Don't let Christmas get on top of you <<First Name>>!

Just in case you hadn't noticed, Christmas is approaching! It is easy to get overwhelmed by the paraphernalia and feel exhausted just thinking about it. I have put together a few tips which you may not already do, to help smooth the path. And don't forget, now is about the right time to be making your Christmas cake if you plan to make your own!

Quick Quote
“Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.” ~ Oren Arnold

The Twelve Tips of Christmas

Traditions

Create memorable family traditions - be creative. It is often these which make Christmas special. Ideas: Beforehand do something for charity with the kids, bake gifts for friends/neighbours or do some Christmassy art and crafts. Make Christmas eve special by reading books by candlelight or going to the cinema and on Christmas day have a hike after lunch or a Christmas family football or rounders match.

Food

Freeze warming meals ahead of guests arriving
Book a grocery delivery slot well in advance for pre-Christmas delivery
Give everyone responsibility for one aspect of Christmas dinner

Presents/cards

Write an electronic card list as printable address labels to re-use every year
If cash conscious, offer services e.g. baby-sitting or being their personal shopper
For people with too much “stuff” ask for/buy experiences, memberships or days out (for kids too)
Buy presents for kids online and get them sent straight to their parents to wrap (do the same for them) if they are not local. Otherwise order online and pick up in store
Buy spare chocolates in case you forget anyone!
Wrap presents as you buy them

On the day

Have pen/paper to record who presents are from
Enjoy...it’s about fun time together... and don’t seek perfection

If you have any tips you would like to share, please go onto my blog and let everyone know so that they can benefit too: http://balancedmum.blogspot.com/

Current coaching

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to speak to a group of 40 ladies at IBM in Greenock. I chose to talk about "Time to Achieve" and got excellent feedback including "I left feeling motivated and enthusiastic" and "Anna was very thought provoking". I am going to do a breakout session for Lloyds TSB away day in December with some interactive exercises designed to make them think! Do you work for a company which would like its' staff to use their time more effectively and with more life/work balance? I am offering a FREE 30 minute interactive talk which will guide participants to assess their priorities, set some goals and take responsibility for how they are utilising their time. Please call me on 07764 235394, or email me on anna@balancedmum.com if you think this may be of interest to your company.

Terrific Testimonial

"I signed up for the Time to Achieve course because I felt I was wasting time because I wasn't as organised as I would like to be. I actually found out I was more organised than I thought I was but discovered a few simple tweaks I could make to my own “system” to make it a lot more efficient. My favourite parts of the course were discovering my main “time wasters” and the part on procrastination. Procrastination was an eye opener. Anna posed a few simple questions that helped me understand why I put things off and that has made a huge difference both at home and at work. Doing the course with other people was very enjoyable as you can share and learn from other people’s experiences.",
Susan from my Time to Achieve Group course.

And finally

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Big smiles, from