome.png "HolidaySpontaneityPlanning.Pinterest.LearnDoBecome")
There was a great book called, “Unplug the Christmas Tree” with very helpful thinking/processing ideas. See if it’s still available.
Thanks for your comment and thanks for the tip! That sounds like a great book.
Years ago, my family members and I each chose a Christmas fabric at the after-Christmas sales. We used the fabric to make drawstring bags that we put our presents in, one fabric per family member. This green solution reduces the tedium of wrapping gifts in paper, saves both time and money, and creates a lovely display under the tree.
Keli, that’s a brilliant idea! Thank you for taking the time to comment. We’re glad you’re part of our community!
Glad I took the time to listen to this and look at the comments. I will be scheduling some white space along with my priorities in my calendar today. I love the fabric drawstring bag idea for wrapping gifts! I can think of a million complications (like what size and how many would you need from one year to the next?), but in general I think that would work amazing!
The things we do each year has changed as our kids got older and are now adults. One tradition that we have kept so far is I get a Christmas ornament for each of them each year. An other tradition we still do is we have a family get together (potluck style) for husbands side of the family and my side of the family at two different times. Whomever is able to make it is great, but I don’t stress over having to see everyone every year at Christmas time. Doing it that way has saved us a lot of time and stress from having to go to do so many homes. I get a nap on Christmas day and watch movies. Yahoo yahoo!
Thank you so much for this site. It has motivated me to do something with my white space.
Thanks for your comment, Wisetta! Wishing you the very best holiday season ahead.
I wish I had viewed the ‘Holiday Workshop’ before this past Christmas season. I (don’t think I) wouldn’t have missed some of the activities that I had wanted to do. It’s a simple plan, but it makes you stop and work out the details BEFORE it all drops on your lap.
Thanks!