As we enter into the final countdown of the holiday season, you may feel as though your life is one big to-do list. You might even feel that a primary focus in your life right now is checking things off this big to-do list! Well…here’s a slightly different point of view. In our family during the holidays, we make it a point to avoid checklist items as much as possible. Don’t get me wrong, I love getting things done as much as the next organizer—and I love to check things off my to-do list. But…during the holiday season, we make it a priority to ensure that the activities that get our time and attention are the activities that mean something. We avoid doing things just for the sake of doing them, and just for the sake of getting them done.

Here’s an example: Last Sunday afternoon, we participated in our annual tradition of cutting down a fresh Christmas tree—a tradition we all love and enjoy. (This task is the opposite of a checklist item, by the way.) By the time we got home, after trekking through the cold, windy tree farm in search of the perfect tree, made and ate dinner, put the tree into the stand, and trimmed the lower branches—we were all tired. We realized that putting up the lights and decorating the tree that evening would turn the enjoyable holiday task of decorating the tree into a “checklist item.” We would simply be going through the motions to get the job done, instead of enjoying the process of spending time together and decorating the tree. So we decided to relax instead, and live with an undecorated, and then a partially decorated, tree for a few days. And guess what—we’re all really happy with our choice.

This holiday season notice if checklist mentality starts to creep in. When you start to see yourself simply getting things done for the sake of it, step back and reevaluate. Can you delay the task, or stop doing the task altogether? Or can you approach the task in a different manner so that it has more meaning to you and/or your family? I’m always amazed at how freeing it is to recognize something has become a checklist item—and then make a different plan. You may just find the same is true for you.