Someone’s in the kitchen whipping up a delicious storm… and it isn’t me.
I want to introduce you to a fabulous service, launched by a clever and talented woman. Vivenda is the brainchild of Sarah Webb, and is the answer to many a prayer.
The hardest work you will do is select from an extensive menu and provide a kitchen for Sarah to work in. The rest is up to her.
So if meal planning and preparation is just too much, or you want to impress without the stress, this is something for you.
#5 in the list of 7 Common Mistakes of DIY Organising Projects
is so easy to rectify. But first the reasons why you should avoid this mistake at all costs.
You’ve done the hard work sorting your stuff and deciding to get rid of some of it. Some of those decisions may have been particularly hard. Your main aim was probably to make some more room at your place. If you let the unwanted stuff hang around, waiting for
you run the risk of
So, like I said, this mistake is rather easy to avoid. Just take action immediately.
And make a date – with yourself, someone close or a whole bunch of people – to enjoy the space you’ve created.
We’ve talked about how to avoid organising mistakes #1 and #2. Next on the list of 7 Common Mistakes of DIY Organising Projects is
What’s so wrong about having no goals? Can’t you just launch yourself into sorting and tossing and boxing up?
Well, no. It’s like heading off on a fabulous holiday without first checking the destination. Would you start packing without knowing the climate there? What if you packed all sundresses and sandals when in fact you were headed to the snow? Would you head off in the car without checking the map first? Without knowing the final destination, you could head off in the wrong direction and be lost for hours or even days.
When organising, it’s easy to start on the wrong foot, and end up spending hours on a task that could have been eliminated entirely. Or you could completely miss an important step all together.
Instead of wasting time and effort “getting lost”, take a short time up front to decide on your vision for the space or project. How will it look and feel? What will success look like?
Only a few more days. Forgotten anything? Are you sure?
That extra person who got invited to Christmas dinner at the last minute.
The sunscreen so you can take the feast outdoors.
The brandy for the pudding flambe.
The pudding!
It’s likely at some point between now and Christmas morning you will feel the urge to dash out for “one last thing”. Do yourself a favour, as Molly Meldrum would say (and get well Molly!), and leave the car at home. Do all you can to fulfill those last minute shopping trips without facing the dreaded carpark battle.
or not 😉
Do you struggle to find suitable places around the house to hide gifts until Christmas time? Here are some clues –
Have you ever been so organised you bought gifts nice and early and then hid them away, only to forget where they were hidden? Keep a master list, coded if necessary!
or not 😉
Are you hosting any meals or parties over the festive season? Ever heard the phrase, “How can I help?” And have you ever turned down the offer of help?
Are you crazy???
No seriously, I know it sometimes seems the polite option, or perhaps you’d rather have complete control.
Today I challenge you, when asked if you need help, to say “Yes please”.
And more than that, have a list of things you need doing or foods you’d like brought.
And if people don’t ask, go ahead and ask them!
or not 😉
If you’ve decided to send cards this year, at least you can rely on reduced rates if you keep your mail simple.
Did you know you can even buy postage stamps online? Click here to order stamps.
And if you need to calculate postage on something a little bulkier, you can do that online as well, instead of standing in the never-ending post office queue. Click here for a postage calculator.
or not 😉
Are you one of those people who uses Christmas as an opportunity to tell those you care about that they are thought of?
Or are you one of those people who feel obliged to exchange Christmas cards because that’s what you’ve always done and that’s just the way it is… and you secretly wish you didn’t have to, since there are so many things to do and you just don’t have time and besides it costs a heap of money on stamps and cards that get thrown out in January anyway? (phew!)
Or are you one of those people who has declared to friends that you don’t do cards and would much rather greet them in person or via phone?
No matter which person you are right now, which one would you like to be??? Whatever you decide to do about Christmas cards will be the right decision.
Make it easy on yourself by
or not 😉
When I was small my mother worked very hard at Christmas. She wanted to make it “perfect”. “Perfect” included homemade biscuits in many varieties.
Achieving that perfection nearly drove my mother mad every Christmas, and has left me with some unhappy memories. She would get so stressed about making biscuits, as well as doing the many other things that made Christmas “perfect” and of course her full time job, that she would often lose her temper and we’d all be miserable with perfect biscuits instead of happy with imperfect or non-existent biscuits.
Can you relate to the story? I certainly can. When I was a young mother, I also stressed and lost my cool over insignificant things like Christmas biscuits.
Ok, so here’s my advice based on past experience. I see a few options.
or not 😉
For various reasons, you may choose (or wish you could) not to give gifts this festive season. Or just reduce the number of gifts you’ll give.
Whether it’s to ease the budget, your stress, others’ expectations, landfill or any other reason, NOT gifting is an option. But how do you break the news?
Feel free to borrow this line from me –
or not. By the way, would love to hear how gifting (or not) it works for you.
Organised Thoughts 