How to celebrate the season – and write too

For the second year in a row, Dec. 1 rolled around and I’m slammed with work. I’m not complaining. With the economy and the publishing business in a shambles, it’s a nice problem to have. And it’ll help me pay for Christmas.

But still, as a working parent, it’s a challenge to juggle the work with decorating, holiday shopping, gift wrapping, card sending, entertaining and everything else that needs to get done this time of year.

So in the spirit of giving, here are my 10 top secrets for meeting deadlines during the holidays:

10. Plan ahead. Make a list of what needs to get done – at work and home – and check it twice. A couple years back I created a “Christmas Plan” with exact instructions for things like how we set up the outdoor lights, where I stashed the Advent wreath, how many holiday cards I bought, and anything else I wanted to remind myself about after the holiday. I keep my Christmas Plan on a Note in Microsoft Outlook and read it when the season starts.

9. Be an opportunistic shopper. The next time you’re at an ATM machine buy stamps for Christmas cards (lots of bank ATMs dispense them). When you’re at the grocery store, check out what gift cards they carry. Last night I had to get an electronic gizmo at Circuit City and bought gifts for three people on my list (see tip #10) in 20 minutes.

8. Shop online. After using an online grocery shopping service for the past year, I am a true believer. I figure it cuts 2 hours from my twice monthly shopping expeditions, time I now use to work. I generally buy enough to qualify for free  delivery, so I’m not paying anything extra for the service – and it cuts down on impulse buys.

7. Go virtual. This could be the year we email Christmas cards. Or better yet, post our Christmas letter and family photos on the family blog my husband set up and then just email alerts to friends and family to see our card on the blog. Impersonal? Yes. But it beats not doing anything at all, which is what I did in 2007 when I got too busy to send cards and then felt too guilty sending them in January.

6. Share the load. It’s not my holiday, it’s everybody’s who lives in my house, so everybody helps. My son has taken over the job of hanging outside lights. Both sons helped pick out trees. When my daughter comes home from college she makes gingerbread cookies that we give to neighbors along with other goodies. My husband isn’t a shopper, but last year he ventured out with me on a last-minute gift buying expedition that was so fun I’m hoping we make it an annual event.

5. Do less. Ever since we moved to Oregon we’ve gone to a tree farm and chopped down not one tree but two, one for our entry way and another for the living room or kitchen. This year I’m strongly advocating for one tree – half the decorations, half the time to put it up and take it down.

4. Don’t aim for perfection. It’s hard to be a type A personality and not do everything just so. But around now, I’ll settle for just getting it done. If the ornaments aren’t on the tree exactly the way I’d hang them, oh well. The tree’s done and I’ve got extra time to write. However, this rule doesn’t apply to work: on that I don’t lower the bar.

3. Get up early. It’s amazing what you can accomplish in an hour or two before anyone else in the house is awake.

2. Negotiate. Got multiple work deadlines before Dec. 25? Talk to your editor(s) to see if you can get any additional time. I was able to extend a deadline on one upcoming story by 10 days just by asking – and since I’ve worked for that publication several times before, the editor knows the work will be in when it’s supposed to be.

1. Prioritize. What’s really important, work or family? If spending time with family means skipping an assignment, so be it. Work will be there come Jan. 2.

Got your own secrets for getting work done when you’d rather be baking cookies, sipping cider or holiday shopping? Let’s hear them.