You did it! Ribbons are slung everywhere and the fridge is bursting with delectable leftovers! Now what? The holiday season is a wonderful time of year to appreciate time spent with family and friends, exchange gifts and eat delicious meals! However, it does become a bit of a whirlwind experience. Time seems to move even faster during the holiday season and we emerge in January with a feeling of disarray and sometimes discouragement. Try to avoid those feelings this year by preparing for the post-holiday season!
Follow these simple tips to regroup, catch-up, resurrect routines and start good habits all over again!
1) Get immediate closure by writing your holiday thank-you notes.
2)Fine tune your storage system for your tree trimmings and other holiday decorations.
3) Plan your budget for the upcoming year.
4) Kiss that sugar high goodbye! Toss or freeze sweets, look lustfully at those leftover mashed potatoes one last time, and stock up on healthy food. Getting back to eating right is one of the quickest ways to feel on top of your game again.
5) Get your excercise program back on track if you’re kicking yourself for not getting to the gym over the holidays. It can be hard to get the momentum going, but the minute you start working out again, you’ll feel better. Exercise also strengthens the immune system, helping your body resist viruses that are particularly virulent during the winter months.
6)Tinker with your priorities to make sure they are still working for you! Find ways to bring your life back into balance. Create new (or bring back) family traditions, such as game night or movie and pizza night so its not “all work and no play” once the holidays are over.
7) Designate a night for putting holiday photos in albums and frames or burning digital photos on to CDs. This way you will set a date, get it done, and it won’t weigh on your mind as you try to accomplish further organizational goals in the new year!
8)If you have children, set up a toy-storage system or you might find that half the new toys are broken or have missing parts by Valentine’s Day. Enlist your kids on this project. Ask them to make a pile of toys they are ready to give away to make room for the new ones Santa so generously brought this year!
After this you can relax and contemplate your further organizational goals for 2010! Good luck 🙂