Articles: Christmas Ideas

As a child I loved dolls. I had endless tea parties with them
sitting with me around the kitchen table. I dressed and
re-dressed them in the clothes my mother made for them. She was
an expert seamstress and I had wonderful outfits for each doll.
I never remember my mother staying up until 2:00 a.m. or later
on Christmas Eve finishing my doll clothes or baking and
whatever else people stay up to do on that magical night of the
year. Now I know it was because she had learned how to declutter
her schedule and take care of herself so she could take care of
us.

As busy women we need to take care of ourselves so we can have a
happy holiday season without added stress that can make us hate
this time of year.

Feel the energy as you use these 7 powerful, feel-good ways on
how to declutter for the holidays:

1. Take time now to look over your schedule for the upcoming
months. Are there things you can plan on not doing to declutter
your schedule and your life? Is everything you plan on doing
mandatory (events that involve your children or mandatory work
events)? Do you have items that can be done but changed to a
different time of the year? For instance if you get together
this time of the year with friends do it after the holidays but
before New Year's so it is still at the festive time of the year.

2. After you have your schedule planned if you have children
call and arrange for babysitting early. If you have a hard time
getting a sitter for whatever reason tell your potential sitter
that you will be giving Christmas bonuses this year. You know
their time is precious too and their schedule could be pretty
hectic.

3. Do you burn the candle at both ends? Do you tell yourself you
are a night owl so you stay up late and then still have to get
up early? Spread out your responsibilities over several days
rather than cramming tons of stuff into a few days. That is one
of the secrets to de-cluttering-do things a step at a time
without trying to run fast and furious all at once so you get
burnt out.

4. How many hours of sleep do you need? Your body will tell you.
It really gripes me that my body likes 6 hours a night because I
read and hear all these health experts saying we need 8 hours
and more. But my body thinks 6 are just right. Listen to your
body and get enough rest so you will have the energy and
enthusiasm to do what you need and want to do during the
holidays.

5. My son-in-law went to get gas for his lawn mower and the man
at the station told him it is not gas-it is fuel. Are we giving
our bodies the right fuel it needs? You know what that is;
enough water and nutritious foods every day. We don't have to
worry about getting enough treat foods, in fact that is a place
we could consider how to declutter by doing things like limiting
our intake of sweets, baking less and actually enjoying what we
eat more.

6. If you like to exercise don't give it up during the holidays.
Exercise can give your body energy. But if you're not used to
exercising, don't think that now is the time to start. You can
pick up the habit when you're not so busy.

7. Plan some time for yourself every day. If you have children a
great place to get away is the bathroom or your bedroom where
you can lock the door and turn up the music so you can't hear
them pounding on the door and saying, "Mommy I need you" every 5
seconds.

How to declutter your life at this busy time of the year
includes taking time for yourself, eating right, exercising and
being aware of your priorities.

Marilyn, a professional organizer and author is passionate about
organizing for women and seniors in clearing clutter from their
lives. Her new book "Go Organize!" will be in bookstores Dec
2009. Visit her website http://www.marilynbohn.com.

About the author:
Marilyn is a published author and professional organizer. She
invites you to visit her awesome website www. marilynbohn.com
for easy organizing. She is a sought after public speaker who is
passionate about teaching women and seniors how to organize
their life and reduce clutter in their homes and office. You can
buy her new book 'Go Organize! Conquer clutter in three simple
steps' in major bookstores, Amazon and her website December
2009.