“You can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.” –Maya Angelou

The holidays are upon us and thankfully most of the items filling your schedule and overflowing to-do list may be fun or things that make you happy, but the uptick in social gatherings and holiday activities can leave you feeling stressed or even burnt out. Add in common, potential variables such as family tension, an introverted personality, a stressful travel schedule, or dietary anxiety to the mix and suddenly the most wonderful time of the year can feel like the most stressful time of the year. If you can relate, we’ve got tips on how you can use The Self Care Planner to make the holidays less stressful.

Create a Holiday Road Map

Keeping your schedule organized this time of year can seem daunting but if you don’t keep track of it, you’re going to end up over-extending yourself or forgetting important dates. Start by writing down all of the parties, events, or anything happening on a specific day on the monthly spreads of your planner, and make sure you are leaving room for downtime. Next, add any specifics that you need to remember for those events on the weekly to-dos page. For example, picking up ingredients for your potluck dish, checking into your flight, or picking up a white elephant gift.

For the daily edition lovers, you can take it a step further and time block each day to ensure you have enough time to prep gifts, cook, travel, work, or whatever you need to fit in each day along with the holiday festivities!

Planning out both the big picture and the small specifics will make your schedule feel lighter and you won’t constantly be stressed about remembering those little details.

Ready, Set, Boundaries

The holidays tend to bring people closer together, sometimes too close. Whether you have an aunt that always comments on your second helping of mashed potatoes or a manager that sends you meeting invites while you're out on PTO, it’s best to try and curb any intrusive interactions ahead of time, whenever possible.

The idea of having these conversations isn’t easy but a little discomfort today can save you from even less desirable situations tomorrow. Use the Self-Care section - yes, setting boundaries is self-care - to write down the bullet points you will need for the conversation on the day you plan to have the conversation. Planning out what your boundaries are and the best way to express them will set you up for success.

Forget FOMO and Focus on Gratitude

It can be tempting to do the most around the most for the holidays when it comes to decorations, gifts, vacations, social gatherings, etc. but remember to do things because they bring you joy and not just for a picture on the gram or to meet unrealistic expectations you set for yourself.

A good way to combat this feeling of needing to make everything bigger, brighter, and more exciting is to focus on the things you already have that make you happy. Taking the time to write down what you're grateful for every day will make it less tempting to overextend yourself this time of year.

Take one thing off your to-do list and check out our holiday gift bundles for everyone on your shopping list or if you're looking for more tips on how to use your planner check out our blog, Get More Done in Less Time with Time Blocking.