How to Reduce Stress Over Christmas with Time Management

Christmas can be a very stressful time of year.  For many the Christmas holiday period is a mass of complex social interactions with family or relatives, some of whom you may rather not see. There could well be expectations, or at least perceived expectations, to create a ‘wonderful Christmas’ with presents and perhaps the most important meal of the year. 

If you spend the Christmas holiday season rushing about like a panicked lemming, it's time to apply some time management strategies. There are just so many things to do, and a limited time to do them in. Working people may feel especially harassed, trying to cram Christmas activities into their already limited "leisure" time.

If you're one of those people feeling more frazzled than festive, taking the time to use a few time management strategies can really reduce stress over Christmas; you'll feel as if you're in control, rather than feeling like you're being driven like one of Santa's reindeer. If it's already too late, bookmark this page ready for next year and set yourself a reminder to do this in mid-November.

How to Reduce Stress Over Christmas? Apply Time Management Strategies.

1.       Make a list.

Divide a page into two columns. List the things you have to do to prepare for the holiday season, such as gift shopping, on one side of the page and the things you want to do, such as special holiday baking, on the other side of the page.

2.       Pick and choose your Christmas activities.

Many of us do what we do during the holiday season just because we always have, turning the entire month of December into a mad whirl of non-stop Christmas preparations and activities. It's time to make your list more manageable by eliminating some of these holiday activities.

Do you really need to spend hours writing and sending Christmas cards, for instance, or hours making hundreds of chocolate balls? By all means do if you enjoy these activities, but if you don't, give yourself more time to do the things you enjoy by cutting them from your list.

3.       Get an early start.

There's no rule that says that all Christmas activities have to be crammed into the week before Christmas. You can decorate your home for the holiday season in November if you want. Food for the holiday season can be bought in advance, and Christmas gifts can be bought any time of year. Stretching out your Christmas activities over a longer period of time can really help reduce stress.

4.       Get help.

Who says that you personally have to wrap all the Christmas gifts, do all the baking, and/or do all the holiday season decorating? This year, give yourself the gift of holiday stress relief by patronizing a local bakery, hiring a cleaning service to clean your home, use the gift wrapping services, or even having your holiday season party or festive dinner catered.

Think about how much your time (and sanity) is worth, and contract out accordingly. Assign some tasks to other family members. Using the time management strategies of outsourcing and delegation will lighten your workload and your mood.

5.       Break the Christmas gift shopping gridlock.

You don't have to take the time to drive anywhere to shop if you don't want to. Reduce stress by shopping and buying Christmas gifts online.

6.       Call ahead before you shop offline.

Why go six places looking for that one Christmas gift when you could just make a few phone calls, go to one place and pick it up?

7.       Avoid rushing around in a holiday frenzy.

To reduce stress, pre-plan and coordinate your journeys. You can easily combine running errands with Christmas shopping, for example, why go Christmas shopping 10 or 12 times? Use your list and make your calls to cut down on the hours you need to spend shopping.

8.       Turn chores into events.

Everyone finds some holiday season activities that have to be done drudgery. Make whatever it is you find drudgery more enjoyable by making it special and different. For example, make the Christmas baking a family affair, or invite some friends over for a tree-trimming night.

9.       Slow down.

For instance, you don't need to buy, put up, and decorate the tree all in the same day. Make the tree trimming as an ongoing event. Buy it, put it up, and set out the ornaments. Then whoever wants to hangs a few ornaments on the tree when they feel like it. Sometimes it takes two weeks, but it will be a beautiful, fully decked Christmas tree by Christmas Eve.

10.   Build time to relax and enjoy the festive season into your schedule.

Take the time to drive around and enjoy the incredible displays of Christmas lights, attend a special holiday concert, or just take a long hot bath. Your holiday stress will drop considerably.

11.     Plan ahead for the next holiday season.

Christmas supplies, such as decorations and gift wrap, are often available at discounted prices in the week after Christmas, and they don't go bad! It's easy enough too to buy Christmas gifts any time of year; all it takes is some planning.

The holiday season should be a joy, not an ordeal. Applying some time management strategies during the holiday season can help you regain the equilibrium you need to appreciate (and savor!) the true spirit of the season.