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Today is the last day of November, and tomorrow officially begins the craziest month of the year. This is a time where everyone is going 100 miles an hour and can be very stressed out. People are out on the roads frantically looking for decorations, food to make elaborate recipes, wrapping paper or most often gifts. This can be a chaotic time if we are not organized. I love organizing, and you have seen my post here on how to stay organized throughout the year  and other helpful tips through Instagram. I personally think if you are organized, your mental state will be more pleasant and you won’t feel as overwhelmed during this time of year. This month is one that you should enjoy and not have too much jam packed on your calendar. It is all about spending time with the ones you love to celebrate the real reason for the season. I have listed my personal favorite tips below that I use to stay organized through the holidays. I hope they help you as well.

Tips to Stay Organized Through the Holidays

• Use Your Notes App to Keep Track of Presents/Budget: I use the notes app on my phone to write all kinds of reminders and lists for things going on in my life at that time including a bucket list of restaurants that I want to try. When it comes to getting gifts for my friends and family I also write a list for them with ideas. I actually start this way before the holidays if I hear throughout the year that they liked something, or I see something that would make for a great Christmas present. This helps everything stay organized in one central spot and there are options to choose from. I also keep a running list of present ideas for myself that I have throughout the year that I give to my parents. This makes it so easy where you aren’t spending hours thinking of what to give. It also is a good idea if you go ahead and assign a budget for each individual that you are buying gifts for so that you stay on track with your finances as well.
• Have a Place for All of Your Decorations: This year was so much easier to get all of the Christmas decorations put out because I had organized them correctly last year and knew where everything was. Instead of throwing everything into random bins like we usually do, it is best to label the bins with the holiday and exactly what is inside i.e. “Christmas Ornaments”. It takes the guessing of what is inside each box out of the picture. Having a picture of how you set up your decorations last year for that category on the outside or inside of the box also makes this super helpful as well. This way you don’t have to spend hours figuring out where to put something.
• Write Down All of Your Holiday Events Early: As soon as you know when your company is having their Christmas party or you are hosting the cookie exchange, put it in your planner or calendar immediately. A lot of places book up quickly and people’s schedules are jam packed during this time of year, so the earlier the better on the date of the event. This will save a lot of headache if you have everything you want to do in the month of December already scheduled out when you go into the month. This also includes any fun holiday activities like looking at lights, ice skating, etc.
• Donate Items Now: They say Spring cleaning is the best time to clean, but I think right before the holidays and before getting presents is the best time to do this. I have been ruthless with my donating recently and honestly if I don’t like it anymore and it doesn’t fit/make me look my best or more importantly as Marie Kondo would say brings me joy, then I get rid of it. Trust me you are going to get random pajamas, fuzzy socks, new sweaters, bath bombs for days and other knick knacks that you are going to have to find space for. It is better to feel a little more organized when you get all of this instead of having too much where you can barely shut your drawers.
• Don’t Overdue it With New Recipes: Talk about feeling frazzled and not organized, trying a new recipe during this time of year for an event makes me stressed just thinking about it. Granted I have done this several times and for holidays, but honestly I end up stressing out and spending way too many hours trying to prepare for it. If you love to cook then by all means you do you girl, I would just make it in advance. We all like to try new recipes during this time of year or impress our guests with this awesome cookie recipe we recently saw on Pinterest. If you have a chocolate chip cookie recipe that is so easy to make and you love, then keep making that one. Even better, get the break and bake cookies at the grocery store. They do have sugar cookies that you don’t have to home make and you can just decorate them with fun icing later. It is about the time spent with family and friends during this time, not trying to get an A plus on a new recipe you made that stressed you out.
• Take Time for Yourself: When you are spending so much time getting people gifts and attending events non stop, you can get worn out very quickly. Trust me I feel like that is my life right now and December hasn’t even begun. My relaxing spot is taking a bubble bath every night to unwind and de-stress. I think that it is important to take time for yourself whether that is indulging in a great book during this chaos or getting a massage/facial, it is still about you and organizing your life as well with the things that matter the most during this holiday season.
• It’s Ok to Say “No”: This can be the hardest thing for someone like me that has a fear of missing out on events. I know the thought of missing an event can sometimes be the hardest thing we can think of or organizing the Angel Tree at work, but it’s ok to say no. I have had to say no to several things this week that sounded really fun, but with my work load and other things that I had committed to, I had to have a night for myself to just unwind. Do people even know what the word “chill” means during this time of year?? I think this is the most important tip to stay organized during this time of year because you want to be pleasant when you commit to events. If you are not 100% into it or are mentally exhausted, there is no point in going. There is always going to be something next year, so saying “no” is ok!

I hope you enjoyed some of these tips. These are so important to incorporate into this busy season of life we all are in right now. It can be hard to incorporate all of these, but one or two will make a huge difference to your life and sanity during this time of year. What are some of your tips that you try to do to stay organized?