Are you excited about the holiday season or already feeling overwhelmed? You might feel both. Mixed emotions are normal. Perhaps you’re feeling positive anticipation because you’ll get to spend more time with your family and friends. At the same time, you might also feel overwhelmed by everything you have to prepare.
I’ve been there, and so have many of my clients. I always look forward to extra time with loved ones, whether we’re hosting or visiting. Yet I also recognize that without self-compassion and planning, I can easily become overwhelmed. My goal each holiday season is to lean into the beauty of the holidays while doing ‘just enough’ planning to experience all the love and joy, too.
If you want more joy and less stress this holiday season, consider focusing on three areas that can help: thoughts, time, and things. If working on all three feels like too much, choose just one. Even one small shift can make a positive difference.
How to Easily Prepare Yourself for the Holiday Season
1. Your Thoughts Matter
The mind is powerful, and what you feed it matters. What thoughts are you focusing on?
Are your thoughts:
Nourishing or negative?
Making you feel more anxious or more self-compassionate?
Tearing yourself down or reminding yourself, “You’ve got this”?
Keeping you stuck in the past or helping you focus on the present?
Focusing on everything that could go wrong or imagining what will work out?
Stressing over the details or reminding yourself that you can ask for help?
We’re human, and we’re not perfect. I understand that it takes work to feed the brain positive thoughts, especially when you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed. However, during those times, it becomes even more essential to speak to yourself with kindness, compassion, and positivity.
When you catch yourself heading down the path that fuels distress and overwhelm, stop, breathe, and notice. Then reframe. Just as the body needs nourishment to thrive, so does your brain. In this case, the nourishment your brain needs includes thoughts that lift you up, boost your agency, and foster compassion.
Focus on positive thoughts that resonate with you. Or try saying one of these sentences out loud or in your head:
Just take the next small step.
Take a breath.
I will ask for help.
I can work through this.
I’ve got this!
ASK: What helps you refocus your mindset on the positive?
2. Your Time is Limited
One interesting aspect of the holiday season is that it has a distinct start and end. Honestly, that’s a good thing. It doesn’t go on indefinitely. If it helps, imagine the holiday season contained in a not-too-big bucket that holds a few months.
How will you fill your bucket? Will you:
Overfill it until it spills over?
Fill it comfortably, leaving a little room?
Fill it only slightly, leaving plenty of free space?
It’s worth thinking about how you want your holidays to feel. It’s easy to get swept up in saying “yes” to every invite and doing more than you have time, capacity, or energy for. Think of your ‘time bucket’ as a visual boundary. Let’s extend that idea and consider your personal boundaries and how they shape your time.
When thinking about how you want to spend your time during the holidays, what do you want to invite in? Do you want:
A lot of unplanned downtime
Many parties and gatherings
Quiet time with family and friends
Travel time
Time to make progress on special projects
Time for yourself
The wonderful part is that you get to decide. It’s not too late to think about what you want first. That way, when an invite or request arrives, it's easier to say “yes” or “no.”
Here’s the most important part: Once you decide on your ideal holiday time mix, embrace it fully. You can adjust your plans and be flexible when needed. However, planning ahead can bring more ease and reduce decision fatigue.
ASK: What will your holiday time bucket include?
“We’re human, and we’re not perfect.”
3. Your Things Don’t Have to Overwhelm You
Have you noticed how the volume of stuff in your space seems to increase during the holidays? More belongings mean more to manage, and additional clutter can increase feelings of overwhelm.
Holiday thing-overwhelm can include:
Gift buying and receiving
Decorating and putting things away
Preparing food and cleaning up
Cards and other papers piling up
Guests’ belongings ‘living’ in your space
More recycling than usual
Existing household stuff and clutter
If your goal is to have more ease and less overwhelm, editing and decluttering before the holidays helps tremendously. This might be the point where you start to panic at the thought of decluttering and letting go. I understand. However, acknowledging some uncomfortable thoughts and taking action anyway can make a meaningful difference.
If decluttering your entire home isn't realistic in the time you have, focus on one to three key areas that will have the biggest impact.
Areas that tend to get the most use during the holidays include:
Kitchen
Living room
Dining room
Guest bathroom
Entryway
Guest bedroom
To make decluttering less complicated, consider these ideas:
Determine how much time you have to focus on decluttering.
Select one to three areas to declutter.
Schedule ‘decluttering time’ on your calendar.
Focus on a decluttering sprint (15–45 minutes per area) rather than a deep dive.
Prioritize clearing surfaces and floor space.
Start with one area, such as the kitchen.
Relocate anything that belongs elsewhere.
Box or bag items for donation.
Put other items in the trash or recycling.
If you get stuck deciding, give yourself a pass for now and move on to the next thing.
After you complete your sprint, take a break. Return when you’re ready to declutter the next area.
Repeat until you’ve decluttered the areas you chose.
If you run out of time or energy, that’s OK, too. Even if you only get to one area, this is still a win. You can always reset and return to decluttering after the holidays.
ASK: Which area or areas would you most like to declutter before the holidays?
What Will a Compassionate, Human Approach to the Holidays Look Like to You?
Invite more ease, joy, and compassion this holiday season. Choose progress, not perfection. Give your attention to these three areas:
Focus on reframing your thoughts.
Decide what deserves your time.
Make your physical spaces easier to manage.
Which ideas resonate with you? What will make the holidays less stressful and more joyful? I’d love to hear your thoughts, and I invite you to join the conversation.
How Can I Help?
Do you feel overwhelmed, stuck, or disorganized? You don't have to face this alone. I’m here to help! Get unstuck and make progress. Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward—with a local feel and a global reach.
Getting organized, making progress, and feeling less overwhelmed are possible, especially with support.
Let’s talk! I’m easy to reach.
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Email me at linda@ohsoorganized.com
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