Thanksgiving is just over a week away. Y’all, for real. I cannot figure out where 2017 has gone.

But here’s what I know, as quickly as the past ten months have flown by, the next two will go even faster. Which means, I need to have a plan in place if I want to be intentional and experience the wonder of the holidays.

Planning for the Holidays {3 questions you MUST answer}

One of my biggest goals is to be focused on the people and purpose of the holidays and not get distracted by the preparations and practices. But, can I be super honest? This doesn’t come naturally to me.

I’m a list girl and, as terrible as it is to admit, the list can be the boss of me. I get so caught up in making sure all the tasks are complete and the preparation is done, I forget about the people who matter most.

Maybe this happens to you too?

If so, please be sure I have no intention of shaming or guilting you. (Because I don’t want the shame or guilt either!) Rather, my hope is to help us both figure out how to avoid our natural tendencies in order to alleviate the guilt that inevitably follows.

3 Questions We Must Answer

When I look ahead to the next few weeks, what I see is a lot of ink on my calendar. And that can overwhelm me. But what if we look at all those invitations to events and see them as opportunities to encourage? Game changer, right?

With that in mind, here are 3 questions I think we all must answer as we head into the holidays. (At least, we must answer them if we want to have the holiday season we dream of experiencing.)

Who matters most?

This one is the hardest, if you ask me. As a person who loves people and loves to spend time with others, I can easily live as if everyone matters most. But here’s what I’ve learned, when I act like everyone matters most, the ones who actually matter most get the least.

Spend some time here, friends. This isn’t a simple answer, I promise. Yes, our family matters. But others matter too. Perhaps that single mom who lives down the street has wiggled into your heart. Or maybe there’s a sweet senior adult couple who sit behind you every week in church. Ask God to show you the answer to this question — and then trust what He’s revealed.

What matters least?

Think about being at the optometrist. You know how they flip the lenses and ask which is clearer, “one or two?” It’s vital that we exercise this sort of hard questioning when we look at our calendars. But I’ve learned it is easier to start with what matters least instead of what matters most sometimes. It’s that idea of an easy win. Looking at the schedule, if we can quickly eliminate a few things, it helps us feel more confident as we start evaluating the bigger decisions.

What’s your why?

Last year I wrote about how to discover your why. Essentially it boils down to 3 things—what is your priority, how do you need to edit or eliminate to achieve that priority, and what is your reasonable availability.

Spending time answering these 3 questions gives us confidence as we make the difficult decisions necessary in order to maintain some semblance of sanity during the holidays.

3 questions you MUST ask as you plan for the holidays. #lopsidedliving Click To Tweet

How does having a plan help you stay focused during the holidays?

xoxo,

Teri Lynne

P.S. One of the most important tools I use to help me stay on track is a good planner. My favorite is the agenda planner from Dayspring — and it’s BUY ONE, GET ONE today and tomorrow. Which means, you can get one for you and one for another friend as well!!