Complications not Included

Holiday organization can be tricky. There's already so much to think about; what to give loved ones, family plans, cooking, wrapping, shopping, the tree, outdoor decorating, sending cards, buying batteries for Christmas gifts... what am I missing? Oh yeah, keeping your home clean and organized through it all!

Make home organization as easy as possible during this time. Here are a three tips for the Holidays that may just help keep a little sanity:

1. Don't take on any new commitments or start any new projects. Maybe Marge from the PTA asked if you could pick up her daughter after school and bring her home. After all, she's only five minutes out of the way. Don't Do It! Not right now, anyway. Taking on too much is the first step towards loosing all sense of organization on the home front. Keep things simple. Now is also not the time to start remodeling the upstairs bathroom. I know, you want to have it looking grand for the fam' on New Year's Eve, but now's just not reasonable. Make sure projects are started between major holidays. These occasions carry with them enough responsibility and commitment. You don't need to add anything more.

2. Catch-alls are a great help at any time of year, but during the Holidays, catch-alls can be a life saver! A catch-all is a bin, basket, or any kind of decorative container that you can idly toss things into. Catch-alls are great for mail, receipts, clothes (in the bedroom), winter clothes (i.e. gloves, hats, mittens, scarfs, etc.). During the Holidays catch-alls can be used for Christmas cards, to-be-hung Holiday decor, Holiday receipts (in case of returns), and much more. Catch-alls can help keep things looking tidy and livable even with so much going on. Also, if time is running short, catch-alls keep things orderly in a pinch so that you won't be going mad trying to locate the receipt Auntie Joan needs because the gloves you gave her where exactly the same as the pair Uncle Ken got her last year... and you said you'd be at work fifteen minutes ago... it was right there...Ughh...

3. Set a tidy-up-time. I usually neaten up my apartment before going to bed. I like waking up to an orderly environment, it sets a positive tone for the day. You can choose any time that works for you. Just be sure to make it at a time when you're not in demand. Early mornings or evenings tend to be the easiest. Keeping up with organization will help minimize the task, instead of waiting for it to build up and then being faced with the overwhelming monster-of-a-mess after New Years. Also, this time is not meant for major cleaning, it's simply meant to maintain organization. Don't plan on mopping the floors or scouring the tub at nine o'clock at night. Tidy-up time is for filing away the bills you just paid, washing the dishes, putting away pens and scissors and whatever else is lying around, putting shoes in the closet, etc. Major cleaning can wait.

Aim for simplicity at this very complicated time of year. I know that it can get stressful, and home organization shouldn't add to your everything-I-need-to-do list. Instead, keeping it as part of a daily routine will minimize what needs to be done and even make it a normal part of everyday life, Holiday or not. Also, keeping your means of organization simple is key, hence, catch-alls. If organizing and tidying are difficult then, most likely, during stressful times of the year you simply won't follow through.

Make it mind-numbingly easy. That's what I do. And now it's become something that's just another part of my day... Holidays included.