Find Time to Supercharge Your Planning for the Holidays (or Anytime) - 5 Tips!

The Time Finder with Paula Eder

The way you use your time is the way you live your life.

Home
About

Find Time to Supercharge Your Planning for the Holidays (or Anytime) – 5 Tips!

Posted on November 19, 2009, under Time Management Skills.

Finding time to get everything done during this holiday time is a perennial challenge. One thing that can give you a big boost from year-to-year is to develop and use templates for different holiday-related tasks. Today’s Finding Time E-zine explores that topic. (If you don’t already receive it, you can sign up for our E-zine in the sidebar. Do it before 11:45 AM and you should receive today’s edition!)

So using templates is an excellent tool. Likewise, if you think about it, the holidays can certainly be a “project.” Often, there are many complex and time-consuming elements that need to be factored in and dealt with. Here are 5 timely tips, to help you plan ahead for your holidays, just as you might for any big project on your plate!

Open your mind to creative possibilities for structuring your plans. If you rely on the usual methods, like outlining your steps ahead of time, consider a fresh approach. Start by clearly defining your desired outcome, and then build around it. Beginning with the results you’d like will stimulate your creativity more than automatically following prescribed steps.

Refine the picture of your desired outcome until it’s comprehensive and specific. Make it shine! Don’t undermine your plans by having your results remain non-specific. Create a crystal clear image of the end before you begin. Clearly describing your goal will help you structure effective action steps.

Examine closely the scope and complexity of your plan. If you have bitten off more than you can chew, step back and streamline. Planning realistically greatly reduces the chances of overwhelm and disappointment. By staying focused and keeping your plans realistic, you can avoid this pitfall. Learn to marshal your resources by simplifying.

Get everyone who’s important on board at the onset. Once you are clear about your plan and have pared it down to a realistic size, think about who needs to know about the different pieces of it. If you are going to need help, be sure to give people plenty of notice, so that they can also plan their time! You are much more likely to gain cooperation when people understand and buy into your plan ahead of time!

Learn to work backwards. Instead of beginning at the beginning, start from your desired outcome and work backwards to identify each necessary action step. This way, you are more likely to maintain a realistic pace and scale throughout the project. In contrast, beginning at the beginning can mire you in too much detail or overwhelm you with the enormity of your task.

The holidays are a warm and wonderful time – and they can easily become overwhelming when our enthusiasm outstrips our time and energy! It’s deeply rewarding to plan effectively when first starting out. You will proceed with more confidence, develop a stronger base of support, and enhance the likelihood of thorough enjoyment for everyone!

How is your holiday planning going? Have you started? Read on to learn about Honoring Your Time with Boundaries – a very helpful skill for the holidays – or any time of the year. If you grab your FREE MP3 before 9PM (ET) TONIGHT, you’ll still have access to a VERY SPECIAL OFFER … so take a peek!

Want to learn how to set effective boundaries to honor yourself, your time, and your relationships? You can ask for the time and space you need, and get it, too! Claim your FREE MP3, “Honoring Your Time With Boundaries”, and discover tools to move you toward a stronger self and stronger relationships! So, take your next step, click HERE and grab your MP3! When you sign up you will also receive (if you don’t already) our weekly Finding Time Tips, our monthly Award-Winning Finding Time E-zine, and our Finding Time Personal Boundary Template! All FREE – our gifts to you!

Let’s explore time together …