Stay Sane This Christmas: Simple Planning, Budgeting & Routines

As the holiday season sneaks up on us, we all need to get ready to jingle all the way! While we look forward to a happy, festive time, let's not forget the potential for some merry madness & chaotic cheer. Remember, staying organised & keeping a positive vibe can make all the difference. Here are some hacks to sleigh your Christmas season like a boss: plan simple budgets, list it like you are Santa, stick to routines, & have a mindset tougher than a fruitcake!

1 - Planning Your Perfect Christmas

Start by setting clear goals for what you want to do for the holiday period. Whether it’s spending quality time with family, completing a project, or just relaxing, having a plan can help you stay on track & reduce your stress levels.

• Create a Holiday Calendar: Mark your important dates such as family gatherings, shopping days & downtime.

  
  

• Set Priorities: Decide what’s most important to you & allocate your time accordingly. Chip away at the important things first & get to the others when you have time.

2 - Budgeting for the Holidays

Christmas can be very expensive, if you follow our Instagram, you would have been prompted a few times already this year to think about how much you can save weekly to get to your goal before Christmas. If you didn't see these posts, don't worry, with a well-thought-out budget, you can still enjoy yourself without financial stress.

• List What you Need to Purchase: gifts, decorations, food & travel (flights, car rental etc.).

  
  

• Set Your Spending Limits in These Categories: Determine how much you can afford to spend in each category & stick to it. For example: $50 per person on gifts (& think about what you would buy each person) $100 on the Christmas day food, etc.

  
  

• Track Your Spending: Use apps or spreadsheets to monitor your spending & keep yourself accountable to ensure you stay within your spending limits (budget).

  
  

  The Microsoft To Do app is a top recommendation: see our previous post for more detail on this: Boosting Productivity with Microsoft To Do app

3 - Creating Simple To-Do Lists

To-do lists are your best friend during the busy holiday season, it's easy to get caught up in the chaos of holidays & forget things. Lists are a simple way to stay on track to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

• Categorise Your Tasks: Group similar tasks together, such as shopping, decorating, & cooking.

  
  

• Daily To-Do Lists: Break down your tasks into manageable daily lists. Depending on the time you have available it can be broken down to be as basic as you like.

For example, instead of listing "Decorate the house for the holidays" you could list:

Day 1 Task - get all decorations out of storage.

Day 2 Task - unpack the lights.

Day 3 Task - choose an area, hang up the lights & plan where all miscellaneous items will be going. ^^ For those who aren't feeling super motivated (requires more available time) ^^

OR

Day 1 Task - get all decorations out of storage, unpack lights, choose an area to place them & hang up.

Day 2 Task - Plan where the miscellaneous decoration items will be going.

Day 3 Task - place & setup all miscellaneous items.

^^ For the highly motivated (more to do each day) ^^

• Prioritise: Focus on high-priority tasks first to ensure the most important things get done.

4 - Maintaining Routines

While it’s tempting to stop your usual routines during the holidays, maintaining some sort of structure can help reduce stress & make it easier to get back into your routine when the holidays are over.

• Morning Routine: Start your day with a consistent morning routine to set a positive tone. It doesn't have to be your 'normal' routine, it could be a stripped back version with just the basics: drink water first thing, 5 min stretch, see sunlight early, coffee after an hour of waking.

  
  

• Exercise: Incorporate physical activity to boost your energy & mood. Even 5-10 minutes each morning or afternoon will have a positive effect on your mood.

  
  

• Sleep Schedule: Try to stick to a regular sleep schedule to avoid feeling overwhelmed. 1-2 scattered late nights won't throw you off too much but try to keep the overall holiday period consistent; this will keep you in a good mood, & able to fire on all cylinders (have full brain function).

5 - Cultivating a Positive Mindset

A positive mindset is crucial for enjoying the holiday season & staying productive. How are you supposed to relax & enjoy yourself if you're constantly thinking of what you have forgotten to do & if you don't pause & take in your happy moments?

• Practice Gratitude: Take time each daily to reflect on what you’re grateful for.

  
  

• Mindfulness & Meditation (if that's your vibe): Incorporate mindfulness practices to stay present & reduce stress. I like to go outside & practice listening...to the bird, the trees in the wind & just taking in what I can see, reflecting on how simple those things are & how lucky I am to be alive.

  
  

• Set Realistic Expectations: Understand that not everything will go perfectly, & that’s okay. Make a plan, but don't make it too restrictive, if you don't get to putting that roast in the oven on time because your Aunty Carol wouldn't stop talking about her pet ChiChi & it makes your lunch or dinner later than expected, that's not the end of the world; chuck some extra reindeer shaped pretzels on the table & ask Carol just how she manages to train ChiChi when she only has one good arm & barks at everything.

Final Thoughts

By adding these productivity tips into your holiday season, you can enjoy a more organised, stress-free, & cheery Christmas. Remember, the key is to plan ahead, stay within your budget, keep track of your tasks, maintain your routines, & nurture a positive mindset (& stay sane!).

Happy holidays lovelies!

As always, thank you so much for supporting my blog, make sure you checkout the related posts & Instagram for more ideas on staying Simply Productive 💜

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