The following is a guest post from regular contributor, Deana at Your Happy Stuff.
With Christmas right around the corner I wanted to share a few last minute tips for simplicity that have seriously helped me minimize feeling overwhelmed after the holidays have come and gone.
Have A Simple Plan For Photos
Use one camera.
When you take pictures using many devices, you make it harder for yourself to wrangle everything into one location. When your photos are scattered on devices, your mind seizes up with procrastination and those scrapbook projects end up gathering dust on your to-do list (which is phantom stress that
haunts you).
Create files on your computer that make sense to your brain. Keep your camera clutter-free by deleting photos right after uploading them to your computer.
(Note: please back your photo files up on an external drive to keep them safe).
Declutter the duds off your camera right away. Don’t keep a bunch of digital pictures you hope NEVER see the light of day. Delete them right after you look and think “Eesh! Bad lighting!” This way you won’t have a bunch of photos to weed through later.
Ease Thank You Note Stress
Keep a running list of people you want to thank and put it in a central location. Encourage your family to add names to the list as needed.
Thank You List Free Printable Download
With jobs like this I always recommend that you “divide and conquer.” That means, YOU should not be the only person who writes the thank you notes. Turn it into a family event where you all take a couple names and write those letters together. Either that, or simply chip away at the list a little at a time. No
need to write them all at once.
Release Excess Right Away
Get a couple moving boxes and keep one ready to collect donations at all times. Your new gifts will need space. This means you should be prepared to release what you don’t actually need, use, or love anymore.
Don’t cram your new things into crunched spaces and think, “I’ll deal with that later.” Dealing with it now is liberating.
Cut Down On The Decisions
If you haven’t photographed your decorated spaces and taped the pictures to the front of your storage containers, do so before you pack things up. I started this a few years ago and can’t tell you how much frustration it saves me.
Each of my holiday décor storage tubs contains the items needed to create the scene that is taped to the box. It’s so simple and cuts down on the amount of decisions I need to contemplate. After all, it’s actually the millions of holiday decisions that wipe us out. Take those photos and give your brain a break next year.
I truly love this season, but I’ll be honest…it IS a challenge and a practice to stay functionally organized (forget the picture-perfect stuff). Hopefully these tips will help you enjoy a simpler time immediately following Christmas and in the years to come.
Blessings and peace from my family to yours!
Here’s that Thank You Note printable again, in case you missed it.
Deana Ward of Your Happy Stuff loves helping overwhelmed women simplify and calm their lives. As a breakthrough life coach and creator of the 4-week rut buster, Happiness Hotwire, she helps her clients decide how they want to live and gives them simple steps and accountability to make it happen. Be sure to get your FREE gift and weekly tips from Deana over at Your Happy Stuff. You can also find her on Facebook and Pinterest.
Linking up: Thirty Handmade Days
Susan says
Best thank you notes for kids (even tweens): Take a photo on Christmas morning of the child wearing/showing off the gift that Grandma or Auntie gave them. Download photos to your computer. Have your computer literate child download the photo to a regular sheet of paper with an age appropriate note “Thanks Grandma, I love my new video game! You are the best Grandma EVER! Hugs and Kisses…” Print & Mail. Thank you note done. Repeat for each gift the child received.
Deana Ward | Your Happy Stuff says
LOVE that:) Such a fantastic idea!
Ann says
I’m always so afraid to delete my photos; even though I have them all saved in various places. One of these days I hope to get over this silly little fear! Thanks for the printable; that will be useful all year long. In fact, I’m going to put it into my gratitude journal and use it for my thank yous.
Deana Ward | Your Happy Stuff says
You are so welcome:) xo- Deana