The holiday season is here, and with it comes the hustle, bustle, and, let’s be honest, stress! In this episode, we’re flipping the script and bringing intentionality to your holiday planning with the power of a Holiday Mission Statement. Discover how this simple yet transformative tool can help you focus on what truly matters, reduce overwhelm, and create a season filled with joy and meaning. Whether you’re simplifying your celebrations or finding balance between tradition and new memories, this episode will inspire you to approach the holidays with clarity and purpose.
Find all of the links mentioned in this episode at https://theorganizedflamingo.com/quicklinks
In this episode we talk about:
- How to create a Holiday Mission Statement and why it matters
- Practical steps to align your holiday plans with your values
- Examples of mission statements to inspire your own unique approach
Mentioned in this Episode:
- The 21 Days of Holiday Organizing Prompts Event (starting November 18th)
- Tips for visualizing your ideal holiday using all five senses
- How one family turned their mission statement into a lasting tradition
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The Organized & Productive podcast is brought to you by The Organized Flamingo and hosted by Stephanie Y. Deininger! For those of you who love the thought of organizing & being more productive, but don’t know where to start or constantly up against hurdles that don’t let you advance the way you want to, this podcast is for you!
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Review Transcript:
Stephanie [00:00:00]:
As we head into the holiday season, it's so easy to get swept up in the busyness, the planning, and and let's be honest, the stress. So today, I want to invite you to try something a little bit different, which is to create a holiday mission statement. If you're new to the podcast in our community, I'm so glad that you're here. Welcome. If you have been with us for a while, you know that this is something we do every year. But to take it a step further, not only do we create a holiday mission statement to help you get grounded and help you in your organizing journey long term, we add 21 days, total days of organizing prompts, which we share every day. And I'm going to give you the details for this year's activity. But even if you don't do the 21 days with us, which is completely free, it's something that I do every year to help you get organized, even if you don't do it this year, definitely do this part of the exercise, which is day 1, which is our first prompt and our first activity because this helps guide the rest of the holiday season and can allow you to get not just more organized, but find peace in the activities that you're doing, knowing that you planned it this way or that you have some kind of north star, some kind of guide.
Stephanie [00:01:19]:
So think of it as a way to get your intentions and ground yourself. Okay? So that's what this exercise is all about and in what truly matters to you and your loved ones. So come on and let's create our holiday mission statement for the year. Let's go. Welcome to the Organized and Productive podcast with The Organized Flamingo. I am your host, Stephanie, a professional organizer and productivity expert. Ready to explore the right organizing and productivity solutions for you? Yeah? Well, then let's go. So let's define what a holiday mission statement is for the purposes of all all of us being on the same page.
Stephanie [00:01:57]:
So for us, we define this holiday mission statement as a personal mantra or statement sentences for the season, capturing what you hope to experience. It's your gentle reminder to focus on what feels meaningful rather than what feels obligatory. So it's something that you will come back to throughout the weeks to ground you, to remind you of what the initial vision was for the holidays for you. Because I think sometimes we forget what initially we wanted to feel and smell and do because we get caught up with trends or pressure or guilt, or any of those, or many other feelings that don't align with what you are intending to do. So that is the the definition in in the exercise that we're doing today. So why should you have a holiday mission statement? Is it that life changing? Well, yes and no. It's not going to completely change your life in the way that if you didn't have one, it's a travesty. But if you're on an organizing journey, where you're trying to simplify, be more efficient, happier, be in the moment, not be so overwhelmed with stuff, virtual or personal physical stuff, then having a mission statement specific for big events of life like the holidays will help you get even more centered and encourage you to find a happy medium between going with your plan, you know, sticking to the plan.
Stephanie [00:03:37]:
Like, this is a plan, and I I have I I'm trying to simplify. Right? Okay. Great. But that doesn't mean you don't get to enjoy whatever is the joy of a like, in the holidays during the holidays, the joy of the season. I don't want you to miss out on living life because you're so strict on this simplifying journey. So that is why we have a holiday mission statement so that you can merge the 2. You can merge the joy of the season, the busy season, but but yet joyous and lovely for many of us, and merge that with your overall plan of trying to just find some relief in life and not be so overwhelmed with stuff. So we're trying to find a happy medium.
Stephanie [00:04:23]:
So having a holiday mission statement reduces that stress that comes with not figuring out where the holidays fit in in your overall goal. And this can be applied with any big event, life event. The holidays just come around every year, so it's easy to be proactive about it because you know it's coming. Okay? So it helps you focus on meaningful activities rather than the holiday noise. But knowing that incorporating the holiday feels is just as important. It also encourages you to have intentional decisions. So Letty lets you say no to the things that don't align with your values and your goal, but, again, you get to incorporate them however it feels right. So by creating a holiday mission statement, you're giving yourself and your loved ones permission to celebrate in a way that feels true to you and your family and or friends and loved ones, and it can be valuable a valuable anchor when the season starts to feel overwhelming.
Stephanie [00:05:29]:
Now we talked about mission statements like your own mission statement. I know of many families that I have worked with and or group of people that live together that will have a group mission statement because many of our listeners are caregivers or multigenerational families living together and or friends, so or mixed families. So not necessarily everyone is related, but you do live together or you share a common space. And I want to encourage you to have one if you will if everyone is on board, to have one for your family and your loved ones, and then have one for your own self as well. So what are some of the steps or how would I help you try to create this holiday mission statement in the best way possible? What have I seen that has worked? So first is to reflect on what you want this holiday season to be. The questions that we always ask is and are, what do I want this holiday season to feel like? What do I want it to sound like? What do I want it to taste like? And what do I want it to look like? Followed by, what do I want it to smell like? So think of your holiday experience with all of your senses. Choose any of the senses that are most important to you and that you have and you're able to exercise, make that fit for you and your family. Do you want it to feel cozy and calm or vibrant and social? Do you want to hear joyful music and laughter or maybe the quiet of a beautiful evening by the fire? So visualize the ideal holiday experience using these questions.
Stephanie [00:07:14]:
Write it down so you can revisit it when you need a little reminder or encouragement. Now let me give you a few more examples that I have seen people do and have worked beautifully. Some people do have a full on vision board. Like, they will go, you know, the annual like, some people have, like, beginning of the year vision boards or for either career or for a new time in their life or a vacation vision board. They will bring that to life before the holidays. And it becomes this really fun experience and activity that you can be doing with your loved ones. And what I have found, surprisingly, during those exercises is that people then will find these activities that they didn't even know existed. They will find objects that they were missing out on, or they're figuring they're finding a new community of people that enjoy very similar experiences.
Stephanie [00:08:10]:
And you now have some new friends and new experiences to go after that, for the longest time, might have been hidden inside of you. That you you were feeling these feels, but you didn't know how to put it into words, into paper, describe it. So then, you were not being exposed to all these new activities that you could have been doing all this time. But maybe or maybe this year is very specific. For some of you, that might be grieving. You know, you for you, you might be having a very different feel or feeling and experience for the holiday season. And so, when you try to use the words to explain what you would like this to be, you get to appreciate the moment more, maybe remember those loved ones a bit more than you would have, and not having to say 5 years from now, 10 years from now, oh, I wish I would have. On the opposite side of that, maybe you have a new little one in your family and time goes by so quickly.
Stephanie [00:09:15]:
So, 10 years from now, you can say, oh, my gosh. I'm so glad that what I had, what I was feeling in those moments came to fruition as much as possible. So that is the idea of getting your senses out there in words and describing them and putting them out there as part of your holiday mission statement. The other thing I want you to think about is to identify and make sure you you kind of put this in writing to identify your core values in life but then get even more specific for the season. They should be pretty similar to each other. But sometimes, you have different visions for the holidays versus the other months of the year. So from your reflections, identify the values that you that stand out. Is it connection? Is it peace, quietness, gratitude, joy, or perhaps simplicity? These values will become the foundation of your mission statement.
Stephanie [00:10:22]:
Following that is write a simple, clear statement from what we just talked about. Your statement doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to feel right for you and that you can interpret it and follow it during the holiday season. I have seen people create these beautiful vision boards or mission statements about having to, you know, be in the snow and the pictures and the family, and they just get so complicated. But they can't really become a reality because they were just not only just so big, but it wasn't right for them because they don't even they don't have any plans or they don't live around a place that had those things. So it does it doesn't have to be perfect. It should be short and very specific and actionable and right for you. Like, are you able to do these things financially and time wise and otherwise? In other in any of the other resources, are you able to put those resources into play? Because this holiday season goes by very quickly.
Stephanie [00:11:29]:
So think of it, again, as, like, the place that, kind of, grounds you, the statement that grounds you or the statement that reminds you that these are the things that you want to feel. I'll give you a few examples that I have seen people create. The first is this holiday season, I'm focusing on gratitude and simplicity. I want to spend meaningful time with family and friends without feeling rushed. Specific. It's actionable. And the person was able I mean, it's all all under her control. She can do these things.
Stephanie [00:12:02]:
The other one was, one of my favorites was, my mission is to create joyful memories by slowing down and honoring traditions that bring us together. So I remember this client, they were well, she was trying to bring her family more together. She felt like they were her kids were starting to grow up very quickly, and one of them, I believe, was heading to college that year after. So was trying to create memories, really, what it came down to. Slowing down and remembering them in her own head, in her own brain, in her memory bank by taking pictures, by being in the moment. So it was a lot of in the moment that no matter what they did, she would enjoy the moment. Following this mission statement, she'd had the exercise where she created one with the family, and they created feelings that they all wanted to feel. And then from there, they found activities that would give them those feelings as much as possible.
Stephanie [00:13:03]:
I mentioned the snow earlier because this client, what they she was, wanting to feel kind of cozy, you know, the feeling of it's cold outside, the crisp air, maybe even snow, and but being inside with the fireplace, like, that feeling, like, as a family, that was one of the items that they wanted to feel and and create, the memories that they wanted to create. And so they did not they didn't live in a climate that allowed them to do that. So what they ended up doing is renting a cabin in the nearby mountains so that they could get away and create that feeling in that weekend, and they made, like now it's like a family reunion, and now it's become a thing. So that one exercise of creating a mission statement brought everyone's ideas together, what they wanted to feel, and created a bigger something that they all wanted to do and get on board with. So it wasn't met with resistance. It wasn't just one family member wanting to do this and then dragging everyone along. It was, oh, that's how I wanna feel too. And so they all were excited to plan, and they were all part of that memory and now an ongoing tradition because they were able to come together and create a mission statement that worked for everyone.
Stephanie [00:14:23]:
So one thing about mission statements though is that I I just wanna make sure that you revisit these every year, that you don't automatically bring the one from last year because you could be in a completely different place. The world changes every day. You change every day. The dynamics change every day. So that mission statement that you created when you were 25 is might be very different when you're 45 and 65 and so on. Right? So make sure that you revisit that mission statement often, not just every couple of days during the actual holiday season, but that you also revisit it every, you know, every year when you do this. Okay. So let's put your holiday mission statement into practice.
Stephanie [00:15:03]:
Some of the ways that I encourage you to do it do this is by having it somewhere that visible. So it could be your background, your wallpaper on your computer, or your phone. Maybe you print it, laminate it, put it somewhere that everyone can see if it's the family, loved ones, group, mission statement. If you if yours is very personal to you, then have it somewhere that you will be looking at it as much as possible without overly concentrating on it. Okay? Because the mission statement is just more of a feel. It's more of how you would like this to look like, but it's not a per like, it's not the exact step by step plan of what you will be doing. Right? So it's not like a checklist. So write down your statement, place it somewhere you'll see it often.
Stephanie [00:15:51]:
And then that way, when things start feeling busy, it can be a quick reminder to keep to help you stay grounded. Consider checking in with your mission statement, I would say every couple of days, but make sure that you refresh it every year so it's not an automatic yearly rollover, like your minutes from the nineties, if you remember those, if you're old enough to remember those. If your mission involves, you know, family and friends, share it with them. Maybe, have an automatic email that goes out every couple of days to remind everyone. You know, put a reminder on their phones, on their calendars. Share it with them so everyone can be on the same page. And that way, planning and and enjoying the holiday season will be much easier and much more enjoyable. So I mentioned that we have our 21 days of holiday organizing and prompts event.
Stephanie [00:16:41]:
This is a yearly event that we have this year. We're starting it a little bit earlier per all of your suggestions and requests. The last 2 years, you kept saying, hey, you know what? I like this so much that I wanna start it earlier. And then if you don't start it with us on November 18th, you can then play catch up as the days go on. It's 21 prompts. They're made they're meant to be done 1 1 per day, so it doesn't become overwhelming. But some of you are go getters and or go getters and or procrastinators that work well under pressure. Okay? So I get that.
Stephanie [00:17:18]:
I understand that, but I don't want you to get overwhelmed. So the best way to go through the event is by doing one every day. And we start on November 18th, and it goes through December 15th. So now that you've created your holiday mission statement, we'll invite you to do the 21 days of holiday organizing prompts. And then each day, we'll share a simple, powerful prompt to help you organize and complete your holiday themed to do list. So in the some of the prompts are everything from order your holiday cards, take the picture for your holiday cards. Some of the prompts have more to do with the cooking part, or if you are the if you're hosting, what to remember to do. So ensuring that every tasks align aligns with your mission for the season.
Stephanie [00:18:07]:
We'll I'll be sharing the prompts on Instagram daily, and then weekly recaps on our Wednesday newsletter. So if you'd rather or you forget or you're staying off of social media for the holidays, whatever it may be, sign up for our Wednesday newsletter, and that's where the recap for the month will be. Friendly reminder that the holidays are a special time, and creating a mission statement can make them even more meaningful. So I hope that this simple exercise brings peace and purpose to your season. Don't forget to follow along with our 21 days of organizing prompts to keep your to do list manageable and aligned with your holiday goals. And here's to a season that reflects what really matters to you. Cheers, everyone, and happy organizing. We'll see you next week.
Stephanie [00:18:56]:
Thank you for listening to the organized and productive podcast with the Organized Flamingo. If you enjoyed today's episode, I would love it if you'd leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. It helps with letting people know that we're here. For full show notes and resources, head on over to the organized flamingo.com/podcast. Happy organizing.
