5 Holiday Tips Plus 31 Days of Giveaways – Day 1
Today is Day 1 of Magic of Miles 31 Days of Giveaways!
The month of December often goes by way too fast for me. Visions of spending quality time with family & friends, baking, relaxing by the fire and gazing out over the stillness of a lake or walking in the snow compete for space with work deadlines, traffic, lines and stress. Travel seems to ratchet up the stress level too.
I try to get as much as I can done ahead of time so that once the end of November rolls around I’m able to enjoy more and do less, but I also use the following 5 tricks to stay organized. This helps me s-l-o-w d-o-w-n and appreciate the season as much as possible.
Tripit.com is what I use to keep track of all my flights and hotel reservations. The free version allows me to simply forward all my email confirmations (as well as those for family & friends) and then I have all the confirmation numbers, flight numbers and details easily accessible on my phone. There’s a paid ad-free version too ($50 a year) with flight alerts among other things, but the free one works just great for my needs.
Christmas.organizedhome.com is the tool I use to kick myself in gear for the holidays. It starts with a six-week bootcamp calendar in October, and there are printable checklists, helpful decorating hints and organizing tips. Having a busy travel schedule, I can zero in on the days that I’m home to get things in order.
Buzzfeed.com has videos of snacks and easy-to-make meals sped up that inspire me to try new recipes that might otherwise come across as being time-consuming.
Easy cheesy eggs & toast? They’ve got it covered in less than a minute.
https://youtu.be/oyqqYi8RGl0
The Texture App allows me to get my fill of magazines from Time to Rolling Stone at any time on my iPad. For $10 a month here’s no need to shuffle around magazines anymore and I can read on a plane or train easily. New issues download automatically so I can stay up to date from anywhere in the world.
Shutterfly.com is an easy way to send heartfelt greeting cards without having to go into a store to pick one out or stand in line at the post office to get a stamp and mail. You can do the whole thing electronically during a 15 minute break between meetings, and Shutterfly even mails the cards for you. Christmas cards, birthday cards, and so on. It isn’t as quick as their now-defunct sister company Treat, but I still find Shutterfly especially helpful when I’m out of the country and want to send someone a card.
To enter today’s contest for a box full of goodies, leave a comment on this post with one of your favorite ways to stay organized or efficient during the holidays. I’d love to hear how readers keep organized during the holidays. A winner will be randomly drawn via random.org and the prize pack will be sent out via USPS.
Remember, there is a contest each day this December on Magic of Miles, and you can enter once per day. There is no one-per-household limit so be sure to share with friends & family too. Each daily contest ends at 9pm PST, and you can find more contest details here.
Good luck to all readers!
Many to do list ‘s
Most of which Don’t get done !!
I use my phone calendar to keep track of all important dates, flights and reservations. I make lists, lists, lists for Xmas gifts and meals.
I have started doing something I swore I would never do……I use my iPhone for tracking just about everything. Alarms, lists, notes, you name it and my phone reminds me:)
Spreadsheets.
OneNote is on all devices and work computer so I can capture ideas, keep lists or delete completed items in real time. Life saver!
This might sound weird–I take notes in outlook email and save as drafts. 😛
Lists in a christmas notebook
Really need to try TripIt though….
I use a Levanger, it’s the best notebook EVER
I use post-it notes and iPhone calendar.
I forget everything, so outlook calender keeps me sorta together . I forget to use trip it etc and all the other great apps.
I phone reminders
Post it notes
I use Evernote to create to-do lists and set reminders!
I use WorldMate Gold for my flights! 🙂
Sticky notes! all sizes and colors.
I shop year round while I travel and start wrapping in October!
I use google sheets to keep organized so everything is on the cloud and I can access it from any device and from anywhere with internet.
Google calendar for everything.
I use an old school paper list. Separated between work to-dos and personal to-dos. I use a thicker grade paper stock. Scratching out something on my list makes me feel like I’m getting something done, even if I’m falling behind.
Evernote and tripit
iPhone Calendar + Alerts
Evernote is my go-to tool!
Brainpower alone. I know, I’m weird.
I use Google calendar for everything. I pend items and make a calendar note a week ahead that it’s coming due.
An old fashioned notebook….backed up with google calendars and an extensive email travel folder by year – with sub-folders for each destination, containing reservations, tickets for events, things to do.
I’m a post it note person. Bad things happen if one of those gets lost though.
Trapper Keeper
I use a different wrapping paper for gifts that are staying in the house and gifts that need be delivered.
I use my MacBookPro computer calendar to see what I have planned and have to do. The calendar also helps me with trips abroad since I book award tickets almost a year out. The calendar is simple to use but so helpful.
A big to do list on an excel spreadsheet.
I stay organized with a big family calendar and hiring extra help including a sitter even for time when I’m at home.
I use Tripit and I do 90% of my shopping through Amazon. Using their wish lists keeps me sane.
Evernote is a great way!
I use Google Calendar to keep all of my comings and goings straight.
I put everything on the calendar. Not the one on my phone, but the old fashioned one hanging in my kitchen. That way, everyone in the family can see what’s on the schedule and mark their calendars accordingly (electronic or not). I also make lots of lists in the spiral notebook that is my “memory.” I’m not comfortable having everything on the phone or the computer. I like having it on paper!
I make a list of everything I need to do and cross it out once it’s completed.
Post it notes
I’m just now diving pretty hard into all the credit cards, and linking up all my travel. One of my favorite tools is the ability to keep notes on a bookmark in Firefox. On the bookmark for AAdvantage, for example, I have my AA number, as well as my wife and my daughter’s. I make a note on each loyalty program bookmark with the account number for easy reference. I wish Chrome could do this.
iPhone notes app.
My iPhone is the best organizer I can find, especially with siri, I tell him what he needs to remind me of and he does it…
I use my cell phone to set reminders. Take off few days after holidays to shop, decorate the house and get other holiday related items done.
For travel, I always use TripIt & Yelp. For my own organization, I like to use my NOTES app on my iPhone & cross things off as I go.
I make a list for everything!
Tripit and setting double alerts to remind me of appointments in my calendar
I put a number on the label of each present and write the number in a notebook with what item it is. This way it is easy for me to keep track of which wrapped present is what.
I use Excel spreadsheets for staying organized.
Spreadsheets and lists all the way.
I keep a detailed spreadsheet.
I make lists for everything. If it’s not on my list it doesn’t get done as I invariably forget it.
Combination of smartphone calendar and old-school written lists. Caught between two worlds.
For holiday travel I spreadsheet it. No way I can keep hotels and flights straight so I am a huge user of excel this time of year. Same plan for gift tracking so I do not over-buy or miss anyone when buying.
I too am a user of Tripit to keep travel organized.
iPhone Reminders
I don’t. 🙁 Too much to do.