3 Steps to Holiday Shopping In 3 Hours

I just did all of my holiday shopping, from start to finish, in about 3 hours. It used to take a lot longer but then I started using a list. By using this three step process you can do all of your holiday shopping in a single afternoon too.

Lists can be good or bad. They can help organize your thoughts and keep you from forgetting important things, or they can become a way of procrastinating. After all, how many little pieces of paper do you have lying around with lists of to do items on them?

Still, when you go out gift shopping for people but haven’t written down all of the names it can take you forever. I’m assuming that most people at least write down the names so they can check them off the list as they go.

What I did this year was break this list down a bit and I’m sure it ended up saving me many hours.So here’s my process in case you want to use it.

1. Divide your list of names up into categories:

• Family
• Friends
• Business Associates

2. List a total of five stores to visit.

Let’s say for instance:

• Big club store
• Kid’s toy store
• Home electronics store
• Fashion store
• Book store

Notice that there is one store per category so we’re not wasting time comparing the same things at different places. Prices won’t e that much different anyway and time is always more valuable than money.

3. Put an initial next to each name on the list based on where you want to get their gift. “C” for club store, “T” for toy store, and so on.

Finally, I looked at the list to see which store would take care of the most people on my list and I went there first. That way I knew I’d feel a sense of accomplishment after the very first store and it would motivate me to keep going to all the rest.

Perhaps now would be a good time to mention that I don’t like shopping very much

Sure, “Best Buy” is always fun! Most guys would agree with me on that. But as a rule, I buy everything I can over the internet to eliminate all the hassle normally associated with shopping.

This year however I’ve been out on tour so much that I never got a chance to do that. Christmas is still a couple of weeks away, but Chanukah is right now!

So what happened?

I walked into the first store with a sense of purpose, knowing exactly who I was shopping for and what I was likely to get them. I quickly eliminated about a third of the list at that very first store.

I chose stores that were all in the same area so I didn’t have to waste time driving around. And I saved the book store for last.

If you know the person well enough to know their interests, then you can always find something at a good book store like “Barnes and Noble” or “Borders”. Plus, they offer free gift wrapping, which saves even more time and looks great!

My final strategy was to get Gift Cards for anyone still left on my list. They don’t unwrap too well though, so I’ll bundle them together with some of my Hypnosis CDs, probably “Unlimited Confidence” and “Beat Stress Now”. Everyone can use more confidence and less stress, right?

Gift Cards are a bit impersonal, but at least you can rest assured that that hard to please person on your list will be able to get something that will make them really happy.

And that’s what it’s all about right. Making people happy. Which is great. But let’s not forget about ourselves in the process. If fighting crowds of holiday shoppers leaves you feeling stressed out and overwhelmed, try making a list this year before you head out the
door. You may just have time left over to enjoy the process

NOTE: Previously submitted comments:

Marylee Hayes

Joshua: You said that you have traveled a lot this year so you weren’t able to shop early. We travel a lot. Not as much as you, but plently. We have our Birthday and Christmas list with us where ever we go. A very nice useful gift from Germany, France, or where ever your heart takes you is not only a great souvenir, but something that someone wanted and or would use. At Christmas I have only to shop for the kids, cause they don’t know what they want from one moment to the next. lol Just an idea to keep you out of the stores entirely.

2007/12/11 at 7:34 PM

William James

What a great article!

The “Tip” is much more than “making a list”;

it is also a timely reminder that getting
organized in advance of any task will save
time and frustration in the long run.

Thank you

2007/12/09 at 3:16 PM

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