It’s Never Too Late to Save Your Holidays The holidays are here, and if you’re like most people, you’re feeling the stress that comes along with them. But don’t let that ruin what is supposed to be “the most wonderful time of the year.” With a little planning—even at the last minute—you can enjoy the entire season. Here’s how:

Prioritize: With all the added events and to-do items, prioritizing tasks becomes all that more important. Don’t let this influx of activities steer you off course—use 15 minutes at the start of every day to examine your task list, making additions (or subtractions) from the previous day, and set your schedule.

Lists, lists and more lists: It seems a little cliché to make lists during the holidays, but it’s a vital step to take if you want to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. Write everything down, from buying stamps to grocery shopping to cleaning out the refrigerator. Once you have all tasks in front of you, prioritize and discard those that can wait for another day.

Combine and consolidate: When you’re performing tasks, kill two birds (or more) with one stone. If you need to go out to buy baking goods, hit the restaurant next to the grocery and buy those gift cards you wanted to get for friends. And drop off that table cloth that needs dry cleaned while you’re out. And pick up some dog food for Spot. And…well, you get the picture!

Cyber-shopping: It’s not restricted to Cyber Monday! Avoid crowded stores and busy roads by saving time and ordering gifts online. There are just as many great deals to be had online as there are at the mall. Plus, it’s not uncommon to receive free or expedited shipping this time of year.

Teamwork: Don’t take on the holidays by yourself—recruit family and friends to help with everything from house cleaning before the big party to picking up extra cranberries for dinner.

Keep it simple: As stated by Ellen Griswold about her husband, Clark, in the movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, “You set standards that no family activity can live up to.” Keep it simple—do only what you need to do. If there’s time in the end to make those homemade ornaments you wanted, then you can go for it!

Down-time: If you carry out your day as you set in your plan, there’s a good chance you’ll have a few extra pockets of down-time. Use these to your advantage to knock out smaller tasks. And remember to use time spent waiting in lines or stuck in stand-still traffic for the same. It may seem like you’re losing time in those scenarios, but they can play to your advantage if used effectively.

Never too early to plan for next year: As crazy as it sounds, being that you’re simply trying to get through THIS year, start taking notes so that next year’s holiday plan runs even smoother. Mark down things that worked as well as tasks that ended in wasted time. You’ll thank yourself next year!

As the title says, it’s never too late to save your holidays. A little planning goes a long way and, in this case, will lead to a path of happiness and less stress this entire season. About Day Runner At Day Runner, our mission is to assist people in “designing their day” with a touch of fashion and function. Many products can be configured for individual planning needs. Our loose-leaf day planners allow users the flexibility to easily select the page formats and style that they like and put them where they need those most. Our products are available from many office product retailers and dealers nationwide and can also be found in office supply catalogs. For more information or to order your planning and organizing tools, visit www.dayrunner.com.

Photo by What is in us