How to stay organized during the countdown to Christmas, (and don’t freak out!)

Picture this: You are sitting at your breakfast table with one hand on your mug, and the other on your head, because it’s December, and in a flash, it will be Christmas Day. At this point, with your chocolate advent calendars half eaten, your Christmas baubles sparkling, you probably have a diary full of social events and be wondering how on earth you are going to achieve your goals as you are a naturally busy person. Life and work do not stop for Christmas!

It’s a lovely season, full of delicious scents such as fresh pine cones and cinnamon, cosy PJ’s and hot chocolate, and the movies of Christmas past. But even the merriest among us knows that the holidays can be emotionally, physically, and psychologically exhausting, right?

It’s the presents, baking, wrapping, card-writing, and cooking; plus, all the gatherings: office parties, customer visits, dinner meetings, and friends to visit; let’s be honest, it is an awful lot to juggle. This month, AF International would like to share some joy with our best tips on how to deal with the Christmas countdown and avoid last-minute holiday-season stress.

1: Keep your holiday planner updated

Planning is essential to have a stress-free Christmas. If you have broken down tasks into bite size chunks over the next few weeks, you will feel an immediate relief. The overwhelming panic stops and suddenly, the tasks appear more achievable. Ensure your calendar and to-do list is updated regularly updated and let the feelings of panic subside.

AF’s special advice: Create your own holiday calendar on an organization app on a portable electronic device such as your smartphone after all, who leaves the house without their smartphone?

2: Prioritize

Throughout December, there are parties, holiday events, concerts, family gatherings to name but a few seasonal events, and it is therefore very easy to over commit yourself. Recording all dates on your personal calendar is an essential. Remember to keep your office calendar updated too.

Note that is very important to consider your priorities, you don’t have to attend everything. If things are looking too busy, pull back on some of those activities. Who enjoys an activity when they are run down and tired? Not us, here at AF.

3: Take control of the holiday gift giving

It can become extremely stressful trying to come up with that “perfect†present for everyone. Write down your list of who you typically give to and see if there are ways that this can be trimmed. Remember to opt for eco-friendly presents and avoid unnecessary ones.

If you can, set up a wrapping area somewhere in your home for gift bags, wrapping paper, tags, ribbons, tape, scissors, etc. Wrapping a few gifts can be fun and a good way to get some creative energy out! Count on AF to help you with the wrapping; remove stickers easily with Labelclene, and prepare the area carefully with recyclable Isoclene wipes*, aiding the removal of stubborn sticky material from the surface.

*Always check compatibility with surfaces before using Isoclene wipes.

4: Reserve a stay-at-home weekend

Who doesn’t love the idea of a weekend lock in – a real PJ’s weekend! Select a weekend to stay in the comfort of your home and have fun doing activities such as organizing and writing Christmas cards, wrapping presents, and spoiling yourself with a nice relaxation time. 

AF Advice: Why not go digital when it comes to Christmas cards? It’s eco-friendly and budget-friendly too. Yes, you can save the physical cards for those who refuse to accept the digital revolution.

5: Make a plan for clean up on Christmas Day

When Christmas Day finally arrives, you may remember previous Christmases and how quickly they pass. As Christmas Day winds down and you start to look around your house, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the holiday clutter that has accumulated. Because you want to enjoy the holidays, it’s absolutely acceptable to plan to start the clean-up on December 26th or even on the 27th (no judgment here!). Let’s avoid that becoming a day you dread at the very end of the holiday, just before you go back to work.

• Firstly, plan to tackle trash. Separate your recyclable materials from non-recyclables and dispose of them correctly.
• Second, have an organization plan to store all the decorations, as boxing them up and leaving the box to sit in your lounge is not going to help with the grand tidy up.
• When it comes to cleaning, remember that a lot of people have been through your house, so after basic cleaning it is best practice utilise the range of AF’s Anti-bac+ to prevent bacteria and viruses from staying in the house for the New Year.

Following these five simple steps will make all the difference in the coming weeks. You’ve got this! Slow down and enjoy it, revel in the holidays! Enjoy the process, and do not focus too heavily upon the event. Just because it is Christmas time, doesn’t mean that everything needs to be perfect! 

My penultimate point is very important; as you will be socializing more than usual, being in contact with more people, is essential to take care of your health and the health of your tech. Always keep your screens cleaned with AF International’s specialist cleaning products and ensure that your surfaces are sanitised in high touch zones.