[00:00:00] We cannot call this podcast Balancing Busy and not talk about how busy and crazy the holidays are and how to have more balance throughout them. So this is simplifying the season. Really it’s my go to holiday hacks, lessons, tips, tricks I’ve learned over the years. A lot of them you might be doing, but if you pick up one or two that help you and just give you a little more joy this holiday season, it is a win.

Okay, here’s the thing. The holidays, they are supposed to feel magical, but if we’re being completely real, sometimes they feel more like a marathon, especially as the mamas. So if you’ve ever found yourself overwhelmed by your holiday to do list or those unexpected things that like pop up into the calendar, This episode is for you, whether you are hosting the big family gathering, Christmas is at your house or Hanukkah or whatever it might be, managing a busy work schedule or just trying to make it to January with your sanity intact.

These [00:01:00] systems will help you simplify it without sacrificing the holiday magic. Because the thing is, this really is the most magical time of the year. And we want to feel that and enjoy that and be present. But when there’s a hundred extra things on our plate, That can get tricky. Okay, so why do the holidays feel so overwhelming?

Um, it’s really simple. We end up with too many commitments, unrealistic expectations, hello Pinterest perfect pressure or all those fancy reels I see, I’m looking at you. And then of course, there is the, and I’m very guilty of this one, The lack of plan leading to last minute stress. I cannot tell you how many times I have done this in two different capacities.

One is in the whole like gift buying thing. I waited too long and then budget is out the window. Whatever I can find, I will pay it. I will buy it. Or the other place is maybe I’m not quite feeling it early in the season. I’m like, oh, there’s so much going on. I don’t know. Do we really want to do that? But then when it comes closer, I’m like, we don’t have anything [00:02:00] magical and fun planned, and now I’m paying way more.

I’m just pushing way harder. It’s not easy, and we want to make things feel easier. So we are going to talk about a few simple systems that can help you in the main areas that just Cause us all grief. Okay, number one, streamlining gift shopping. Gift shopping can spiral into a stressful, time consuming task, especially if we wait to the last minute.

So here are some very simple stackable systems that when you pop them on top of each other, all of a sudden you are just like. Yeah, look at me. I’m already done. I’m feeling so, so good. Okay, number one, using a gift tracker. There’s probably some app, but I just use notes in my phone. I have each person’s name and I’m just tracking ideas or what I’ve got them, little check mark, all those kinds of things.

Swear by just notes. Writing it down and being able to see where you’re at. It’s [00:03:00] powerful. Maybe you’re a spreadsheet girly. Okay, perfect. Go that way. Maybe you do know about the app. Will you email me and tell me what it is? I’m using the notes app in my phone and it’s been working for me for years. Okay, number two, create a shopping deadline.

Set a goal to have all your gifts purchased by a certain date. Now, I’m going to caveat and say it probably shouldn’t be too, too early, which when this episode is coming out, you’re already safe. But my sister has made the mistake where she buys them so, so early. She’s not even in that like big delivery window.

And then she ends up changing her mind or. Finding out somebody wants something different and she bought them in like, September. So she’s not in that, you know, you buy it in November, you have all the way till January, whatever it might be. So maybe not too, too early, but definitely earlier. I will say one of the things that gets me is, okay, if your kids are listening right now, mute me.

Okay. There’s, there’s my warning. There’s my caveat. Okay, one of the things that gets me is the stocking stuffers. So, I tend to hold [00:04:00] off on stocking stuffer types items way too long. I don’t know why, but I do, and then I end up paying way more for things because I’m like kind of frantic and like, Oh man, I think this will work.

It’s not even stuff I think they would really like. So, this year specifically, I have been taking notes of things they’ve been mentioning that they want or need, you know, those littler type things, and I am already done. Like I was like, I’m buying everything early. I’m getting this done. Those are handled.

So now it’s just the other gifts and it’s making things feel way, way easier. The third thing is consider embracing fewer but better gifts. So I love experienced gifts. I love that approach of like something to wear, something to read, something to do. Even having a little process within your gift buying is such a brilliant idea.

There is the funniest rail going around that I sent to my hubby, and it’s essentially saying how when they were little, you super spoiled them, and now they’re teenagers and they ask for giant things [00:05:00] like iPhones and laptops and cars and crazy things, and you’re like, what have we done? We have created monsters.

That is, we made that mistake in our house, okay? We went way too far when they were little. My husband gets it. He’s so excited. He’s so into it. He loves spoiling them. I don’t even know what’s going to happen when we have grandchildren. It is going to be bad, but when they were little, he’d always be like, Oh, let’s just do it.

And he just gets so excited. Anyways, they get older. Their taste gets so much more expensive. So this idea, I wish I would have started it when I was a young mom. The something to wear, something to read, something to do, something to see or something, right? Like just that concept. I love it. The fourth tip when it comes to gifts is.

I pick two wrapping papers for this season, and I buy like five or six rolls of each, all the same ribbon, the, you know, tags. A, I love how it looks under my tree where everything is just beautifully coordinated, and B, it just makes everything simpler. I don’t have [00:06:00] to be like thinking about, oh, which wrapping paper do I use?

It’s like, there’s a girl version and a boy version, or just a fancier version and a less fancier version, and that’s it. So that’s another just. Just a little tip on making my life a little simpler. Okay. So next area to simplify and streamline is our calendars. And this one, I know, I know it gets us into some trouble.

Okay. So we know that overscheduling leads to burnout and missing what matters most. And that’s exactly what we want to avoid. We want to feel present. We want to feel like we have time to just enjoy each other’s company, to be spontaneous, to just sit around the f fire and make hot chocolate and watch Christmas movies and all these fun things and not be so overscheduled that you sit down and go, Oh my gosh, we never even got to whatever your tradition is, whatever your special thing is.

So the very first tip is to block out non negotiable family time. First schedule it like, Nope, this is happening. This is a priority. Just like it was the holiday [00:07:00] Christmas party or whatever else. Mark out your traditions, whether it’s decorating cookies, watching that holiday movie, and make it untouchable, like don’t allow it to get changed.

And if it is going to be changed, it’s rescheduled, it’s not cancelled. The next one is, make sure you’re using a shared calendar. Taylor and I sync everything on iCal. So nothing is going to fall through the cracks. There’s one that’s like for family, one that’s just the kids, one that’s for us as a couple, one that’s just me, one that’s just him.

I can turn off his when I don’t want to see all the stuff he’s doing, but I can check when I’m scheduling things. He can do the same thing for mine, for my work stuff, but it makes it so much easier. And as our kids got older, we actually added them into the kids and the family calendar so that they could see what was going on as well.

Okay. Last but not least. Learn to say no. I know this one’s hard. I have episodes on exactly how to say no without feeling like a jerk. And the holidays can be one of those times where it can be really hard. So that will be linked below. And listen to that one if you need a little help. But [00:08:00] set a rule for how many events you’re gonna attend.

And then stick to it. To how many things you’re going to say yes to being a part of. And then be okay saying no. It honestly can be one of the best gifts you give yourself this holiday season. Like, it could be the thing where you’re like, Bless me for saying no to that thing two weeks ago, because tonight we have the night just to ourselves as a family, and we are so excited.

We are going to make up some hot chocolate, get in the car, and go look at Christmas lights, or whatever fun thing you want to do. Okay, my next system is simplifying meals and hosting. So hosting can become quickly overwhelming. I happen to love hosting. I actually have an entire episode on hosting for the holidays.

Again, it’s going to be linked below. So if you happen to be the one. who is hosting for the holidays. Okay. You are going to want to catch that. Cause I’ve got some really great ideas and tips and tricks for you, but let’s just, let’s give this and put it out there. Real simple. Plan menus [00:09:00] early. Okay. That’s incredible and so critical.

I make a rough meal plan weeks ahead of time. and then I stick to crowd pleasers that I know well. This is not the time to try some brand new recipe you have never done. That is a recipe for stress to the max. And I’m talking about whether you’re bringing something to someone else’s party or you’re the one hosting.

Stick to your crowd pleasers. That is one of the easiest ways to just simplify your life and meal planning and bringing things to the party or hosting, whatever it is. Stick to to crowd pleaser recipes you have already tested. The other thing is delegate. Guests are happy to bring dishes. So if you’re the host, ask for help.

Let people bring everything. Okay, this is a side note, but I hosted a lunch today. This was a birthday lunch, super fun for one of my girlfriends. And you know, I texted her ahead of time. I’m like, okay, what do you want? For your birthday lunch, she’s like, I want soup, salad, and bread. No problem. Sent out a text to her girlfriends.

They brought everything. It’s like, should I feel guilty [00:10:00] that I don’t even have to make anything? No, no, I should not. It was amazing. So make sure that you are letting people help and bring something. It just makes it feel more cozy anyways, and then Last is like that pre prep. There are some really great hacks out there for freezing cookie dough or prepping sides ahead I make several dishes that I know I can make a couple of days ahead whenever I’m hosting a huge dinner because I have more oven space, more stovetop space on the night of.

So setting things up like that, setting up self serve drink stations, those kind of things just make everything run smoother. Okay. My last pro tip is being okay with disposable. So paper plates for casual gatherings, or I really love those plastic kind of fancier looking ones, but they’re still throw away.

I, my favorite place to get them is like HomeGoods, TJ Maxx. It’s totally fine. No one is going to remember the plates. If they do, there [00:11:00] is some other issues at play here. What they’re going to remember is the laughs, the experience, and maybe just that you showed them that it doesn’t have to be so intense, and you are going to be so happy when, with yourself, when it is time to do the dishes, and you’re able to throw half of the dishes away.

I know, I know. It’s not the best for the environment. I am sorry. I get it, but for this event, to save yourself some sanity, there’s some great options out there. Okay, last one. Budget before you spend. Overspending creates unnecessary post holiday stress, for sure, and it can create stress as you’re just watching the dollar bills go out.

So set a total budget up front. Decide in advance what you’re comfortable spending for gifts, events, and extras. Just looking at either some sort of digital tracker or using cash envelopes or just making sure you have that list. Like mine’s in my notes app. I have ideas for each person. I have a budget.

for each person, whether it’s the, the nieces and nephews, or it’s my kids, [00:12:00] or it’s friends, or it’s the hubby, right? All these different people, in laws, parents. I have a budget, I have ideas, and it makes everything easier. Okay. The next is focusing on the meaning over the money. Sometimes it’s like, we don’t know what to do.

We don’t have a great idea. And so we’re like, here’s something expensive. So some of our most treasured holiday moments They don’t cost a thing. You know that. I know that. Like we know that. So keep that in mind. And I’m going to say we have been having a ton of fun on the LR Insider, which is my newsletter list where I’ve been sharing chat GPT prompts that can make your life way easier.

And I’ve got one for this very topic for this week. So stay tuned. That is coming. Okay, the goal is to make sure that your holiday experience actually feels magical and not like mayhem. Right? So I hope that these systems, they can keep you just a little bit more [00:13:00] balanced. They have definitely helped me. I can now spend more time soaking up the moments that matter.

The things that are going to become magical. The jokes and the stories that we laugh about later and I’m present and I’m there for them and what I’m not doing is stressing about all of these details. The balancing busy philosophy is about being intentional with your time and your energy even during the busiest seasons.

It is about doing the right things at the right time in the right places and taking every opportunity possible to do less, but better. We do not want the holidays to feel chaotic. So with a few simple systems, a little bit of discipline and planning, you can reclaim the joy of the season and focus on what truly matters.

Now I want to know which of these systems are you going to try first? Send me an email and tell me. I love hearing from you. And if you’re ready to make balance a priority in every season, definitely check out [00:14:00] how you and I can work together. So which of these systems are you going to try first? What are you putting into place and how are you going to ensure that It’s not just an idea, it becomes action.

That is the key to truly claiming balance, even amid the busyness. That’s it for this episode. Thank you so much for being part of Balancing Busy. I hope you have the most magical holiday season ever, and I will see you next week.