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 Restoring
Order to Your Home
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CBN.com –
Believe it or not, there are only six and a half
weeks until Christmas and just two weeks until
Thanksgiving! It is just the right time to
prioritize your activities and plan your time.
The holidays are an opportunity to reflect upon
the hope offered to us, spend time with loved
ones, and partake in cherished traditions.
In pursuit of the frocked pilgrims and jolly
old Saint Nick, we engage in a frenzy of activity,
which we believe will bring us the holiday
memories for which we long. In the process,
however, we often over commit, overspend, overeat,
and over entertain ourselves.
Many of us will greet the New Year exhausted,
broke, and unfulfilled.
Here are some ideas to help you reclaim
your holidays.
Tip: Focus on your calendar. Your schedule will
ultimately reveal your priorities.
Identify your values.
What is important about the holidays to you?
What would you be sorry if you did not
experience/accomplish?
Differentiate between obligations and
choices. If you have been dragging
yourself to the company party for years, vainly
attempting to illuminate the neighborhood with
your twinkle lights (in the rain), or dreading
hosting one more expensive gathering, let yourself
off the hook. You are not a grinch to let go of
undesirable activities. In fact, when you thin
your holiday schedule of unwanted obligations, you
are choosing to make room for the activities that
are truly important to you and will create lasting
memories.
Schedule the holiday traditions/events
that are important to you. List all the
events of interest, including visits with family
and friends, celebrations of faith, and favorite
memory-making activities. Then, prioritize the
list, schedule the most important items first, and
eliminate any that you cannot reasonably fit in
your calendar without overload. Move the
eliminated items to the top of next year's
calendar.
For example, you might decide that your
priorities are: a Thanksgiving dinner for
immediate family at your house, attending
Christmas Eve service, baking holiday cookies with
family, and hosting a traditional Open House for
family and friends. Set the date for each event.
Call the participants early, as people book
themselves far in advance during this hectic time
of year. Make your RSVPs early.
Fourth, after you’ve scheduled the important
dates, back out your calendar and schedule
preparation time. If you have an annual
cookie party or gift exchange, schedule time to
shop for ingredients, supplies, and gifts. By
dedicating time on your calendar to shopping,
wrapping, and card writing, you won’t feel
stressed out and you can make even those
activities special.
You can make your holiday preparations even
richer by including friends. If you’re low on time
for your girlfriends, host a “wrap party” or a
“card party” by doing your Christmas wrapping or
letter writing together. It will force you to get
your list, stamps, photos, and gifts together by a
reasonable deadline and you’ll enjoy time with
friends. Who knows, this may become an annual
tradition!
Being organized is more than de-cluttering and
improving the look of a space. Orderly living is
about being purposeful with your time and
resources so that you can live an abundant life!
Recapture the joy of the holiday by infusing
each of your special events with meaning and
tradition. Since you aren't over committed and
stressed to your limit, you will have time to play
holiday music, light candles, and make each person
feel loved. Get your cameras charged up to record
your activities; this will be your best holiday
season yet!
 About
the Author: Vicki Norris is an expert
organizer, business owner, speaker, television
personality, and author who inspires people to
live out their priorities. Norris is a regular on
HGTV’s nationally syndicated Mission:
Organization, and is a recurrent source and
contributor to national lifestyle publications
including Quick & Simple magazine, Better Homes &
Gardens, and Real Simple magazine. Norris is also
author of Restoring Order™ to Your Home, a
room-by-room household organizing guide. |
