It’s Not Too Soon to Start Planning for the Holidays – Home Organizing Tips

Are you kidding me? The holidays. Why they’re way off in the future; why would I start thinking about them now while I’m still basking in the warmth of the sun?

Er, well, you can certainly bask away but in all seriousness the holiday season will be upon us soon. Believe me: This is one of my most helpful time management tips. Do not procrastinate!

It starts with Halloween (the costumes are already in the stores!) and then before you know it you are looking right at Thanksgiving and then hot on the heels of that feast day we plunge into Christmas and Hanukkah and then New Year’s Eve to end things with a bang.

Is it just me or do all of these holidays and associated events start to blur together? What with taking care of business and the family and the “usual stuff,” it seems almost impossible to get things organized for the holidays and have the time to ENJOY the season too. And that point, arguably, is the best argument for following some solid time management tips.

That’s why I believe it’s not too early to start getting ready for the holidays. Get ready now, when the weather is warm and you’re not stretched so thin. Now, when the stores aren’t filled with throngs of people all vying to get to the cashier to check out. Now, when you can think straight.

Here are some home organizing tips you can start to use now when life is a wee bit less chaotic and you (might!) have more time:

• The next few months provides you with lots of time to try out the new recipes that you might want to include in your holiday menu. There’s no pressure and if you don’t like how the dish turns out, well, you can just discard the recipe and no one has to be the wiser. (Serving up a new recipe to a tableful of guests is a BOLD move!) Start looking at the cookbooks now while you have time to experiment and the end result should be some fabulous holiday meals with your friends and family.

• Shopping for gifts (online or in the stores) can be very time consuming. Factor in deciding what you want to purchase and you are looking at a big chunk of time. This is a perfect time of year to prepare your gift-shopping list (there’s no rush so you can be very thoughtful!) and then you can start to make the purchases at your leisure.

• It’s certainly a drag to wake up on Thanksgiving morning and discover that you are missing a certain pot, pan or platter that you need for the dinner. Take stock now while you have the time to purchase exactly what you need. You don’t want any unnecessary pressure on the holiday itself when all of your attention should be on making the meal and enjoying your guests.

• Have you been thinking about doing some sort of home repair like painting, refinishing the floors or even remodeling a kitchen or bathroom? Most everybody likes to show off their homes during the holidays but you must be careful how much time you are leaving for the work to be done. Depending upon the scope of the job it might be a better idea to hold off until the start of the New Year.

• Waiting until the season is upon you is probably not the best time to buy some new clothes for the holidays. Once again the stores are incredibly crowded as the holidays get closer and the holiday clothes are available in the stores many months before. Shop early so you don’t get caught in the crush.

• Many people (OK, most often women!) decide to go on a diet after the holidays but it is my thinking that you might wish to diet NOW before the holiday feasting begins. By doing so you’ll probably feel more comfortable and not be so guilty when the holiday parties begin in earnest.

It’s a pretty long list, huh? Imagine if you tried to tackle it in mid-October or November? It’s a shame to undermine your own pleasure at holiday time by leaving things until the last minute.

Start now or just as soon as you get home from the beach!