The holidays can be one of the busiest and most stressful times of the year but they don't have to be. In this article I'm going to share 5 tips to help you better manage your time around the holidays. Good time management will free up your time and lower stress levels.

1. Turn of your notifications.

If you have a smart phone chances are you get interrupted my message notifications far to frequently. If you don't go out of your way to turn off notifications it wouldn't be unusual to get one from your email client, another from Facebook, and of course all those text message alerts. Do yourself a favor and turn of the notifications. The beauty of technology is to allow you to manage time on your terms. You can check your email and Facebook when you have downtime. With notifications off you won't be tempted to constantly address the squeaky wheel.

2. Communicate via email rather than over the phone.

Although it's nice to make phone calls to loved one's around the holidays don't forget to use email for those less personal forms of communication. For example you can easily communicate something like directions to a Christmas party via email to a group of people. This is much easier than placing several phone calls.

3. Use reminders

There's a ton of great calendar apps out. I use the reminders feature on my iPhone which is synced with my iMac. This let's me set reminders while I'm on the go and see them when I'm in front of my computer. Check your reminders once a day and fewer things will fall through the cracks.

4. Order online

Online ordering has exploded over the last several years and for good reason. Going to the mall will not only cost you a lot of time but also a lot of gas money. Do yourself a favor. Stay in and order your gifts online this year. I find it much easier to find gifts when shopping online. You can quickly reference articles on which gifts are hot this year.

5. Leverage an elf

Everyone needs a little extra help around the holidays. Don't be afraid to spend a little more money on services to reclaim your time. For example you can hire someone to clean up your house after that big holiday party. If that's not in your budget there are many other things you can hire people to do on a small basis like wrap gifts or maybe even utilize valet parking.

With these 5 ideas you're sure to reclaim some of your time around the holidays. With all that extra time you'll be free to work on things to help pay for all the gifts your buying. Why not sign up to build a free website at WebStarts.com.