*Think like a professional. Passover is peak season. When the annual report needs to go out other activities are postponed, and extra staff is brought in. Do the same at home.
*Write down all your tasks and appointments for work, home and Passover. Quiz yourself about necessity of each task: Who expects it? Maybe you’re expecting too much of yourself.
*Set priorities. Overload can make you freeze into doing nothing but procrastinate. Take control by doing what’s really important first. Curtains can wait until Shavuot, but buying the matzah can’t.
*Consider shortcuts in preparation as a strategy, not a cop-out. For example, consolidate shopping instead of bargain hunting. Order one impressive dish from a caterer.
*Free up time before the holiday by eliminating routine chores. For example, serve takeout food twice a week during the weeks before Passover.
*Involve your family. This is a positive goal, not a weakness. It encourages children to join in the teamwork year round.
*Praise lavishly. Try never to criticize anyone who chips in, even if you can do the job faster and better.
*Pin up a volunteer list for chores: You’ll get less resistance than if you assign them.
*Finish one job completely rather than starting three that you can’t finish in one go.
*Aim for “good enough” and not “perfect” as you go from task to task.
*Keep saying to yourself, “This is the way I do the holiday. I’m not in competition with my neighbor, my sister or my mother-in-law.”
*Treat messy drawers as one of life’s annoying realities, not as a reflection of your self-worth. Remember that obsessive people suffer for their neatness.
*Schedule something fun for the holiday, even if it’s a walk in the sunshine.