Christmas Help For Overloaded Mums

The holidays can be loud, fast and unforgiving, especially when you’re parenting little ones and carrying a full mental load. In this shorter episode, we talk candidly about a kinder approach to Christmas: putting the tree up late without guilt, toddler-proofing décor, and letting “good enough” be more than enough. If you’re grieving, stretched thin, or simply out of ideas, this is your permission to choose rest over hype and design the season around your real capacity.

We unpack a few tips that actually help under pressure (even if you keep it in mind for next Christmas). Think pre-Christmas decluttering to clear space and donate what no longer serves, a lighter gift plan when your brain is at capacity, and small rituals that steady the week. You’ll hear how embracing a “do differently” mindset reduces stress, protects your energy, and keeps joy at the centre, even when traditions shift. Your kids want presence more than perfection, and the memories that stick often come from the calm you protect.

We also open the door to more support in the new year. Our She's Organised Hub community focuses on real-life organising, group coaching, weekly focus hours, and practical templates that save time without the overwhelm. 

Whether you’ve listened since April or just found us, we want your feedback, your ideas and your voice. Please tell us what topics would help you most and if you’d like to join as a guest. 

You can find all the info you need at beyondorganised.com.

Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a softer season, and leave a quick review so more parents can find a calmer way through the Christmas holidays.

Chapters

• 0:18 Welcome And Holiday Framing
• 1:11 A Different Christmas With Young Kids
• 3:19 Permission To Do Things Differently
• 5:25 Reassurance For Overwhelmed Parents
• 7:18 Pre‑Christmas Declutter Strategy
• 8:46 Community Invitation And Next Year Focus
• 12:58 Farewell And Ways To Connect

Transcript

Mel: 0:18

Welcome

Mel: 0:18

to Beyond Organised, the podcast that helps you simplify your life and amplify your purpose. I'm Mel Schenker, life coach, speaker, founder of She's Organised, but, more importantly, a wife and mum of four little kids. If you've ever felt overwhelmed, like you're constantly juggling everything but never quite catching up, this is the place for you. Here we go beyond just the tidying up and creating systems. We're talking about real life strategies that bring order to your life, but also we talk about the things beyond the organising, the things that really matter, like your parenting relationships and so much more. So grab your coffee and let's dive in.

Mel: 0:59

Merry Christmas! We are only a few days away. I can't believe how quick this year has flown. I'm sure you're saying the same thing. I just wanted to do a really short episode today because honestly, it's Christmas time. Who has time to be listening to things or taking on too much action or anything like that? So I just wanted to reach out, say Merry Christmas, but also I wanted to speak to the young mums for a second. Now, this year has not looked the way it usually does for me. I have four kids, as you know, and my youngest is now 16 months, and it has been full on. It's been full on. Juggling this business, the podcast, uh, my part-time job, baby, three other kids. Like it has been nuts to a degree. I will admit. I mean, I love it. I love every bit of it. It is a bit crazy though. But I just want to say this Christmas has looked quite different for me. And perhaps you're finding yourself in a similar position. And I just wanted to say that it's okay. It's okay if things are not looking the way you would like it to. I'll give you an example. We are putting the Christmas tree up today, and I'm recording this as of the Sunday, the day before, the 21st of December. We are putting the Christmas tree up today. This is the latest I think I've ever had the Christmas tree up. But my 16-month-old is in a phase where he's going through every cupboard, every drawer, climbing everything. He is full on. He's very active. He's also very happy, very happy little baby. But it's full on. And I know putting up this tree is going to see it as another mountain to climb. So I have purposely left it to the week of, knowing that I'm probably going to spend a lot of this week preventing the tree from coming down. And the ornaments are probably not even going to be around the bottom. So it's going to look a little funny. There's a lot of things that I just would love to have the tree, you know, fully direct decorated, up at the start of December, all these things, but I'm taking my own advice. I'm simplifying and I'm following that fourth D of do differently. And that's how it's happening this year. For the sake of my own sanity and everything that's going on in this season that I'm in, I'm doing it differently. And, you know, next year, hopefully, he's out of that phase and we can have the tree up as normal and continue on with our normal traditions.

Mel: 3:45

But I know that for a lot of you, even Christmas time, it can be painful because maybe it's a reminder of someone you've lost this year. It's another reminder of how disorganized you are. Um, and you're feeling that frantic panic and rush. Look, I'll even admit I haven't even finished all my Christmas shopping. And it's not that I'm so disorganized, it's because I literally have no idea what to get these people. Family members. I I have no idea. And my brain is just at full capacity that I can't actually even think to brainstorm to work out what it is that they want. Now I've only got a few days left, and this is probably the um, yeah, the slowest I've I've ever been with this, but I actually just don't have the brain capacity. And so I'm navigating how things even look right now. And and look, they'll they'll have a Christmas present on Christmas Day, it'll happen. I know that. But even for someone as organized as me, I'm having to accept that I can't control every facet of my life. I mean, I've already learned that sort of the hard way over the years anyway. But it's more just understanding that sometimes you just have to give yourself that breathing space and allow things to be a little different to how they normally are for you. And yeah, I just want to encourage you more than anything that if this Christmas is feeling a little crazy, this cryptopany really quick, things are looking a little different. Perhaps people that are not around that you're used to seeing around, it's okay. It's okay. It's okay that you know, you might be feeling a little bit out of your depth, feeling a bit overwhelmed, a bit frustrated, and no doubt feeling exhausted. I would love you to go into these last few days of the Christmas season, but into the new year from looking at it differently. Going, actually, I'm not going to buy into the hype and the craziness of this season. I'm actually going to prioritize my rest and the way that I go about things, and it's going to look a little different, and that's okay. And at the end of the day, another year rolls on, and another and another. There'll be more Christmases, there'll be more things, and it's okay if this year is looking a little different here. I've certainly had to come to terms with it because, like I said, having a 16-month-old really kind of throws everything out the door. And but look, my nine, seven, and three-year-olds, they're fine. They're not complaining. As long as they get presents on Christmas Day, they don't care if there's a tree up or not. So it is going to look a little bit different for us, but it's okay if it's looking a little different for you. Or maybe it's looking the same for you, but it has pushed you over the edge because you're trying to do it the way you've always done it. Having the tree up by a certain date, having presents wrapped and organized and sorted by a certain date, uh, having everyone over and cooking and all these things, and it's pushed you over the edge. Perhaps it's time to reevaluate that, okay, maybe you can't do things differently this year for Christmas. But in a lead up to Christmas next year, let's have a look at how things could be done differently. Now, one tip I will give, and it's probably a little late this year, though you've still got a few days, but one thing I like to do before Christmas is to actually go through my kids' rooms and declutter a whole lot of stuff. So remove all the clothes that no longer fit them so they've got space for the next size up, um, which generally they get gifted some things, but also remove the toys that they no longer play with and all of that. And I generally don't, you know, completely discard the toys or anything like that. I box them away, give it some time, and if they don't ask for it again after a couple of months, I then donate or sell or anything like that. Um, but it's good to do it before Christmas for two reasons. When Christmas rolls around, you've got the space for the new toys and the new items to fit in your home without adding more clutter. But also, secondly, if you can get it done and there are things that you can donate straight away, then you're potentially helping someone else at Christmas to afford some lovely gifts that they couldn't have paid for otherwise. So it might be a little late this year, but let's think of the year ahead and the lead up to that and how things can be done differently there. Now, I'm not gonna go on much longer. This is a really short one, and I'm really hoping that you all have a great Christmas. Now, moving into next year, I will do another episode next week talking into the new year, but I just want to get give a heads up now. I would love to hear from you. I would love to hear how you have found this podcast this year. Because I started back at the end of April. I've had one episode out every single week. I've had guests, I've had solo. How have you found it? Do you like it? Do you not like it? What would you like to see next year in the episodes moving forward? Would you like to even be on the podcast? If that's the case, I'll pop the details in the show notes so you can actually follow through and let me know your thoughts because I want to hear from you. I want to give you content that is relevant for you, that will help you with your everyday life, getting that balance and order through organizing and all the things beyond it. So let me know your thoughts. And if you are after more support now in the new year, even a few months from now, I do have my paid community, the She's Organized Hub, and you get so much in there, but you also get access to me. I get to know every single person in there, what they're currently dealing with, their struggles, their challenges, and I help work through a solution to your current season to help you move through. There's also group coaching, there's a bunch of courses, templates, resources. There's a lot in there. But you can find something that's specific for you in this moment. You don't have to do all of it. You can find something specific for you. And I would love to be able to help you, support you, keep you accountable as well for the changes you might be putting in place already. But I want to help you. But also, I have been consistently helping women save at least seven hours or more every week on everyday tasks. So I would love to be able to help you more than anything get through your list so you don't have to duplicate yourself, that you can get through all the things that you need to and still have time for you. Because next year is going to be a year where we focus more on you, focus more on being able to restore you and build you up and get you to a place where you are feeling confident and capable in who you are as a woman, as a mother, as just a person that wants to be able to do more. I want to help you in that season. And I've loved getting to know everyone that's inside the hub. I have, I think it's 116 people in there now, and I'm still continuing to get to know everyone and help and support. And I have so many great new things coming and set for the new year. Everything from just weekly coffee catch-ups so we can get to know each other as a community through to actual focus hours where we're actually putting things into place and implementing things that we learn to normal, you know, group coaching and Q ⁇ A sessions and all these things. And you don't have to attend any of them. You don't have to attend all of them. You can choose whatever you like that fits with your schedule and with your season right now. But the option is there and it's all in one place, keeping it really, really, really simple for you. So if you'd like to know more, I've got the details in the show notes, and it will be there every week in the show notes that you can actually see the link to be able to get more details on that. But I would love to keep talking, but I am going to go and be with my family, and I hope you can enjoy time with your family. And I really hope to hear from you soon because I do respond to every single email, every single message personally. I don't get my assistant or anyone else to do that. I take care of it all myself. So please reach out. I'd love to hear from you, and I do wish you a very, very Merry Christmas.

Mel: 12:58

If you like this episode, don't forget to hit subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next. And if you want to continue the conversation, you can connect with me on Instagram @shes.organised or for some free resources, head over to beyondorganised.com/ toolkit. Remember, organising is a tool to live the purposeful life of beyond it. See you next time.