Eliminate Stress and Be Ready for Holiday Visitors With These 5 Simple Organization Tips
Stress can be caused by many things. Things we have no control over like illness, death of a loved one, the state of the world, politics, or the danger of losing a job. Stress over Holiday shopping and visitors is another that is prevalent during this time of year. But there are some things we can do to eliminate some of these stresses in our lives. The more stress we can eliminate from things we can control, the better able we are to handle the stress from those things we have no control over.
GET ORGANIZED. One of the most effective things you can do to eliminate daily stress at work and at home is to get organized. You may have noticed that getting organized is a popular topic for television shows and news items. There is a good reason. A cluttered life means a cluttered mind and if your mind is cluttered it is difficult to get a grip on stress. Just think about how it feels to be frantically looking for your keys or phone when you are running late for an important appointment or meeting. The holidays can be even more stressful when trying to entertain unexpected quests and hid gifts from prying eyes. Here are a few ideas to help.
Place a basket by the door you use most often to enter and leave. As soon as you come in drop your keys and the basket. I have a small table right next to the door that has a basket for keys, a small letter holder for new mail, and room for my purse. I also have a trash basket underneath to drop that junk mail into as soon as I walk in with it. Less to deal with.
Organize your closets. Take an afternoon and clean out the closets. I keep a few boxes handy for this and do it at the beginning of each new season, spring, summer, winter, and fall.
It is amazing how much junk accumulates in a closet and when seasons change but it is much easier to grab a coat and gloves on the way out if there is not a bunch of other junk in the way. I also do my clothes closet, rotating my clothes to match the season. This way I never grab a winter weight sweater instead of a sleeveless blouse when I am running late and in a hurry to get dressed. Better yet, I have gotten into the habit of selecting my clothes the night before. I have a small hook on the back of my closet door and I hang the out fit there, complete with accessories. Grab and go in the morning.
The added bonus is storage space. Clean out the junk and you will have room to hide those gifts. One thing I do is use baskets on the closet shelves for small items. I also keep seldom used items together in one closet, usually the guest room or you can designate another area. The back of a big walk-in closet also works. I have hidden things like baseball bats and golf clubs in my garment bags with formal dresses. I hide small gifts in the bottom of baskets used for hats and gloves. Easier than you may think if you have young children who cannot reach the shelves by themselves.
You can also have small baskets or one of those plastic drawer units at the bottom of the closet for smaller members of the family to place hats, gloves and scarves in. If it is a fairly shallow unit you can hid things behind it. Just hang the longer coats next to it and most family members will not venture a look behind.
TOSS IT OUT. I know, we all tend to hang on to certain things. Naturally, the minute we get rid of something we will need it. NOT! If you haven't used something in a year, toss it out or give it away. Clearing out the junk will allow you the luxury of time because you won't have to sort through junk all the time to get to what you really need.
You don't really re-use that gift wrap from last year, and the sticky stuff on the bows is worn off and the bows are crushed, unless you are a super neat-nick. Now is a good time to toss that stuff and get a wrap organizer system. No more hunting wrapping supplies. You have it when you need it. I like to use the rolls of gift wrap because I wrap a nd give a lot of gifts. I bought an average sized trash container with a lid for a few dollars at a discount store. it will hold about a dozen rolls of wrap, and a gallon zipper lock back with scissors, tape, a couple of rolls of ribbons, and tags. When I need to wrap something I pull it from the front hall closet and I am ready to wrap.
ORGANIZE your drawers and cabinets. I really hate to have to dig through the cabinet for some spice or ingredient when I am cooking, and I love to cook. For those who don't I can imaging that this could be a part of the problem. Having good cooking tools close at hand, including ingredients, can really aide in the enjoyment of preparing food.
I bake. I bake a lot during the holidays and I have learned a couple of shortcuts along the way. Because I give 'goodie baskets' to family members during the holidays, I usually end up baking many dozens of different kinds of cookies. I have a couple of multi-use recipes that I mix up weeks ahead of time and store in the freezer. On baking days, I take it out and slice and bake. while these batches are baking I can concentrate on the ones that don't freeze well or take a little extra time. You can also make cut-out cookies, bake them and freeze to decorate later. I invite grandkids and others over on a cool morning and we have a cookie decorating party. Just supply the frosting and decorations and in no time you will not only have a big batch of beautiful tasty treats, but some wonderful memories to go along with it and all with little or no stress required.
ROUTINES. I hate to clean but I love a clean house. My goal is to spend as little time cleaning as possible but to have a house that is fit for visitors at any time. I remember my mother-in-law arriving unexpectedly once when I was in the middle of spring cleaning. It didn't matter that I was cleaning, what mattered was that she saw my mess. And of course she was happy to offer advice on how not to be caught cleaning.
Her solution. Only clean after 9pm or before 6am. Well, that may work for her, or for you, but for me it wasn't an option. After 9 I was just too tired from chasing around all day, and before 6 I wasn't awake enough to do more than push the button on the coffee pot. But she had a good point. With a large family and friends nearby, it seems like my home has a revolving door during holiday time. There never seems to be any time left for cleaning either.
By creating routines I can keep my home clean enough for guests with minimal time spent. But you have to get started first. Once it is clean these simple routines will help keep it that way.
Rinse dishes and wipe down counters IMMEDIATELY. Run the dishwasher only once a day, unless after a gathering. I rinse and place dishes in the dishwasher throughout the day. I clean up as I go and buy the time a meal is served all I have to do is put the dishes from the meal in the dishwasher and turn it on. This is only a few extra minutes while preparing a meal and 2 or 3 minutes added to your day to finish up rather than up to an hour cleaning up a full day's worth of dishes, pots, and pans at the end of the day.
Wipe down the bathroom every day. Take 5 minutes to wipe down the bathroom fixtures daily and you can save hours of scrubbing each week. Keep cleaning supplies like bleach wiping cloths, window cleaner, and tub or shower scrub under the sink or in a covered basket. When I step out of the shower I take a minute or less to wipe down the walls, door, and fixtures. This reduces buildup that takes time and energy to scrub away. A quick wipe over the mirrors, counter and fixtures after applying makeup, brushing teeth and so on, and a bleach wipe across the toilet leaves the room sparkling for guests.
Take out trash daily. I know many people who only take out the trash a couple of days a week. Nobody wants to deal with smelly garbage, so get rid of it. I tie the bags nightly and we drop them in the cans outside on our way out for work in the morning. Nothing left inside to rot and cause odors.
One hour a week. I take about an hour a week to sweep, mop, and vacuum my house. This is usually early on Saturday mornings. Once a week works for us because we are empty nesting but if you have a family you may want to invest in one of those sweepers, you know, the kind with the sprayer and static cloths. I still keep one handy for spills. Two minutes to take care of a spill immediately can save time figuring out how to get it up later.
Keep up a party pantry. Well, this is what I call it. When I go shopping throughout the year I will add one or two things to my basket that I put away for emergency guests. For example, You can freeze angle food cake and when you have a visitor take it out, pour over a bag of frozen fruit, top with whipped topping. Instant, 2 minute desert and they will think you slaved away just for them. Canned meats and fish, nuts, soup mixes that can be added to sour cream for dips, cheeses which can also be frozen. These are just a few ideas.
I have been tracking the time spent on chores lately and I have discovered that if I spend a total of about 20 minutes a day and an hour once a week, I can stay on top of the housework and be always at the ready for unexpected guests. Compared to the many hours I used to spend each week and all the Saturdays or Sundays I gave up to clean, this is very doable for me. Now I spend that free time laughing with family and friends and doing the things I love to do, like decorating for the holiday season and baking goodies for my family and friends.
I have notices that since I started doing these things I don't feel stressed out during the holidays, I have more time to do those things that are important to me, like spending time with kids and grand kids, and while it seems I have more visitors than ever, I know they will find the house in good order and me ready to join in the fun.
Barbara Cagle is a teacher and internet guru who has been online since about 1989. A wealth of information and expertise is hers to share and she does so FREELY and without reservation.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Barbara_Cagle
GET ORGANIZED. One of the most effective things you can do to eliminate daily stress at work and at home is to get organized. You may have noticed that getting organized is a popular topic for television shows and news items. There is a good reason. A cluttered life means a cluttered mind and if your mind is cluttered it is difficult to get a grip on stress. Just think about how it feels to be frantically looking for your keys or phone when you are running late for an important appointment or meeting. The holidays can be even more stressful when trying to entertain unexpected quests and hid gifts from prying eyes. Here are a few ideas to help.
Place a basket by the door you use most often to enter and leave. As soon as you come in drop your keys and the basket. I have a small table right next to the door that has a basket for keys, a small letter holder for new mail, and room for my purse. I also have a trash basket underneath to drop that junk mail into as soon as I walk in with it. Less to deal with.
Organize your closets. Take an afternoon and clean out the closets. I keep a few boxes handy for this and do it at the beginning of each new season, spring, summer, winter, and fall.
It is amazing how much junk accumulates in a closet and when seasons change but it is much easier to grab a coat and gloves on the way out if there is not a bunch of other junk in the way. I also do my clothes closet, rotating my clothes to match the season. This way I never grab a winter weight sweater instead of a sleeveless blouse when I am running late and in a hurry to get dressed. Better yet, I have gotten into the habit of selecting my clothes the night before. I have a small hook on the back of my closet door and I hang the out fit there, complete with accessories. Grab and go in the morning.
The added bonus is storage space. Clean out the junk and you will have room to hide those gifts. One thing I do is use baskets on the closet shelves for small items. I also keep seldom used items together in one closet, usually the guest room or you can designate another area. The back of a big walk-in closet also works. I have hidden things like baseball bats and golf clubs in my garment bags with formal dresses. I hide small gifts in the bottom of baskets used for hats and gloves. Easier than you may think if you have young children who cannot reach the shelves by themselves.
You can also have small baskets or one of those plastic drawer units at the bottom of the closet for smaller members of the family to place hats, gloves and scarves in. If it is a fairly shallow unit you can hid things behind it. Just hang the longer coats next to it and most family members will not venture a look behind.
TOSS IT OUT. I know, we all tend to hang on to certain things. Naturally, the minute we get rid of something we will need it. NOT! If you haven't used something in a year, toss it out or give it away. Clearing out the junk will allow you the luxury of time because you won't have to sort through junk all the time to get to what you really need.
You don't really re-use that gift wrap from last year, and the sticky stuff on the bows is worn off and the bows are crushed, unless you are a super neat-nick. Now is a good time to toss that stuff and get a wrap organizer system. No more hunting wrapping supplies. You have it when you need it. I like to use the rolls of gift wrap because I wrap a nd give a lot of gifts. I bought an average sized trash container with a lid for a few dollars at a discount store. it will hold about a dozen rolls of wrap, and a gallon zipper lock back with scissors, tape, a couple of rolls of ribbons, and tags. When I need to wrap something I pull it from the front hall closet and I am ready to wrap.
ORGANIZE your drawers and cabinets. I really hate to have to dig through the cabinet for some spice or ingredient when I am cooking, and I love to cook. For those who don't I can imaging that this could be a part of the problem. Having good cooking tools close at hand, including ingredients, can really aide in the enjoyment of preparing food.
I bake. I bake a lot during the holidays and I have learned a couple of shortcuts along the way. Because I give 'goodie baskets' to family members during the holidays, I usually end up baking many dozens of different kinds of cookies. I have a couple of multi-use recipes that I mix up weeks ahead of time and store in the freezer. On baking days, I take it out and slice and bake. while these batches are baking I can concentrate on the ones that don't freeze well or take a little extra time. You can also make cut-out cookies, bake them and freeze to decorate later. I invite grandkids and others over on a cool morning and we have a cookie decorating party. Just supply the frosting and decorations and in no time you will not only have a big batch of beautiful tasty treats, but some wonderful memories to go along with it and all with little or no stress required.
ROUTINES. I hate to clean but I love a clean house. My goal is to spend as little time cleaning as possible but to have a house that is fit for visitors at any time. I remember my mother-in-law arriving unexpectedly once when I was in the middle of spring cleaning. It didn't matter that I was cleaning, what mattered was that she saw my mess. And of course she was happy to offer advice on how not to be caught cleaning.
Her solution. Only clean after 9pm or before 6am. Well, that may work for her, or for you, but for me it wasn't an option. After 9 I was just too tired from chasing around all day, and before 6 I wasn't awake enough to do more than push the button on the coffee pot. But she had a good point. With a large family and friends nearby, it seems like my home has a revolving door during holiday time. There never seems to be any time left for cleaning either.
By creating routines I can keep my home clean enough for guests with minimal time spent. But you have to get started first. Once it is clean these simple routines will help keep it that way.
Rinse dishes and wipe down counters IMMEDIATELY. Run the dishwasher only once a day, unless after a gathering. I rinse and place dishes in the dishwasher throughout the day. I clean up as I go and buy the time a meal is served all I have to do is put the dishes from the meal in the dishwasher and turn it on. This is only a few extra minutes while preparing a meal and 2 or 3 minutes added to your day to finish up rather than up to an hour cleaning up a full day's worth of dishes, pots, and pans at the end of the day.
Wipe down the bathroom every day. Take 5 minutes to wipe down the bathroom fixtures daily and you can save hours of scrubbing each week. Keep cleaning supplies like bleach wiping cloths, window cleaner, and tub or shower scrub under the sink or in a covered basket. When I step out of the shower I take a minute or less to wipe down the walls, door, and fixtures. This reduces buildup that takes time and energy to scrub away. A quick wipe over the mirrors, counter and fixtures after applying makeup, brushing teeth and so on, and a bleach wipe across the toilet leaves the room sparkling for guests.
Take out trash daily. I know many people who only take out the trash a couple of days a week. Nobody wants to deal with smelly garbage, so get rid of it. I tie the bags nightly and we drop them in the cans outside on our way out for work in the morning. Nothing left inside to rot and cause odors.
One hour a week. I take about an hour a week to sweep, mop, and vacuum my house. This is usually early on Saturday mornings. Once a week works for us because we are empty nesting but if you have a family you may want to invest in one of those sweepers, you know, the kind with the sprayer and static cloths. I still keep one handy for spills. Two minutes to take care of a spill immediately can save time figuring out how to get it up later.
Keep up a party pantry. Well, this is what I call it. When I go shopping throughout the year I will add one or two things to my basket that I put away for emergency guests. For example, You can freeze angle food cake and when you have a visitor take it out, pour over a bag of frozen fruit, top with whipped topping. Instant, 2 minute desert and they will think you slaved away just for them. Canned meats and fish, nuts, soup mixes that can be added to sour cream for dips, cheeses which can also be frozen. These are just a few ideas.
I have been tracking the time spent on chores lately and I have discovered that if I spend a total of about 20 minutes a day and an hour once a week, I can stay on top of the housework and be always at the ready for unexpected guests. Compared to the many hours I used to spend each week and all the Saturdays or Sundays I gave up to clean, this is very doable for me. Now I spend that free time laughing with family and friends and doing the things I love to do, like decorating for the holiday season and baking goodies for my family and friends.
I have notices that since I started doing these things I don't feel stressed out during the holidays, I have more time to do those things that are important to me, like spending time with kids and grand kids, and while it seems I have more visitors than ever, I know they will find the house in good order and me ready to join in the fun.
Barbara Cagle is a teacher and internet guru who has been online since about 1989. A wealth of information and expertise is hers to share and she does so FREELY and without reservation.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Barbara_Cagle
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