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Coco Warner reporting One of the reasons that the holidays can be so stressful is because people feel like they just don't have enough time to complete their to do lists.
While you can't add hours to any day, there are ways to accomplish more during any given day.
The ideal time to start planning for the holidays is probably in July. But don't worry. Today is as good a day as any to start seriously planning your holiday schedule and prioritizing your to do list for the next month and a half.
Julie Hogan/Salt Lake City: "I really think the holidays can be very stressful, especially when people don't have the opportunity to pull back and plan ahead. I think it's all in planning."
That's an idea the Franklin Covey Company is devoted to, and this is an especially important time of year to be organized.
Debra Lund/Franklin Covey: "If something is really important to you, like finishing your shopping before the 24th of December, you're going to have to take steps and plan, so you're not doing it on the morning of the 24th."
The first thing you should do is decide what is most important to you this holiday season-- make a list. Then use a planning system to keep track of that list and all of your holiday information.
You'll want to write down gift ideas, gifts received, travel itineraries, party planning, the card list, your budget, and your schedule. Then set aside time to accomplish the tasks.
Debra Lund/Franklin Covey: "It should be written somewhere. In fact, not only in your planner, but some people choose to put it on the refrigerator so they can see everyone's schedule."
Debra also recommends taking 20 minutes before the week starts to plan, and then 10 minutes every day.
Debra Lund/Franklin Covey: "If you break them down into doable chunks and it's very focused at the tasks you have to complete, so you can check off that project."
Once you make a commitment, live up to it.
So here's a to-do list to help you with your own to do list:
Define what's most important to you.
Use a planning system.
Keep all of your holiday information within that system.
Plan weekly, plan daily.
Set aside enough time to accomplish your tasks.
Tomorrow, we'll talk about some holiday shipping and mailing guidelines.
