Holiday procrastinators – yes, I’m talking to those of you who still have items in your Amazon cart that you promised you would buy yesterday and those of you who have yet to figure out who you’re even buying for – I get it. I’m one of you. We always say we’ll get our stuff done tomorrow, but then tomorrow hits and we’re kind of like “Yeah, I’ll do it tomorrow.” Tomorrow never comes for us procrastinators, and around tough deadlines and holidays, our habit gets a little stressful. Well, I have some good news for you. I’m here to give you a few tips, from one procrastinator to another, to help you avoid some holiday stress this season.

Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today. If your parents are anything like mine, you probably hear that saying at least twelve times a month. But there is some merit to it. If you already have all your items ready on some online marketplace like Amazon and you know you have the money, buy your items. If you have some extra time and you want to shop in person, go shopping now while you still have the time. Plus, the sooner you shop, the more there is often available to you. Some of you may not even know who you’re shopping for, though, and that leads to my second piece of advice.

Make a list of the people you’re buying for and try to determine ahead of time how much you will be spending on each of them. It helps when you’re shopping to have a list of the people you know you need to buy something for, that way, you can stay focused on why you’re shopping in the first place and stay on track. Determining the amount you’ll spend on each person ahead of time helps you stay inside of a budget, which will reduce additional stress in this already stressful holiday season.

Remember to keep shipping time in mind when shopping online. If you’re shopping online, remember that around the holidays shipping times tend to extend and take longer than usual. If you plan for longer shipping times when you make your purchases, you can enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing your gifts will arrive on time. By the time you’re actually reading this article, it will most likely be too late to buy any gifts online, but hey, there’s always next year.

I hope my expert advice can save you some stress in this extremely stressful year. 2020 has done enough – cut some stress, and enjoy the holidays. 🙂