Set priorities, use shortcuts in Passover preparation

*Write down all your tasks and appointments for work, home and Passover. Quiz yourself about the necessity of each task: Who expects it? Maybe we're expecting too much of ourselves.

*Set priorities. Overload can make us freeze into doing nothing but procrastinating. 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 take-out 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 obsessives suffer for their neatness.

*Schedule something fun for the holiday, even if it's a walk in the sunshine.

*Holiday joy is a mitzvah. Besides, you deserve it.