Organize 365 Podcast

The Holiday Blitz® is designed to help you, the Magic Maker, to enjoy the season and activities too. How? Why the family survey? I'm here to explain it all in this episode.
Delegate
Why is delegation a common theme with me and my systems? Delegation takes things off your plate. If it's something you want to do, keep doing it. But the things you don't enjoy or sincerely need help with, delegate. Think of your family member's strengths and ask them to help in those areas. If someone is a great cook, ask them to start helping with the cooking of the holiday meals.  If you are having a lot of company, there's no reason they can't bring their own beverages. I know at my house I try to buy all the things to accommodate everyone's drink preference and when they all go home I have half of the beverage aisle from the grocery store. 
I say, "Just have the awkward conversations." It's not comfortable to ask guests to bring something when they haven't years past but this year is a new year and there's no reason they can't lighten your financial and preparation burden. They are there to enjoy it too. And of course, you could order out the whole meal. Caveat; everyone attending can split the price of that meal too.  People know it's expensive to host and you might be surprised how willing everyone is to pitch in for a great get together.
Just Data
Keep in mind that the Holiday Blitz® survey is just data. It is not you new to do list every season. Find out what everyone remembers. And keep it mind if you do it every three to five years, you will get new responses.  Kids grow up and other family members may change what they like. You certainly aren't expected to do all of it so don't put that pressure on yourself.
Good Better Best
One way I think about my holiday expectations is in three levels. No one sees these lists. No one knows what you have planned. And no one knows if you bail on everything. What can you do with your time, talent, and treasures to put on the best holiday experience you can that leaves you as a human available energy to the experience you are creating?
My good list is the essentials that must get done. People need to eat and maybe gifts are being exchanged. Especially consider this level if it's just a low energy season for you.  Now my better list may include activities leading up to and the big day. When my kids were little I planned all their days that they had off of school. Now that I am working full time, not so much. And Best. This is a fun dreamy list.  This list for me includes one grand outing for our family. Remember you can graduate to the better list or you can simply do the good list and enjoy yourself. And before you set your sights on the Best level, evaluate, do you have enough time, capacity,and money to go to that best level. 
No
And for the love, people, just say no! If it's not on the list after Planning Day, say no.  It's worth the relief you will feel.  Once you are in the holidays is not the time to add things to your expectations.  You'll see a great idea on social media and think "Should I?" No, no you shouldn't! Just say No! Just like I started to say no to holiday cards, there may be a whole category of work you are ready to just start saying no to.  Or that traditional family chili day, yeah, simplify it or just say no.  If you find something to be more stressful than joyful find a way to make it less stressful by delegating part or just say not this year. Who knows, someone else may want the opportunity to host it this year. Stay tuned to the end to hear what I am saying no to these days.
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Holiday Blitz™ 

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When one starts to plan for the holidays, why doesn't one check in with themself first and plan for the outcome in mind? I'm looking at the holidays through many lenses in this episode.  In January, I don't want you exhausted and dreading next year. This year I want you to look back over the merry holiday magic that you made happen and feel excited to do it again next year.
Energy
The first thing you need to think about is your current overall energy. Has 2026 been a rough year so far or are you running on all cylinders?  When I held the self care retreat that was a result of my book last year, Escaping Quicksand, I really needed it. As the PhD came to an end, I was really exhausted.  How is your energy going into the holidays? Permission to plan accordingly.  You are where the holiday comes from and you are in control of what you plan.
Also, check in with yourself and identify when your energy is the highest throughout the day and week. I know that I am a morning afternoon person. I may tell others that we need to celebrate early because of kids' bedtimes, but really? It's me! I am done when the sun goes down. I'm ready for my hot bath and some down time.  Then there's my husband who works hard all week and does not wanna go out on a Friday night but Saturdays are great.  When you know this about yourself you can enjoy celebrations much more!
Sleep can definitely affect your energy levels too. Not sure I have much advice on sleep - just get as much as you can. Because no one is really getting a lot of sleep in our house we have mandatory rest time after presents. Does your family need a mandatory rest time to recharge and reset? Think about your rest for the entire break. There is a lot of time after the holidays have been celebrated. What does that home time look like? Will you be entertaining? Traveling? Are there projects you want to plan for? 
And what you eat to fuel your body matters. Carol who used to organize with me could tackle a garage or basement everyday of the week, she worked out. But me with my fast food and coke diet didn't have the physical or mental stamina to. I have really worked hard on my nutrition and now have added exercise. How else am I gonna keep you with my giant little grandkids? 
Family/Celebration Time
Another important thing to know about yourself is how long can you "family?"  I love being with my family, it energizes me. But not everyone feels this way. And some family or traditional gatherings  are easier to get along with the people there than others. If you need to create space or deflect attention I would recommend bringing a game to switch up the conversations or a handheld activity like cross stitch or crochet or maybe even a puzzle. If people choose to join you great and if not maybe even better? I know, I said it LOL
I had a spur of the moment idea in the middle of recording this episode but you could consider hard day task stacking sandwiched with positivity. Treat yourself with a coffee, commit to short visits to the hard stuff, and finish the day with a beautiful meal or something else you enjoy. 
Questions to Ask Yourself
In anticipation of those hard events there are some questions I encourage you to ask yourself.
Can you change it? 

Do you want to do it?

Can you avoid it, limit it or stack it?

EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday Basket®

Holiday Blitz™ 

Holiday Shop 

Organize 365 App 

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This is the state of the American Home. I've been thinking "Where have all the leaders in the workforce gone?" Then I was like "Wait, where have all the Gen Xer's gone?" They haven't gone anywhere! There are just fewer of us than the previous generation.  Now the question is, what changes will Gen X create to accommodate the increasing cognitive load? 
Generational Patterns
So where the Gen Xer's are now, is in overload. I feel like I'm planning everything and there is more to focus on and I feel overwhelmed. I don't remember my mom having these struggles.  Why do I feel overwhelmed? I found out it's because there are fewer people carrying the same load. Gen Xer's are caregiving for their children, maybe a parent, and possibly a grandparent.  What I have learned about Gen X is there are considerably less of us than there are Baby Boomers and about the same amount as the Millenials. Other countries have been reporting a decrease in newer generations populations too. We are living longer which is resulting in stacking of generations. And the birth rate is lower due to an increase in infertility, people waiting longer to get married, and high divorce rate.  So we are not "replenishing" ourselves in abundance. 
Each generation has their own patterns that impact the economy. And this change in reproduction is having an impact on the main care giver. During COVID we saw many women take a step back from work to take care of their families and that is often the case. This too affects where all the Gen Xer's are…taking care of their families. And due to the state of the population we are at a 1:1 rate of caretaking. There aren't extra people/relatives to help.  There are fewer people carrying the same load. 
Systems Are Essential
All that to put a spotlight on the fact that it used to be a luxury to automate, delegate, and delete. But, now, it's becoming essential. We need these systems in place. Because when an unexpected event comes up and you are in a caregiving role, you are only as stable as the systems you have in place and there isn't time to improve those systems in that time period.
The change we can make in our generation is to embrace AI and figure out how to automate some tasks. Appreciate your home as your refuge. I know during COVID we upgraded a few things in the house and I really love just being in my house.  I also have really been wanting a home office. It dawned on me that we have had the perfect space for this all long. I will finally have the storage space and command central space I have wanted to run our home. Make your house support you so you have more capacity to support others. When you are in a caregiver role, come up with ways to still care for yourself. Don't worry about what your house was designed for, make it functional for you. And planning. I have planned more in my 50's to make sure I get time with my friends, family, work, and self care than I ever have. Value self care. The healthier that you are in every way, the more you are able to support those that are in need around you. 
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday Basket®

The Productive Home Solution

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I normally gloss over level one because there are so many resources for laundry, housework, and food preparation. I thought it would be helpful to offer how I deal with the work I love, feel "meh" about, and that work which I loathe.  I know we all understand the concept of outsourcing but how do you power through when you are the laborer that needs to complete the tasks of level one of the Productive Home CEO Theoretical Framework Pyramid. You have options!
Love
Let me start with my love of laundry.  I love at the end you have a visible representation of what you have worked at all day. After documenting how much time it took me one day to do 8 loads of laundry, I had documented only 90 minutes of actual work.  You may not like remembering to switch the laundry or putting it away. So here are a few ideas to maybe enjoy it more. One idea I saw was all the family's laundry was hung in the laundry room because their house had space for that. I'm a fan of helping your kids to help you.  I knew looking at that beautiful stack of freshly laundered clothes in one pile was like over load for my kids' brains. So I would put individual stacks in a laundry basket with clothes that need hung laid across the top. Then they would take them to their room and put them away.  Figure out what will make it easier and cause less resistance in them helping you. 
Meh
I fell "meh" about cleaning. I've done it for others. I can do it for myself. I'm indifferent. But you may loathe it.  If that's the case, decide if you would rather do it all in one day (that's what I like) or a little bit each day and then plan for that. Honestly, when I get to the end of my cleaning, which is my toilets, I start to bribe myself. I think once I'm done, I can have a bagel, work on a puzzle, or whatever I've been wanting to do. The other thing that I found to be helpful is to do something while you clean. You can listen to a podcast, music, or call someone and just start cleaning. 
Loathe
I loathe all things food related. I mean think about it, conservatively speaking, you spend 3 hours a week planning the meals, getting the food, putting it away. And about an hour a day prepping, cooking, and cleaning up.  I do not do anything food related in my house. When my kids were younger I traded with another mom. She made two meals for my family and I did her laundry.  Now that my family is in a different phase of life I prep everything on Sunday. Then I grab, go, eat, rinse the container, and go on my merry way.  After talking to my friend who is making a hot breakfast every morning, EVERY MORNING, I had a suggestion. I said why don't you make all the breakfast meat on Sundays and then you don't have that clean up everyday before work.  She noticed the kids ate it faster. So then I said make enough on Sunday to get you to Wednesday. Then on Wednesday make enough to get you to Saturday. Then you can have a lazy morning. Or if you are a married person they could cook on that day. 
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday Basket®

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It is so important to know the kind of tasks you have, how much time they take you, and where you need to be to complete them! Then when you look at your calendar you know where you can plug them in. After a couple weeks of this repeated activity, your brain will start to anticipate these activities and you'll be in your Pro Era.
Blue Orange Purple
If you are anything like I was, you have very long lists with not enough time or money to complete them all.  I started with the Sunday Basket®, identifying and categorizing with the slash pockets. Then I had to figure out where and when I could get them done.  I have my blue work which is all my weekly invisible work like calendaring, budgeting, getting ready for the next week of school (when my kids were younger), mail, you get the idea.  Then I have Orange work which is my house work like food, laundry, and cleaning.  And then I have my purple work which is a larger project, in this case errands. In order to time block your tasks, start by identifying which tasks fit into those three categories; invisible work, housework, and errands.
How Much Time Do They Take & Where Do You Need To Be
As I budgeted my time, I got really good at knowing how long each task would take. This made it easier for me to know how many tasks I could fit into any open block of time. I was always in the car, at a doctor's appointment, or working so I had to make the most of any "free time," once I discovered blocks of time I would write in the tasks I would do. Keep in mind that not all tasks are created equally; they require different amounts of time and different kinds of energy from you. Calendaring these blocks of time became a visual representation of the invisible work I was doing and it gave boundaries for these tasks to get completed. Once you have claimed these time blocks, protect them so you can actually get your tasks done.
Obviously my orange work had to be done at my house. Pretty hard to vacuum from the soccer field.  And there is a reason that there is a portable Sunday Basket® because then you can bring your blue work with you. You can go through slash pockets in your car, at the pool, or at a doctor's office. I know, because I did! And when it came to errand day (purple work) I knew where the farthest away stops were and I started there. That way, if my kids needed to go home the remaining stops were closer to my home when I did them later. Some of you really have no free time like me when my kids were younger. I found a way to make it work and I want to encourage you that you can too.
Going Pro
You need to be aware of your highest productivity energy during the day.  I realized my energy is highest for physical tasks in the morning.  My body knows on Saturday morning I'm going to get a cup of coffee and soon after I almost look forward to getting all of my machines going.  Your body starts to expect these "work times." It's a cadence you have gotten your body used to, almost like muscle memory. And I know I have more cognitive energy later in the day so I used to do my Sunday Basket® in the afternoon but I have changed that to late morning now.  You have to adjust your tasks and time blocking to your phase of life. And this task stacking acts as scaffolding to our brains. Our brains love structure. The Sunday Basket® creates a weekly cycle that can evolve into a yearly cycle when you add in Planning Day and the Productive Home CEO Sessions.
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday Basket®

The Paper Solution®

The Productive Home Solution

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Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media.