{"id":254,"date":"2021-11-01T05:39:51","date_gmt":"2021-11-01T09:39:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.istratus.com\/blog\/?p=254"},"modified":"2022-01-27T10:41:25","modified_gmt":"2022-01-27T15:41:25","slug":"organize-the-festive-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/day-planner\/organize-the-festive-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Organize The Festive Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

The holidays can feel like madness for even the most organized folks. Don\u2019t let disorganization detract from the fun of the season. <\/span><\/p>\n

The best way to keep you and your family sane is with structure. A map of what needs to be covered is effective even for your at-home holiday time. Use iStratus to post and share some sort of plan or file, so anyone involved can add or change things as tasks change or fluctuate. (It\u2019s Ok if everything doesn\u2019t go according to THE SET plan).<\/span><\/p>\n

Get around the stress. Create a plan, stick to it as best you can, and avoid rushing around at the last minute.<\/span><\/p>\n

iStratus recommends:<\/span><\/h1>\n

\u201cSpring Cleaning\u201d Before Hanging Holiday Decorations<\/b><\/h2>\n

Oh boy another chore, it\u2019s hard to resist the temptation to <\/span>eye roll<\/b> here we know\u2026 finding the time to clean when your days are long and hectic as it is\u2026 yes we hear you! The last thing you want to do is to house clean!<\/span><\/p>\n

The thing is though, when the house is messy or cluttered, adding holiday decorations and preparing for holiday guests is an absolute nightmare for most people. You\u2019re not alone in feeling this way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, it helps to stay organized over Christmas, and you can begin by cleaning the house. Your decorations will add easily to festivities when they aren’t competing with clutter, you know you\u2019ll feel annoyed about.<\/span><\/p>\n

The holidays are busy, and you’ve got a lot to do when getting ready for the holidays, so focus on the parts of the house that see the most traffic. Before you sort through your Christmas decorations storage, make a list in iStratus of things or areas that need de-cluttering before hanging lights.<\/span><\/p>\n

Organize Your Living Space<\/b><\/h2>\n

If you look around the house and think, \u201cHow do I get organized for the holidays?\u201d it may be as simple as tidying your living space. Take the opportunity to rearrange the cluttered areas of the house. <\/span><\/p>\n

Swap out your summer clothes for your winter clothes.  Go through holiday decorations and get rid of ones that are broken or no longer matter. You may even consider organizing an area just for extra blankets and pillows for visitors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even a little extra organization in your home can relieve some stress from the holiday madness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Holiday Shop Early<\/b><\/h2>\n

Ugh, Yes. Love it or hate it. <\/span><\/p>\n

If gifts are on your iStratus checklists, don’t wait until the week before Christmas. Mark them off early and avoid shopping with the masses. Many stores will begin their Thanksgiving Black Friday sales a week or more before the Black Friday event, so you can deal-hunt without getting up at the crack of dawn. Shopping early is great because you don’t have to do it all at once and overwhelm yourself. Spread it out over a week or two or even throughout the year so that it fits within your schedule. If you have someone in your life who could use some organization, this <\/span>Gift Guide<\/span><\/a> may help.<\/span><\/p>\n

Use a List App<\/b><\/h2>\n

Of course, this is our favorite idea! However, no bias is intended here! Paper lists get lost easily, but you’ve always got your phone on you. A planning app like ours can help you keep track of everything, holiday plans, gifts, and grocery lists. As usual, customize your lists and set reminders so you won’t forget to pick up those herbs or spices you need from the grocery store. <\/span><\/p>\n

Decorate Home As Home<\/b><\/h2>\n

So what if your holiday decor doesn’t rival \u201cIn Style\u201d magazine? Decorating for the holidays should be fun, not stressful. <\/span><\/p>\n

Set aside a day on your schedule in iStratus, dedicated to decorating and getting the whole family in on it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Decorate to add happiness to your home. If you need some inspiration, there are many simple ideas to be found on Pinterest. Just \u201cGoogle it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t keep anything that doesn\u2019t bring festive cheer to your home. Keep your favorite decorations neat, tidy, and clean with storage bins, for example.<\/span><\/p>\n

Create A Gift-Wrapping Zone<\/b><\/h2>\n

Pick a corner of the house that receives little traffic and establish a makeshift wrapping station. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. A folding table, few plastic containers will help organize supplies. (Even a patch of floor works). Then wrap your gifts as they come in to avoid the mad dash on Christmas Eve.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reduce some of the stress associated with the holidays by planning well and getting organized with iStratus. Your schedule won\u2019t prevent unexpected guests from dropping by, or those last-minute holiday party invites, or any family drama. It happens. It will, however, keep you sane during day-to-day holiday preparation, which frees up mental energy to be grateful for loved ones and just enjoy celebrating.<\/span><\/p>\n

Live life and roll well with iStratus.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The holidays can feel like madness for even the most organized folks. Don\u2019t let disorganization detract from the fun of the season.  The best way to keep you and your family sane is with structure. A map of what needs to be covered is effective even for your at-home holiday time. Use iStratus to post … Continue reading Organize The Festive Season<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":255,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":3,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-day-planner"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=254"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":264,"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254\/revisions\/264"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}