This month I’m going to share all the tips and strategies you need to know so you can finish the year strong by accomplishing your goals and also stay ahead of the mad holiday rush. I promise that if you follow my tips, you will not only be ahead of schedule, but you’ll actually enjoy yourself while everyone else succumbs to the holiday madness and stress.
I’ve said it before and it bears repeating: Planning is key.
How to plan your planning this month
Here’s the best way to plan out this month to ensure success and a stress-free future December:
- Plan your day off. Block out one weekday in December to take off work and tackle your holiday shopping. You might be hesitant to use one of your paid days off, but trust me, holiday shopping during the week is much less stressful than battling for those parking spaces on a weekend. It’s well worth your time and the cost of using paid time off.
- Prefer to order gifts online? Make sure to order early so you can avoid any rush delivery fees. Online shopping can take as long as- and even longer- than shopping in stores. Consider taking two full days off work to complete all your holiday shopping: one day for going to actual stores and the other day to shop from the comfort of your home. I suggest planning the day off on Cyber Monday (the first Monday after Thanksgiving) so you can take advantage of online deals.
Pro Tip: Create a designated digital folder for all your email receipts, shipping info, and gift ideas. You’ll thank yourself later when you don’t have to hunt through hundreds of emails to find them.
- Plan your Black Friday strategy. I’m a sucker for a great deal just like everyone else. The key is to create boundaries and expectations. Here’s what I do to maximize my Black Friday shopping while maintaining family time and focusing on my daily priorities:
- First, most Black Friday deals aren’t worth waking up at 3am, fighting for parking spots, or having strangers crowding your personal space. Plus, all that time spent standing in long checkout lines is a waste of your time and money. (Remember, your time has value, and standing in line doesn’t match your hourly rate.) Stick to doing all your Back Friday shopping online.
- Once you’ve decided to stay home for Black Friday, make a gift list. Write down everyone you plan to buy for along with general gift ideas, preferred websites, and a budget for each person. Do this at least one week in advance so you don’t forget anyone. Having this list ready will keep your shopping focused and prevent you from getting sidetracked by unnecessary purchases or random websites.
- Lastly, set clear expectations with your family ahead of time. For example, I carve a 2-3 hour window on Black Friday for uninterrupted online shopping. I communicate this to everyone in the household, even if we have visitors or are visiting someone else, so there are no surprises. I recommend setting an alarm and tackling your shopping early while everyone else is still asleep. But if you’re still in a post-turkey coma, choose a time later in the day and plan for it. Write it down, set a timer, grab your credit cards, find a distraction-free spot, and shop away! Just remember: once your time is up, you’re done! Stick to it, transition away from the computer, and get back to enjoying family time—no sneaking back online!
- Get your travel checklist prepped. If you’re planning a trip during the holidays in December, be sure to print out my comprehensive packing list so you don’t leave anything behind. You can find it HERE. Start packing a week in advance of your trip by tackling small tasks each day. Set a timer for 15-20 minutes, and work through your checklist in manageable chunks. This way, you avoid last-minute stress and can head into your trip feeling prepared and relaxed!
- Unsubscribe. It’s easy to get distracted when stores are having great sales for things you don’t need. Retailers use the holidays to start sending marketing emails several times a day, clogging your inbox. You can easily have hundreds more daily emails to sort through. Mitigate this potential problem now by unsubscribing from email lists. I spent 15 minutes recently one morning unsubscribing from 162 email lists in my personal email. It’s been amazing to check my personal email now and only see relevant messages from my contacts. All the digital noise can be stressful, so get rid of it now.
Pro Tip: Use online tools to bulk unsubscribe from unnecessary emails quickly, or create an email filter specifically for marketing emails so they don’t clutter your inbox. I prefer to use Sanebox to manage my email- check it out HERE and save some money!
Harness Your Holiday Superpower
Finally, this month’s goal should be about learning how to say that one magic sentence, “No.” Yes, the single word “No” is a complete sentence. Get comfortable with saying ‘No,’ or even ‘Nope, not today,’ with a smile. This will be your holiday superpower. Plan to work hard all month long by saying NO to the time wasters and energy drainers.
As much as you want the month of December to be productive, it never is. Accept it. Holiday parties, decorating, shopping, kids out of school, family events, traveling, and over-eating will all be taking up your precious time throughout December no matter how hard you try to avoid it.
Avoid the stress, guilt, and shame of not accomplishing your goals in December by instead using the month of November to hunker down and meet those goals! Then you can relax in December and roll with all the schedule and routine changes. Allow yourself to truly celebrate the last month of the year and enjoy the company of friends and family. Just envision how your December mornings will feel much more relaxed compared to everyone else still scrambling with last-minute tasks. You worked hard in November and you deserve it.
So just say NO to everything that doesn’t fit in your plan or is in alignment with your goals. You can thank me later.
Follow me all month long on social media as I celebrate “NO”vember with tips & tricks to stay focused, hit your goals, be productive, and get rid of distractions in your life.
Cheers to November!