Tag Archives: gifts

Remember the “why” behind the holiday

I’m hearing a lot of stress-related comments from my clients right now.

  • “I need six more gifts and have no idea when I can shop.”
  • “I don’t have my caramels made yet.”
  • “I still don’t have my cards in the mail.”
  • “I have three more parties to go to and I don’t want to go to any of them.”
  • “I still don’t know how many people are coming to Christmas dinner.”
  • “I really wanted to have a party for my neighbors and now it’s too late.”

I certainly understand where the stress is coming from but is the incredible amount of stress worth the end-result?  Probably not.  Is all this stress taking away from the magic of the season?  Probably so.  What adjustments can you make to restore the magic of the season?

Gifts:  Gift cards are okay and you can select from a large assortment at many local retailers.  Create a gift book of services like babysitting, preparing dinner, cleaning the house, etc.

Food:  Although home-made gifts are THE BEST it’s perfectly acceptable to skip a year or purchase treats from a local bakery or candy shop.

Cards:  Give yourself some grace.  Either skip this year or send New Year’s cards.  The world will not stop spinning if you don’t send Christmas cards.

Parties:  Are there any parties you can gracefully bow out of at this point? If so, do it.  If not, put a limit on the amount of time spent at the event.  Just because the invitation says “6:00 – 10:00” doesn’t mean you need to spend four hours there.

Meals:  If planning and preparing a big holiday meal is stressing you out, is there an option to switch it up a bit?  Make the meal a potluck so everyone gets to participate.  Instead of a coordinated meal, how about an “all appetizer” party (people love appetizers!)?  Think outside of the box and reduce some stress.

Friends and neighbor parties:  Yes, you had every intention of inviting friends and neighbors over for the holidays, but do you really want to add another event to your, or their, calendar?  Probably not.  How about having a 2018 launch party?  Or how about a Valentine’s Day dine-around?  Having something to look forward to after the big holiday rush would be lovely.  Plus, everyone will be much less stressed, more relaxed and able to truly enjoy your time together.

How can you adjust your expectations, reduce stress and focus on the magic of the season?

Happy Holidays!

Cindy Jobs

www.organizetosimplify.com

National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals, Seattle Chapter
National Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter Vice President
ICD_LogoTag_Horz_72 website
Institute for Challenging Disorganization
Level I Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization; ADD; Client Administration; Time Management; Mental Health; and Hoarding.
Level II Specialist Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization and ADHD.

 

Coach Approach for Organizers

Still looking for the perfect gift?

In less than two weeks the major holiday gift-giving time will be behind us.  How are you doing your shopping?  Are you feeling stressed?  Are you spending too much?  Are you concerned that you haven’t purchased the perfect gift for everyone on your list?  You are not alone!

Every year I go through the “who do I need to buy for?” “what does Aunt Mildred want?” “what’s meaningful, but still easy to ship?” . . . the list goes on and on.  Although there is magic in finding the perfect gift for someone, often-times finding the perfect gift is incredibly stressful.

My shopping list is pretty minimal, but I work with clients every day that are stressed to the max about finding the PERFECT gift, while at the same time working around the clutter of “not so perfect gifts” they’ve received in the past.

What kind of gifts can we give that will bring more meaning and joy to those we love and not create clutter?

Here are some places to start:

The White Envelope Project:  I saw this on my Facebook feed a few days ago and think it is a brilliant way to honor someone you love and support those that may need it the most.

Do a good deed:  Instead of giving store-bought things, offer to:

  • Run errands.
  • Take down their holiday lights and decorations.
  • Babysit.
  • Mow their lawn/shovel their driveway.

Cook: For busy families or those who find it difficult to cook, fill their freezer with the home-made goodness of soups, casseroles, etc.

Adopt-A-Family or Child:  There are many ways to support those in need, and adopting a family or foster child is a great way to do it.  Check with your place of employment, local businesses, or Chamber of Commerce for specifics.

Purchase a gift in the recipient’s name from well-known, reputable charities:  It’s easy to want to donate to whoever makes a heart-felt solicitation this time of year.  To ensure your donation gets the biggest bang for the buck, check out  Charity Navigator.   The Charity Navigator site is America’s largest independent charity evaluator, providing free ratings of the Financial Health and Accountability & Transparency of thousands of charities.

Whatever gift-giving solution feels best to you, remember the spirit of the holidays is really to spend time with the ones we love.

Happy Holidays!

Cindy Jobs

www.organizetosimplify.com

National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals, Seattle Chapter
National Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter Vice President
ICD_LogoTag_Horz_72 website
Institute for Challenging Disorganization
Level I Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization; ADD; Client Administration; Time Management; Mental Health; and Hoarding.
Level II Specialist Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization and ADHD.

 

Coach Approach for Organizers

Holiday Organizing: Stuff and Time

Well, the holidays are officially off and running!

The local NBC affiliate, KING-TV, asked me to come in and speak about how to organize all the decorations, gifts and events that happen around the holidays.  After leaving the studio I thought “hmm, that might be good information to share on my website.”  Here goes . . .

The holidays create a prime opportunity to take a thoughtful look at how we live, from both a “stuff” and “time” perspective.

Decorating:

I suggest people decorate by zone.  For example, the tree is a zone, the mantle is a zone, possibly the bathrooms are a zone.  What I see happening a lot is that the decorating gets done in time blocks, rarely do we get everything decorated all at the same time.  If we try to decorate throughout the house all within the same time block, areas are only partially decorated, leaving clutter throughout the house.

Make a decision to donate decorations you aren’t using.  Many of us have decorations we take out of storage, then put right back in storage, because we aren’t using them “this year.”  Think about how many years you’ve gone through that process.  If it’s more than a couple, chances are the decorations aren’t your style anymore and can be donated to someone that will use them.  Now is the perfect time to do this vs when you are putting decorations away for the season.  If you do it now, there is a greater opportunity the will get used this year and donation centers aren’t storing them for an extended period of time.

When the season is over, pack decorations away by zone.  This will make it easier to decorate next year.  If possible, use consistently sized, clearly marked boxes.  Being able to stack consistently sized boxes economizes vertical storage space.  I particularly like this style.

Gifts:

Gifts are tricky.  In my line of work, I see a lot of well-intentioned gifts that create clutter and storage challenges.   Some people don’t agree, but I’m a firm believer in re-gifting.  My theory is that if you receive something that isn’t your style and you can’t exchange it for something that is, put it in a gift closet to be re-gifted to someone that would appreciate it.

When thinking about gifting I suggest people sit down for 15 minutes and make a comprehensive list of people they plan to give gifts to and set a budget for each.  Having a list makes gift selection more efficient.  Once you have the list, make a note of anything you remember they’ve expressed an interest in.  Do they stop at a favorite espresso stand every morning?  Are they into a particular video series?  Do they love to scrapbook?  Making a note of their interests next to their name will increase the probability that the gift you select will be less impulsive and more appropriate for the recipient.

When giving gifts, unless you really know what the recipient wants, I suggest consumables that don’t require storage or dusting.  Think about giving experiences or hand-made treats. If you know someone that loves your Cowboy Cookies, give those.  If your specialty is home-made Kahlua, give that.  If you traditionally give gifts to a group of friends, setting a date to just get together and spend time would be magical!

If gift cards are your go-to gift, go with a gift card, but maybe jazz it up a bit.  If your brother likes to go to movies, give a gift card attached to a package of Twizzlers.  Or, if they prefer a particular sporting goods store, give a gift card attached to some hand warmers.

Parties & School Events:

We all appreciate being invited to a party or event, but sometimes the sheer number of events can be exhausting.  Multiple parties on the same weekend.  Family photo sessions.  Endless recitals and craft fairs.  Remember, any time committed to one event takes time away from something else.

Take a look at all the invitations and see what resonates with you.  If you look at an invitation and say “heck yes, that’s going to be a blast!” put it on the calendar.  If, on the other hand, you look at an invitation and say “do we have to?” it’s okay to rsvp “not this year, but thank you for the invitation.”  An invitation doesn’t always require a commitment on your part.

Now, there are invitations that probably need to be thoughtfully considered.  Your company holiday party probably should be attended.  But, the book club mixer could possibly be exchanged for a quiet night at home wrapping gifts.

The same thing goes for school events.  There are some things you just need to do.  Your child’s recital.  Go.  Your second niece’s school holiday bazaar may be something you can pass on.

With so much going on, there are times when parents need to divide and conquerEveryone can’t always go to everything and that’s okay.  Can one parent take the 1-year old to the 8-year old’s craft fair, while the other parent goes to the 6-year old’s soccer practice?

This is also the time to call upon your support structures.  Can you swap baby-sitting with a neighbor so both parents can attend a recital?  Can the grandparents take the kids for a day so all the holiday shopping can get done?  People love to help out, give them a chance.

All of these holiday events can create complicated scheduling opportunities. I recommend families sit down and take time to look at the overall calendar and see what’s possible and what’s not.  Write everything down and see where there are conflicts.  I love using dry-erase boards just for this purpose.  Some of my clients color-code by person so it’s easy to see who needs to be going where at a glance.

Yes, there’s a lot to be thinking about as we head into this busy holiday season.  Rest-assured, with some planning and patience, it can be, as intended, a season of loving, laughing and joy.

Cindy Jobs

www.organizetosimplify.com

National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals, Seattle Chapter
National Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter Vice President
ICD_LogoTag_Horz_72 website
Institute for Challenging Disorganization
Level I Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization; ADD; Client Administration; Time Management; Mental Health; and Hoarding.
Level II Specialist Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization and ADHD.

 

Coach Approach for Organizers
Graduate of the Comprehensive Training Program: Coaching Essentials; Strengths-Based Coaching; Brain-Based Coaching; Life and ADHD Coaching; and Organizer Coach Integration
Graduate-level training: Body-Based Coaching; ADHD Coaching Competencies