Don’t panic! It’s just the holidays.

I’m here to help you map out a season with less stress and more joy. And I’ve even got a handy worksheet to help.

One of my absolute favorite tools to teach is the 4Ds, and the holidays are the perfect time to teach it. The 4Ds were pioneered by legendary professional organizer Julie Morgenstern in her book Time Management from the Inside Out, and they are MAGIC.

We’re going to use the 4Ds to break down your holiday season so that you can amp up the joy and bring down the stress.

Here’s how!

Step One: Know the Ds

What are the 4Ds, you ask? They are Delete, Diminish, Defer and Delegate. 

1. Delete, aka Don’t Do It at All

When in doubt, Delete. Ask yourself “Do I even need to do this at all?”

Examples:

• Hate sending holiday cards? Don’t send them. That's all.

• Got an invitation to a party that you don’t want to attend? Send your regrets. That's all.

• Limit gifts. In our family, we don’t exchange gifts between adult family members this year, AND we're setting a $25 limit for each kid."

2. Diminish, aka Do It Smaller 

This one is my favorite! This challenges us to figure out how we can do something quicker, smarter, easier. It asks the question, “What is the minimum effective dose?” 

Examples:

• “We don’t need to decorate the entire house for the holidays. Let’s a wreath on the front door and a simple tree.”

• "I'm not going to cook for hours for the whole family. I'm going to have a good ol' fashioned pot luck and only cook one dish."

3. Defer, aka Do It Later

Ask yourself, “Can this wait?”

Examples:

• "I'm not going to stress about sending holiday cards in December. I'm going to do New Years cards, or better yet, Valentine's Day cards."

4. Delegate, aka Let Someone (or Something) Do It

Take a good list at your to-dos, and strategize where you can bring in some reinforcements. Are there other people, services or machines that can shoulder some of the work? 

 Examples:

• If you decided to Delete gifts between adults, take that money and invest it in a pre-holiday cleaning.

• Have groceries delivered.

• Order pre-baked pies or side dishes.

Step Two: List out all of your holiday to-dos and activities

Ok, now that you get the idea of the 4Ds, you’re going to jot down ALL of the things you’ve got on your list for the holidays. Write it all down, including things you need to do and things you like to do. 

If you want a head start, print out this worksheet I created to help! Pre-populated with lots of holiday activities, it lets you choose what sparks joy and then strategize who to 4D the rest. There's even room to add your own ideas.

Jot down things like:

• Shop for presents

• Wrap presents

• Pick out a tree

• Decorate the house

• Send holiday cards

Step Three: Add some joy. 

Make sure you write down things that you don’t necessarily already do, but that you would LIKE to do. Things like:

• Take the train into the city and see the lights

• Go caroling

• Try making mulled wine

• Do a holiday movie marathon

Step Four: Do the joy test. 

For each item on your list, decide if sparks joy. Are you super excited about it? Is it your favorite part of the season? Or do you dread it? Does it feel like a chore? 

If it sparks joy, awesome! Proceed full speed ahead!

If it DOESN’T spark joy, think about how you can apply the 4Ds. Can you Diminish, Defer, Delegate or Delete it? Make a note next to that item about how exactly you’ll apply one (or more!) of the 4Ds. 

Be creative and be willing to make a change. 

You’re ALMOST done! Now comment below and tell me what you are going to 4D. I love to hear what you’re up to!

Happy holidays, friend.