The pre-Christmas period is supposed to be the most reflective time of the year – or so they say! But it could be with better time management. Here are 3 ultimate tips for more serenity and relaxation during the pre-Christmas season.
#1 Clarify Expectations
Stress is self-inflicted: It’s often high expectations about time that trigger pressure. Take some time to clarify with yourself and your family what Christmas is really about for you. Whether it’s about surprises in colorful packages? About the time spent baking cookies together? About peace? About the shared visits to Christmas markets? Depending on what truly matters to your family during this time, priorities should be set. Those who want surprises may not need to meet friends every night at the Christmas market with mulled wine, but instead, prefer to look for creative gift ideas and invest their time that way. Those who prefer peace may decide together to forgo gift-giving entirely and opt for more harmonious, shared evenings by the fireplace with good music and warm tea.
#2 Outsource Stress from the Pre-Christmas Season
The early bird catches the worm: If you want to truly enjoy the pre-Christmas season, it’s best to start your Christmas shopping about a month before the first Advent. Set an early date for an extensive weekend shopping spree in your calendar. That way, perceived stress is still low, and errands become much more enjoyable. When everyone else is stressed for time, you can take leisurely walks in nature or read a book.
#3 Divide Tasks
Shared burdens are halved. Often, all the preparation falls on one person. However, every family member can contribute to a beautiful Christmas. At the beginning of the Christmas season, decide which tasks need to be done (buying gifts, selecting the Christmas menu, grocery shopping, cooking, preparing the home for visitors, etc.). Then, divide these tasks among yourselves – maybe the children will pick out the Advent wreath this year? Similarly, the Christmas meal can be wonderfully divided among guests – you provide the venue, grandparents bring the appetizer, your brother’s family brings potato salad with sausages, and your sister’s family takes care of dessert.
If you follow these 3 tips, nothing stands in the way of a relaxed pre-Christmas season. As a final tip, I have an extra tip for you on how to approach things even smarter next year:
Extra Tip: Make Lists
Lists not only make life easier during the pre-Christmas season. If you continually maintain a list of gift ideas (this works great on your smartphone), noting down loved ones’ wishes throughout the year and drawing from it before Christmas – you’ll make your life even easier. This way, you hit the mark precisely – and you’ll also have ideas for upcoming birthday celebrations. Wishing you a relaxed and joyful pre-Christmas season!
If you’d like to learn effective methods to improve your time management, we recommend “4 Ways to Improve Your Time Management” by time management experts Anjana Ahnfeldt and Lothar Seiwert (only available in German). With this workbook including a self-assessment, you’ll find individual solutions for better handling your most precious asset – your time.
Anjana Ahnfeldt works as a trainer, is an expert in time management, and is a product developer for the persolog® time management model.
