Do these 2 things in January to feel more organized in December

The mental load of December is a wild ride. The pressure to come up with ideas, create the holiday magic and fill your own cup with making memories. This January, set yourself up with a “Gift Idea List” and create placeholders in your December calendar to take off some of that mental load. Keep reading to learn more about how these two things can help.

Gift Idea List

Make a list of all the people you often give gifts to during the holidays. Throughout the year, as you are scrolling social media, or say your sibling mentions something they need, jot down those ideas on your list. Digital lists work best, because you will also be able to jot down the link or idea on your phone and easily share the list. I prefer the Reminders app, which syncs with all my devices and my husband’s devices.

I recommend sharing your list with your partner to help share the mental load as well as give them ideas. Not just for them, but also for when your family asks what your partner wants or what your kids want, you can head straight to the curated list. Sometimes the magic is lost when you have to ask for ideas, but I promise adding your own gift idea you had in the summer and getting surprised with it in December is somehow still very exciting! Like this Kawartha lakes tshirt I added, mostly forgot about and was so pumped to get it this Christmas.

Create Calendar Placeholders in December

This is the perfect time to reflect on which activities filled your cup this year and what traditions you want to carry into next year. For me, I always put a placeholder on the first weekend of December to decorate our house. If we get an invitation somewhere exciting, I’m always willing to move that placeholder around, but as the calendar fills up with birthday parties, holiday events and other people’s priorities, I want to know that there is always a calm afternoon to decorate and watch a Christmas movie to really get into the season. I also know that my threshold for additional decor around the house is about a month before it all starts to feel like clutter.

Was there something you saw someone else do this year you want to try? Maybe drive north to a cool skate path, visit a particular Christmas market, or a Christmas movie marathon with food from the movie? Maybe the season felt too busy and you want to make sure you are allotting more down time. Now is the time to throw it into your calendar as a placeholder for next year.

It’s important to remember that these placeholders aren’t commitments, just ideas that you’ve allotted time for. Avoid putting your priorities on an “if you have a free weekend” instead of allotting actual time for those priorities. For many busy households, free weekends are rare. These placeholders allow you to prioritize what you wish you did this year and more easily say no to the busyness of the season.