November is upon us, and for some, this is the month to put the Christmas tree up and start decorating the house with beautiful bright lights bouncing off the walls. The excitement in the air with jingles playing, drowning out reality and bringing us joyful memories.

For others, November reminds us of the hard work that lies ahead to prepare for the festive season - and the reality is that it will look very different this time around.

With roughly a month and a half still to go, now would be a great time to get your plan of action ready. Not only will this help set you up for success, but this will also make you feel more in control and score some brownie points with your partner or even yourself.

Let's look at things to consider when preparing for the festive season so that you have fewer things to worry about as the countdown to close of business approaches.

Three questions

We have prepared three questions that could help start your engine and write up that dreaded to-do list.

But first, explore the area. Stand in the space, take a good look around and take a moment and think about the below questions before writing them down:

How does the outdoor area look?
This could be the physical appearance of your house or your garden area. Anything to do with the exterior of your property.

When answering, consider:
- What could use some sprucing up?
- How would you improve it?
- What tools would you need?
- How long do you estimate it taking?
How does the indoor space look?

When answering, consider:
- Is it cluttered?
- Is there something preventing you from organising the space, what is it?
  - Has there been more stuff being added to the house, and space is becoming a problem?
- What is bothering you about your living space?
  - Is there a paint colour that doesn’t look right?
  - Is there a door that just creaks?
Is this a quick fix or do you need someone's help?

When answering, consider:
- Is this a project you could do with your family/friends over the festive season? (level restrictions pending)
- Will this be too difficult of a task and require a professional?

Once you have written down the areas of improvement and what you think you could do to improve this. Run it past a friend or whānau for their thoughts and feedback. It is always good to include someone else in the discussion to get a fresh perspective. They could potentially ask some questions or give suggestions you didn't consider beforehand.

If there is a moment where you think that this is a lot of work to do, you don't have the energy or time to do so. That might be the case - but already thinking of how big the task is, creates an expectation in your mind and sets you up for failure.

The simple answer is to make it fun and take it item by item. There is no golden rule stating all tasks need to be completed in one day.

Make it fun for yourself. Not only will you enjoy it and feel accomplished, but the person doing it with you will see how much you are enjoying it, and this will encourage them to enjoy it with you.

For example:

Instead of saying - painting the room, call it making art. Or set a challenge - let’s see who can cover the post space with paint in two. The winner can pick the movie, dinner or they get to open their present first on Christmas day.

There are only 7 weekends left, which means 14 (non-work) days to prepare for the festive season. To minimise your workload and maximise your relaxation time, plan ahead by taking the steps above and getting the hard work out of the way.

After the year we have all had, you deserve a break and spend time with yourself, family, and friends.

If you uncover that you need help with a project, we are here to help. Feel free to get in touch with us for more information by phoning us on 0275 571 171 or email hello@thelittlediggercompany.co.nz.