This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Fellowes Brands. All opinions are 100% mine.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s also the most stressful, between getting ready for the holidays, crazy schedules at work and school, projects, and especially tying up loose ends as the end of the year approaches. It can definitely be overwhelming, not to mention a time-wasting, if you aren’t organized.
Here are some of my favorite tips for staying organized and efficient during the holidays (or any time of year), so your time and energy can be spent on more important things.
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Tips To Be More Productive Over The Holidays
1. Make lists Daily To Do’s, gifts to give, party preparation, etc. Make lists for everything so you can organize your thoughts and make sure you don’t forget anything, and check your daily To Do list first thing each morning to start off on the right foot. This unclutters your mind of all those details you can’t seem to remember, like appointments and sizes, so you don’t feel frazzled.
2. Know your top three priorities each day Start the day knowing what your priorities are that have to be done that day, and arrange your plans to make sure they happen. Each day ask yourself, “What are the three things I have to do today, no matter what?” to give yourself focus.
3. Get rid of paper clutter All those cards, old lists, paid bills, etc on your desk and kitchen counter…it’s messy, looks terrible, and is distracting. Either file it away, take care of it, or shred it. Get into the habit of not tossing mail, documents, etc on any flat surface until you need it, and then trying to remember where you put it. Try to take care of it the first time you handle it.
4. Shred everything that has sensitive information Especially this time of year, when identity theft is highest, make sure credit card applications, holiday greeting cards with family member names and addresses, and bills with financial information are all shredded before being tossed. And as you get closer to the end of the year and start getting rid of all those monthly filed documents, shred those too (you can do it super quick and efficiently with the high volume Fellowes 79Ci shredder).
5. Upcycle shredded paper Take all that shredded paper and use it as filler in gift baskets, or to fill up boxes being shipped with small items that jostle around, or as a base for a holiday display on a mantle (like paper snow). Any writing on them is illegible after being cross-cut, and it will save you money on packaging and craft supplies.
The top-selling and sleek Fellowes 79Ci shredder that I now use in my home office is the ultimate shredding machine, especially for someone like me who works from home and is a bit neurotic about ever letting a sensitive piece of information hit our garbage without being shredded first. Because the Fellowes 79Ci shredder is 100% jam proof, accepts more sheets per pass (16!), and can even handle paper clips and CDs, it also saves me time.
The Fellowes 79Ci shredder has a flip cover with a narrower slot to let pass credit cards that need to be shredded too, and if I overfill it, instead of getting stuck, it slows down on its own until is senses it’s ready to continue (and I had to really stuff it for that to even happen). I tested it, and it’s pretty amazing! It runs for 20 minutes straight and has SilentShred™ Technology for quieter shredding. Most importantly (for parents), it has Patented SafeSense® Technology that stops the shredder automatically if hands touch the paper opening. Love that.
This time of year, time is the our most precious- and rare- resource, so it helps to not waste time trying to remember what you have to do, worry about missed appointments or parties, or waste time fixing a jammed shredder. I’d rather be baking cookies with my son, or putting up decorations, or watching them in ice skating lessons. Wouldn’t you rather spend more time with your family too?
The Fellowes 79Ci is available at Amazon and Office Superstores with a suggested retail price of $239.99. Find more info on the stylish Fellowes 79Ci shredder at Fellowes.