How to Use Trello As A Holiday Organization Planner

Inside: I love to use Trello as my digital holiday organization planner. This digital planner keeps everything together in one place and reduces the stress of the holidays. Keep reading to learn how to use this Simplify the Holidays Trello Board to simplify your holidays this year as well!

This holiday organization planner in Trello is perfect for keeping track of everything for the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. There is a place to keep track of holiday gift-giving, holiday budgets, holiday menu planning, and so much more! Click over to read about all this Trello board template has to offer and don't forget to download your FREE holiday planner while you're there!

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Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year!

Or it’s supposed to be anyways.

I don’t know about you, but, the holidays can provoke a feeling of overwhelm and dread. Instead of the holiday cheer that is supposed to happen, I have been known to be scrambling around at the last minute trying to find one more gift or bake one more batch of cookies.

I knew there had to be another way.

So last year I decided to get myself organized and not spend Christmas Eve shopping for last-minute gifts that I really didn’t need to be giving in the first place.

So, what was the first thing I did?

I created a Trello board of course! This digital holiday organization planner really helped me get myself together so that I could actually slow down and enjoy the holidays with my family. I have found Trello to be the best Christmas organization app, hands down. Instead of a bunch of post-it notes or notebooks all around, I use Trello as my digital holiday organization planner.

Today, I’ll show you how you can use Trello to simplify and organize your holidays as well!

I will walk you through how I use my Simplify The Holidays Trello board and at the same time share a few tips on how I simplify our holidays.

But first, make sure to download your free Simplify the Holidays Trello board here! Plus, you’ll receive two bonus boards as well!

Free Trello Boards to simplify the holidays

How to sign up for Trello

If you are brand new to Trello, check out this post first, where I walk you through how to sign up for Trello and create your first board. In this post, I’ll show you how to use the holiday template in particular.

Once you’ve downloaded your Free template, the first thing you need to do is make the board your own. In the upper right corner click “Show Menu”, then “More” then “Copy Board.” It will prompt you to create a name for your board and then click “Create.”

Now let’s walk through each of the Lists on the holiday organization planner in Trello and start to simplify your holidays!

List 1: Do a Brain Dump And Set Holiday Goals

The first thing I recommend doing when trying to simplify your holidays is to set a timer for 10-15 minutes and create a card for everything you think you need or want to do this holiday season. This is your holiday brain dump. It may be tempting to skip this step, but PLEASE DON’T!!

After you have a huge list of tasks on your list, it’s time to narrow down and determine the essential tasks and activities you really want to do this year. At this point, I’d recommend getting your family involved and ask what they have their hearts set on this year as well.

Here are a few questions to think about as you narrow down your list:

What are your/your family’s favorite holiday memories?
What are 2-3 things we can do to help OTHERS this season?
What are 3-5 things we can do as a FAMILY this year?
What is 1 thing you do NOT want to do this year?
What is MOST important for you and your family this year? What is the LEAST important?

Just because you have always done something doesn’t mean you HAVE to do it again this year if it doesn’t feel right. Things change, people change, and that is totally ok! If you don’t want to do something, just delete the card! You can always address the activity or event again next year.

If you need help setting SMART Goals, download my free guide here.

Once you have a good idea of what you want to do this season, it’s time to move those cards to the respective Lists on this board.

First, let’s talk about the Master Task List!

List 2: The Master Task List

Use this list to keep all your tasks in one place. You could use a card for each task, or group tasks together and use a checklist (like the Halloween Checklist Card in the above image), whichever works better for you!

To prevent feeling overwhelmed by the number of items on your to-do list, here are some tips that may help:

Start early! I know some people that use the whole month of November to get ready for the holidays so that when December comes around they can actually be present and enjoy the season instead of run around buying presents and wrapping and cooking. If you’re reading this in December, that’s totally ok too! Just start wherever you are.
Use a timer! The Pomodoro technique is very effective in helping us get our work done. If you’re not familiar, you set a timer for 25 minutes and work until the timer goes off, then take a 5-minute break.
Involve your family! Let your spouse do some of the shopping. Ask your kids to help you wrap gifts for neighbors and relatives. Kids can also put stamps on cards and would love to help you!

List 3: Set a holiday budget

Budgets don’t have to be scary! They are nothing more than guidelines for our values. In the words of Dave Ramsey, “a budget is telling our money where to go instead of wondering where it went.”

While we want to make the holidays special for our kids, we don’t want to do so at the expense of our financial stability. Sure, your kids will be super excited to open up all the presents they asked for, but how will it feel come January when all those bills come due?

This year, I encourage you to sit down with your spouse or yourself and think about the total amount of money you want to spend on the holidays this year. This is the total for everything including gifts, special outfits, dinners, parties, everything. Add this number to the Card title.

Then think about all the categories you’ll have and add them to the card notes section. I have started the card with some categories to get you thinking, but feel free to add any others that would apply to you. Next to each category add the budget you will set for each and make sure the total does not exceed the total budget you set for yourself.

The final key with budgeting is to keep track of your spending! You can add any spending directly to the card to keep track. In the example above, I have added the Food details to the Comments section of the card.

Finally, review this card often to ensure you are staying on track with your budget goals. You can modify this budget and the categories as the season goes on, but the point is to be aware of where your money is going.

List 4: Holiday gift-giving

In this list make a card for each person or group of people you want to buy gifts for. Add a budget for each person or group. You can also add gift ideas, links to purchase online and keep track of whether or not you’ve wrapped the item.

This year, our family is planning to use the four gift rule: something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read. I love this idea because four gifts are not overwhelming and are just enough for my kids to be excited about. It also simplifies gifts and sets the expectation that gifts are not the most important part of the holidays.

Another tip to simplify holiday gift-giving is to use the one gift rule: give the same gift to people like teachers, neighbors, and family friends. The chances that they compare notes are extremely low and this will save you so much time trying to find something different for everyone. Simplify gift wrapping by using reusable gift bags, setting up a wrapping station, and wrapping as you buy the gifts.

I think the important thing to remember is to focus on memory-making rather than tons of gifts.

List 5: Holiday Traditions

Use this list to keep track of the activities you would like to do this holiday season. You can drag the cards from your brain dump to this list or create new cards if they come up. If you need help coming up with holiday traditions, this post is a great place to start.

Keep in mind, this is more of a bucket list rather than a must-do list. The last thing I want to do is cause more stress for you to feel like you need to do 25 crafts with your kids. Try to keep this list reasonable and don’t overcommit yourself to the point you are stressed out to the max.

Think about what you actually want to do not what you THINK you should do.

Also, consider a “to NOT do” list for things that you just don’t really care about. For me, holiday cards have been on my “to Not do” list for the past couple of years. The first year I thought everyone would be mad or make a big deal. But I don’t think anyone cared except me!

Think back to how you answered the questions in the Brain Dump / Goals List above. What are your priorities and the priorities of your family? Make sure the things you’re doing (or aren’t doing) match up with those priorities.

List 6 – 8: Events for October, November, and December

You can use these lists to plot out the events on the calendar that have specific dates. Think about what you actually want to attend. Don’t attend or host an event just because you always have. If it’s not lighting you up or fills you with dread this might be the year to let it go. This can be tricky with family parties but you can’t do it all. So fill your time with events that truly add value to your life.

The thing I love about Trello is that you can view the cards with a date assigned in the calendar view and also sync it to your iCal or Google calendar.

List 9: Meal Planning

Use this list of your holiday organization planner to plan out your menus. Use this space to add the following information:

Links to recipes you’ll make.
Invite list if you’re hosting.
Where you’ll go and what you’ll bring.
What you’ll wear to the party.

I also created a card for simple week-night recipes since the holidays seem to be busier during the week. This list will come in handy when you have a hectic night.

List 10: Holiday Cards

Use this list to keep track of sending holiday cards. Do not feel like you HAVE to send holiday cards if it’s not your thing. Like I mentioned above I haven’t sent holiday cards in a couple of years and honestly, I don’t plan on sending them this year either!

I have created a sample checklist of tasks needed to send holiday cards. Review this checklist and add or delete anything that doesn’t apply.

List 11: Thank You Notes

You can use this list to keep track of thank you notes to send for gifts you have received. This is also a great time to encourage your kids to get involved and learn how to write their own thank-you notes for the gifts that they have received this holiday season.

Gratitude is so important, especially during the holidays, and this is a great way for your children to learn the art of sending a thank you note.

Conclusion

The last thing to remember is to relax and enjoy this holiday season with your family and loved ones! The most important thing is not found under the tree, but it’s the people all around you. Slow down. Be present. Enjoy your family and the time together.

I hope that this holiday organization planner in Trello will help you stress less this season. By planning ahead and setting realistic goals I hope you are able to savor the moments of the whole holiday season rather than just a few hours on Christmas morning.

Download your free holiday organization planner in Trello

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November 21, 2019 by Tara | 0 comments

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