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November 27, 2017 0 Comments

4 Ways to Be Present Over the Holidays

The holidays are here! We’re into the holiday season now, but there’s still over a month of festivities to go.  Are you finding yourself overwhelmed by this time of year?  There’s often a lot going on, and it can be hard to stay in the present moment.

The holidays are the times that we look back on as magical. It’s important to employ techniques that keep us mindful and present.  Read along for our best tips!

Take time

Take time each day during your holiday break to spend time with friends and family.  Give them your full attention! Plan something that you wouldn’t normally do, or simply find somewhere fun and unique to have a great conversation.

The greatest gift we can give each other is our time, so go out of your way to give it freely this year.  You will never regret time well spent with those you love!

Be grateful

According to Harvard Health, “Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”

When we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it’s easy to focus on what needs done and not what we’re grateful for.  Take a few minutes every day to make a list – mental or physical – of what you’re grateful for.  It’s an important task with numerous benefits to your health and wellbeing!

Make memories

This is a time of year to have fun and make memories with those we love. If your parties don’t allow you much down time with friends and family, consider catering.  If they tend to lag, think about adding some fun games.

Games, good conversation, and quality time tend to add up to wonderful memories.  You can do something you normally wouldn’t do.  Try ice skating with your kids, outsource the dessert making if you don’t like it and don’t have any time, catch a midnight movie with a friend.  Whatever you do this season, take time to make memories that will last – and enjoy them in the process.

Turn it off

Technology, that is! We’re all glued to our computers, cellphones, and tablets every day, so use this time to disconnect.  You don’t have to fully toss your devices, but limit them as much as you can.  As we mentioned before, giving someone your full attention is a great gift, and you can’t truly do that if you’re constant looking at your phone.

Ask friends and family members if they’re willing to keep technology away from the dining table, and continue this into the evening if you’re all sitting around talking, playing games, or simply enjoying each other’s’ time.  Keep devices limited to emergencies and quick check-ins.

Staying present involves your time, effort, and gratitude to complete.  This time of year, being present it truly worth it.  Give the gift of yourself, fully present, to your friends and family this season.

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November 13, 2017 0 Comments

5 Tips for Holiday Organization

The holidays are almost here! It’s the best time of the year, but it can also be the least organized. Between family, friends, extra events, parties, gifts, and so much more, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.

To avoid overwhelm and stay present in this holiday season, read along for some best tips for holiday organization.

Start early

Thanksgiving is almost here, but there’s still plenty of time before Christmas and the New Year! Avoid a lot of stress, panic, and lack of ideas by beginning as early as possible.

If you have a lot of gifts to buy, it can even be helpful to create a separate bookmark folder on your computer to compile gift ideas.  Simply copy down the link, take a screenshot, or store the item in your bookmarks folder with the name of the recipient.  Then, when it’s time to buy, you have some great ideas ready to go.

Create a work schedule

Work doesn’t go away during the holiday season.  If you know you’re going to have a particularly busy holiday, start working ahead as soon as possible.  Complete a few items per day that will go towards days you wish to take off or work less.

Holidays are special, and it’s important to spend time with your friends and family as everyone has more time off from work.  Put in the time, effort, and work ahead of time now so you can fully enjoy those moments later.  This way, you aren’t scrambling to finish work at the last minute, or worse yet, missing those fun, special times with those you love.

Less stuff

A lot of “stuff” can cause chaos in the home.  Make this the year of less “stuff!” No, it doesn’t mean you have to forego gifts, but can you do them differently.  Cut down on the number of things and up the value; it’s always preferable to focus on quality over quantity anyway.

For your kids, a useful practice can be to donate old items that are no longer used.  Have them select a few items to donate or throw away before the season of gifts arrives.  It’s not about prying away their favorite items that are truly used, but to make room for the new.  A home with less “stuff” is typically much less chaotic and more organized.

More experiences

On the topic of giving less “stuff,” comes experiences.  Experiences are wonderful gifts that give the gift of time, thought, and something unexpected.

Whether it’s a spa day, outdoor activity, escape room certificate, unique dinner out certificate, and so on, these are all items that can be experienced.  Experiences have the added benefit of your time!

Buy a gift card for two massages and treat your mom to a spa day.  If your kids love the water, treat them to a day at an indoor water park this winter.  The immediate gratification may not be there, but once the experience is underway, it’s typically the most memorable and most appreciated type of gift.

Other experiences come from participating in activities during the holiday season.  There’s so much cool stuff that goes on this time of year! Adventure out of your comfort zone, grab a friend or family member, and head out to enjoy some of the fun things that this time of year brings.

Organize the major days

Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, Hanukkah – just to name a few! There are so many big days during the holiday season.  Start a list or a spreadsheet of each holiday you intend to celebrate in a big way and begin your checklist.

Whether it’s meals, cooking schedules, gift to dos, or things to pick up, include it all! Having your items in one central location like Dropbox or Google Docs can make collaborating and sharing among family and friends even easier too.

Eliminate the overwhelm this year! Start early, focus on less “stuff” and more experiences, and take the time to organize the big days.  You’ll be glad you planned ahead a bit when you’re able to enjoy more quality time with those you love!

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December 23, 2016 0 Comments

4 Tips for Holiday Break Productivity

Today begins holiday break for a lot of families, and it’s important to take the time to refresh and rejuvenate before the start of the new year.

Although most of your household will likely be home from school and work, a home based worker is never truly “away” from work.  It’s very important to take time for yourself this time of year while still completing your work.  Read along for some best practices in keeping up with productivity while enjoying the season.

Create schedules and lists

At this time of year, many of us are juggling numerous events and schedules! It can help to create short lists and schedules for work, Christmas, New Year’s, and anything else that’s taking place during this busy holiday season.

Before you go on break, take a few minutes to figure out what needs to be done and when.  There’s still time to lay everything out and prioritize based on available days.

Use spare time

When there are activities taking place that don’t involve the whole family, take this time to stay back.  Of course you don’t want to miss anything truly special or important, but simple errands can be skipped if there’s another family member who can handle them.

You can also utilize early bedtimes and nap time to get ahead with work.  Although everyone is typically home for the holidays, there can still be time when your kids are with friends or spending time with other family members.

Work ahead

As with all productivity tips, working ahead is a great way to stay on top of things.  Most of us will still have to put in some working hours over the next couple weeks, but if you work from home, you can likely work when you have the time.

Even though home based work never really goes away, we have the benefit of being able to work at any time.  Utilize this to your advantage! Spend a few nights or early mornings before holidays working ahead a bit.  This not only ensures that you’re completing the work that needs done – it allows you to come into the new year without a mad rush of work.

Enjoy the season

Work will still be there after holiday break! We all have work, family, and home obligations, but this is truly the time of year to enjoy your family.  Yes, work is still important and must be completed, but find a way to work it into your holiday schedule without missing those truly magical moments with your friends and family.

Take this time to relax, refresh, work as needed, and come into the new year with a clear head and sense of calm.

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December 7, 2015 0 Comments

5 Tips for Home Based Work During the Holiday Season

It can be a challenge to juggle working from home during the holiday season. You’re doing your best to complete your tasks, but since your workspace is your home environment, this can get tricky this time of year. However, working from home has its flexibility perks, and you’ll be able to attend those Christmas concerts and holiday events with just a few tweaks of your schedule.

The holidays are a special time of year, so it’s important to recognize that and participate fully. On the other hand, work can pick up before the end of the year, so read along for some tips to manage both effectively.

Keep a normal daily schedule

As much as possible, plan ahead and keep a normal daily schedule. The more you can do this in the days surrounding the actual holidays, the more relaxed you can be on your days off.  Create a schedule now and do your best to prioritize as the holiday season moves along.

Hire some help

If your workload is too demanding right now or you want more time for friends and family during the holidays, consider hiring some help. You can find a great virtual assistant right here at HireMyMom.com. Need help with kids? Look for college students home for the holidays. They can also help with wrapping gifts, organizing your home / office and even help with some home office tasks that you’ve gotten behind on. 

Make time for what’s important

Work will always be there – but the holidays won’t be. Make time for what’s important, especially this time of year. If you have to work a weekend afternoon to be able to attend a holiday event, it’s worth the extra effort. Cherish the memories that the holidays help create. You’ll look back someday and be glad you did!

Schedule something special

Since your home is your workspace, it can feel like the day goes from work to celebration central in a matter of ours! Schedule some special outings, occasions, shows, and so on for this time of year. It feels good to get out of the house, and you can still use your home for those cozy nights over hot chocolate, good movies, and gift wrapping.

Don’t stress out

Overall, don’t stress out too much! It can seem like the work is piling up this time of year and that it will never stop.  2016 will be here before we know it, and all we can do is our best to complete the rest of 2015.

Create your schedules, make time for what’s important, and minimize stress for a fun and efficient holiday season!

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