We’re still three weeks out, but the days ahead are going to get busy. Stop now to plan–and prioritize.
Rosh Chodesh Adar has passed. Purim is fast on its way!
What creative costumes can I come up with this year?
Who am I inviting for the Purim seudah?
What theme will the shaloch manos be this year?
We sometimes go overboard, focusing on the externals, that we often forget to ask ourselves:
- How am I preparing spiritually for Purim?
- How can I take advantage of this enormously kadosh day?
- How can I reduce stress and better manage my time?
The days leading up to Purim are so busy and hectic that some of us go into Purim completely drained and can’t wait for the chag to be over and clean up the whole mess.
- How do you want your Purim to look this year?
- What can you do differently to make this year’s Purim calm and meaningful?
Try the MoSCoW Analysis:
Must Have
Should Have
Could Have
Won’t Have
For example, my MoSCoW analysis might look like this:
What must I have for the Purim seudah? I must have bread to make hamotzi and wine.
What should I have? I should have meat/chicken or an alternative respectable main course.
What would be nice to have? It would be nice to have tasty side dishes and a yummy dessert.
And what can I cut out completely? I can probably cut out a few extra dishes and that extra dessert.
What must I have for the shaloch manos? I must have 2 ready to eat food items to bring to one person.
What should I have for the shaloch manos? I should have mishloach manos prepared for a few neighbors plus some extras.
What could I have for the shaloch manos? I could have a couple extra fancy ones for a few specific families.
What won’t I have? I won’t go overboard, spend a fortune, trying to impress the whole neighborhood.
You get the point…
By doing the MoSCow Analysis, you will save yourself time and keep your priorities straight so you can go into Purim with energy and the right mindset.
Purim Sameach!
Excellent pointers! Especially with Purim on Sunday this year, meaning no prep day before and a late Megilla, ideal to plan Shaloch Manos that dont need any or minimal assembly the night before. Same for last min costume and seuda prep. Planning ahead, even if not as fancy or detailed as you might like, will help to lead to a calmer mom and day. And you may even hopefully have some time to daven, it’s a very special day for Tefilla, especially for women.
Great post! Love the acronym.
I love this. I keep a list from year to year and update who I gave to. I stopped with the themes. Also anything that needs refrigeration takes too much time and space – either in the fridge or having to wait last minute to package it. I do wish that more blogs/bloggers/influencers would start off all the advertising they do with what the mitzvah actually is, I feel the posts about buying and making elaborate or expensive mishloach manot adds to the peer pressure.