*Editor’s Note: On January 11, 2010 (date change), Debbye Cannon will host a fabulous Time Management Webinar to help the women of WE to get unstuck, save and spend their time in more fulfilling, profitable ways. Sign up athttp://smartcut-solutions.com/

3 Tips to Simplifying Your Holiday Ramp Up!

Getting organized for the holidays can feel overwhelming long before we take out a box of decorations or even make a list.  As a Simplification Strategist, I feel duty bound to help my fellow business women maximize their efforts so they can minimize their stress – and actually ENJOY that window of time from Thanksgiving through New Years.

#1. Get ahead of the curve. Do everything you can to prepare as early as possible. Instead of just writing down a specific activity on your calendar, like what time you’re going to an event, calendar the preparation before and after that goes with each of your activities. If you’re taking a trip for Thanksgiving, for instance, back up and think, “By when do I need the laundry finished so I can pack?” Schedule time to do the laundry, and then schedule time to pack – your preparations will be much easier. When you come home, what time do you have to set aside to unpack your luggage and do the laundry again?  Begin to think in terms of what the activities are that have to happen before and after any particular event.

#2. Just say no.  One very important way to simplify life throughout the holidays is to simply do less. Now is the time to take a good look at what you’re obligating yourself to and decide if you’re doing it out of “obligation” or whether it is something meaningful to you. As women, it’s easy to get “wrapped up” in what we think we should do, especially over the holidays. The reality is that some of those things will be just as successful without you though. It’s okay to skip the cookie swap at the PTA or decline organizing the holiday party at your office. They’ll both get done without you – and if they don’t, that’s okay too!

#3. Clear the clutter.  The reality is that we only use about 80% that we have in our life – and everything that you keep in your life, whether it is your property, your pet, your children, your plants – everything requires your time, space, energy and money to make use of it.

This is the time of year to stop and ask yourself, “Have I really worn that outfit in the last three, four, or five years?  Do I really think that I am going to lose enough weight to put that back on again – and if I did would I really want to wear that old thing, or would I want to get something different?”  Stop and consider, “Do I really want eight holiday parties on my calendar?”

Remember that time is the ONE commodity you can never replace.  Apply that rule to EVERYTHING in your life, and allow yourself to invest in keeping only the things, events, and even the people that really fill your heart. Those are the things that should fill your TIME.

Simply Yours,

Debbye Cannon

Debbye Cannon, author, speaker and simplification strategist consultant simplifies life for women internationally. With a diversified background as a military wife, mother, home educator, caregiver, entrepreneur and grandmother she’ll make your life SIMPLY BRILLIANT. Find more SMARTcut® Solutions at http://SMARTcut-Solutions.com

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