Making The Holidays Easier Next Year

Now that the holidays are over, it's time for an honest assessment. What did your season look like this year? Calm, relaxed, and stress-free -- or a lot of overwhelm and rushing around at the last minute? You really don't have to invest quite so much effort to make things merry, if you keep track of what worked and didn't work this time around -- then take a few steps to get organized for next year in advance.

Christmas Is Here -- Are You Ready?

By this time, you should be finished with your errands, your chores, your holiday preparations -- how are you doing with that? If you're still running around like a crazy person on Christmas Eve, you may have heaped too much onto your plate this year. Those last few days before the holiday are the perfect time to sit back and enjoy all of your hard work -- to put your feet up and spend time with your loved ones, not to squeeze in just a few more chores!

Spreading Some Holiday Cheer -- The Organized Way

TO me, the biggest joy of the holiday season is in the sharing -- whether you send good wishes or food, spend time or money, it's lovely to be able to show people how much they mean to you. However, you don't have to let the seasonal chores that accompany this sharing weigh you down -- if you're organized!

Stress-Free Holiday Decorating Tips

Matt and I just got our Airstream decorated for the holidays -- we don't carry much with us, but even RVers deserve a Christmas tree and some colored lights! Our home is just under 200 square feet, and it only took us about 30 minutes to deck the halls from start to finish. But even if you're decorating a 20-room McMansion, things will go much more quickly when you have a system for setting everything up and breaking it back down again.

A Quick Holiday Prep Plan

At this time of year, the sheer number of "to-do's" on your list can become overwhelming -- even after you've removed those tasks you really don't care much about! But by tackling your "obligations" in an organized and systematic fashion, you can take the sting out of the holidays and get your prep work done with plenty of time left over for enjoying the season.

Thanksgiving Countdown

The holidays are almost upon us -- and while I intend to go out for turkey day this year, many of you are going the more traditional route. If you're one of those who plans on hosting a big Thanksgiving dinner, you need a plan that will help you get everything done on time and with a minimum of stress.

The Work-At-Homer In Its Natural Habitat

The home-based worker is an entirely different animal than the typical employee -- if you're a creature whose office is at home, you know how hard it is to keep your private life from intruding on your work, and your business from taking over your personal time! Let's examine the species "work-at-homer" in its natural habitat and watch the life and death struggle for balance.

Learning To Delegate More Effectively

Delegation can be a tricky business. You don't want to simply "dump" distasteful work on someone else -- but you need to make sure the job gets done, and it doesn't need to be done by you. Delegating can become a particularly sensitive issues when it is lateral -- asking a fellow colleague, freelance consultant, family member, or friend for help. But by approaching delegation in the right way, you can make the experience enjoyable for both parties.

Make Your Work Day Easier

As a Professional Organizer, I teach my clients how to stay on top of their daily "to-do's." Phone calls, e-mails, paperwork, mass mailings -- how do you keep things from falling between the cracks? Here are ten simple suggestions for keeping routine business affairs from taking any more time out of your day than they need to...