(BPT) - The holiday season is a big, joyous whirlwind of hustle and bustle. By getting (and staying) organized, you'll have your home feeling like an efficient holiday hub to not only make life easier, but leave you with time to enjoy the holiday spirit.
Not sure where to start? Post-it® Brand Ambassador and organizing expert Rachel Rosenthal suggests you begin with color.
Why color? It's a powerful factor that evokes emotion, creates memories and helps us in our day-to-day routine. Post-it® Brand conducted a survey about the impact of color on our lives and found that 91% of people find it helpful to have an aesthetically pleasing workspace when managing their daily tasks.1 In fact, 68% agree that color-coding makes their daily tasks more fun, while 66% say color-coding their tasks helps them be more productive.1
With that in mind, here are Rachel's best tips for organizing with color, especially during the holiday season.
1. Assign each family member (or housemate) a color
As an organizing expert with a busy life (I have 16-year-old identical twin girls, a husband, a dog and my own business), I'm always looking for ways to streamline the day-to-day. Assigning each family member a color is a simple tactic that provides great organizational results.
Grab several packs of Post-it® Notes and ask everyone to choose their favorite color. Post-it® Super Sticky Notes are available in various collections like Summer Joy, Energy Boost and Supernova Neon, giving you a wide range of bright or soft colors to select. Once everyone has their color, let the organization begin!
- Create a chore chart that shows who is doing what on each day.
- Compile a shopping list that labels who gets which gift.
- Leave personal notes to your spouse, kids or guests to remind them of any upcoming appointments or holiday dinners.
Pro tip: Leave your reminders in a neutral place, like the kitchen, so they don't go unnoticed! Post-it® Super Sticky Notes have 2X sticking power that reliably sticks and re-sticks on doors, windows and walls. This means your important reminders will stay front and center, even in the busiest of households. And trust me, with a house full of family and a busy schedule, that's exactly what you need to keep things running smoothly.
2. Organize your holiday meals
Big family meals are the center of holiday celebrations in my house! Streamline your holiday menu by gathering your cookbooks and labeling the recipes you'll use for each dish. Choose different colors for appetizer recipes, sides, main dishes, and desserts. Each category of dish gets its own color, so appetizers might be in red, sides in green, main dishes in blue, and desserts in yellow. Not only does this help me quickly find the recipe I need while I'm in the middle of cooking (with everyone underfoot!), but it also adds a little extra fun and color to the whole process.
You can also color code the recipes by the day of the meal - one color for the holiday dinner, another for family Sunday brunch, weekday dinners, and so on. You can use this same idea with writing and color code your grocery shopping list - one color for dinner ingredients and another for the brunch. That way, you'll be sure you don't forget anything! By taking just a little extra time to plan and organize, you can actually spend more time enjoying the holiday festivities with family. And let's face it, when you're balancing a busy life, the less chaos in the kitchen, the better. Whether you're hosting a large family gathering or simply prepping for a cozy dinner, these small organizational steps can make all the difference in turning a hectic day into a smooth, enjoyable celebration.
3. Put color into your food displays for potlucks and office parties
You've baked cookies for your neighborhood cookie exchange, made your famous fudge for the office party and bought chocolates for your child's teacher. Once you've baked, wrapped, and packed everything into decorative tins, give each tin a specific color code to keep track of where it's going. One color for the neighbors, another for the office party, and a third for the teachers. It's a simple yet effective way to ensure that nothing gets mixed up or forgotten in the rush of holiday errands.
For example, I might use red for the neighbor's cookies, yellow for the office fudge (a little festive elegance), and green for the chocolates for the teachers (because it's a little extra way to show appreciation). These colorful labels help stay organized, even when running out the door in a hurry or trying to squeeze in one last thing before the kids go on holiday break.
It's such a small step, but it makes a huge difference in holiday deliveries - especially with my busy life. And let's face it, color-coding your food displays is a fun, creative way to add a little extra cheer to the season while making sure all your treats land in the right hands.
4. Teach your child to organize their play space before holiday company arrives
As us parents know, prepping your house for guests can be a big project, and what better way to get more help than having your kids get involved! Encourage your kids to use Post-it® Notes to label and organize their play bins with different colors. The Post-it® Super Sticky Notes, Playful Primaries Collection are a great fit for this because the bold red, blue, and yellow have a playful feel (just like the name says!)
This helps teach your child to color-code clear plastic storage boxes by the type of toy. For example, red might be for puzzles, blue for coloring books and crayons, and yellow for building blocks. It's a great way to get them to take ownership of their space, and I love how it gives them a sense of responsibility. Plus, it's a wonderful opportunity to spend some quality time together. We end up talking about their favorite toys, how they like to play, and sometimes even revisiting toys they haven't touched in a while - reconnecting them to things that bring joy. I've found that the more involved they are in the organizing process, the more pride they take in keeping things tidy. And honestly, it's a huge help when you've got a million other things on your to-do list.
5. Personalize gifts and cards
Have you ever been on a wrapping spree and end up forgetting who gets what gift before you have a chance to put a tag on it? Solve that holiday snag by choosing a color paper to represent each person on your list. You already know everyone's favorite shade, so why not have the unwrapping experience start with some joy!?
This color-coding method isn't just helpful for wrapping - it's great for cards, too! You can match the wrapping paper color to the card, so even when you're in the middle of a busy holiday season, there's no chance of confusion about who's getting what. Plus, it adds an extra touch of care and personalization to your gifts, which is something I love to do, especially with all the work that goes into holiday prep.
The best part? The organizational habits you start building now, like color-coding, will continue to work for you year-round. Whether it's for birthday presents, seasonal swaps, or even organizing holiday decor, the systems you put in place today help you stay ahead of the game in the future. By implementing these simple yet effective tips for organizing with color, you're not just keeping things neat - you're creating family traditions that make each holiday even more memorable.
Find more colorful organizing tips and tricks to set you and your family up for success year-round at Post-it.com and follow @Postit on Instagram.
1 Source: Post-it® Brand 2023 Parents Survey data
