Don't Panic - Plan!
By Melissa Tosetti
One of my greatest pet peeves about the holidays - outside of seasonal creep - is that in most households, the “burden” of making it all happen, typically falls on the shoulders of one person. While everyone is humming along with carols and anticipating all the trimmings that go along with the celebration, the Holiday Giver is weighed down by the never-ending list of things that need to be cleaned, purchased, wrapped, decorated and more. The closer the holidays get, the more the anxiety builds. – This is NOT what the holidays should be about.
If you happen to be the Holiday Giver and find yourself struggling, consider implementing one or all of the following suggestions:
Triage
Last week, The Savvy Life’s Kevin Gibbons wrote a tactical article titled Holiday Triage. If you haven’t already, read the article and start putting his tips into play.
Ask for Help
Sometimes, we take the burden on ourselves and just assume we need to go it alone. If at all possible, ask for help! Just about everyone in the family can play some role in the seasons to-do-list. Take a look at your newly created triage list and see what you can delegate.
Calendar
Now more than ever it’s critical to manage your calendar. List all the things that need to get done between this moment and your pending celebrations and actually block that time on your calendar. This includes:
Grocery Shopping
Gift Shopping
Time to Cook
Time to Decorate
Gift Wrapping
Travel Time – for any destination 30 minutes away or more
This exercise will ensure you’re practical about how much time you actually have to complete your seasonal to-dos. Once you go through this process you may see that you need to triage even more.
Too often, we create To-Do lists that are absolutely impractical given how much time we have available to execute. By comparing your available time to what you want and need to get done, you will gain perspective on what is realistic and can plan appropriately from there.
Good luck and happy holidays!
Melissa Tosetti is a cash flow planning expert, founder of The Savvy Life and author of the international bestseller Living The Savvy Life.
For the past nine years, she’s worked with over 650 individuals and families to create Spending Plans.
To learn about the Spending Plan process, visit The Savvy Life’s Home Page. If you’d like to learn about how The Savvy Life works with financial advisors and their clients visit: The Savvy Life Advisor’s Page.