One thing at a time


I don't know why it comes as such a surprise every year, it is the same date after all, yet all we hear when it gets to December is "I can't believe it's nearly Christmas".

We suddenly go into panic mode in relation to presents, trying to see everyone, tying everything up neatly to finish off this year and plan for the next one.

Let's be brutally honest, I doubt we will ever change and we will continue to go through this every year.  Time simply runs away from us so let's not beat ourselves up about it.  We can only do so much and we can only do our best with the time and resources we have.  

First of all, the best thing you can do is get everything out of your head and into an action list.  Write down absolutely everything that is on your mind.

Next job, put everything into categories such as 'Presents', 'Family', 'Food & Drink' and then into sub-categories such as 'Buy present for mum', 'Visit Uncle George', 'Buy mince pies'.  From there, you can start prioritising.  Once you've done that, cast a critical eye over your list and decide what you need to do yourself (no, you absolutely do not need to do everything yourself!), what you need to delegate and what can actually ditch altogether, ie, instead of sending Christmas cards, why not make a donation to your favourite charity instead.  There may also be things you can postpone, for example, instead of busting a gut to try and visit every single one of your relatives before Christmas, why not arrange to 'Jazz up January' and visit them in the New Year.

Once you've done the above and have some sort of plan, you can then start working your way through and ticking things off ... ONE thing at a time.  Don't overwhelm yourself by trying to do a dozen things at the same time and then end up doing them half heartedly.

A few other things to remember:

  • Christmas in reality is nothing like Christmas in the movies!  
  • Manage your expectations and accept that things will not be perfect, no matter how much you plan.  
  • It's not about the cost of the presents, it's about creating memories.  Can you remember what you received for Christmas 10 years ago?  Nope, me neither.  BUT, I can remember spending Christmas Day on the beach when I was in Australia.
Happy planning and speak soon.

#2021

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