Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Infiltrate a hostile and complex facility, retrieve the package, and get out unscathed. Sound familiar? You guessed right – I’m talking about Christmas shopping at the mall in December. Nightmare scenario. You will probably have to do some holiday shopping this year and, unless you’re an early-bird and you’ve already finished you’re shopping (jerk), the situation is getting trickier by the day. A lot of this may seem like common sense, but I assure you that most people will do exactly the opposite and waste time, money, and energy in the process. Follow the advice in this article and you just might make it out alive.

A Clear Mission Objective

In Casino Royale, James Bond had to defeat an opponent in a high-stakes poker game to force him into clemency. In Mission Impossible 3, Ethan Hunt needed to break into a secure building and steal a device called “the Rabbit’s Foot”. What did both of them have in common? A clear and specific goal to their mission. Agent Hunt did not sling-shot himself from one rooftop to another and break into the building to browse and see if there were and WMDs worth stealing – he knew exactly what he needed, ignored the rest, got in, and got out. Mission accomplished. This is how you should think about your holiday shopping list: Be extremely deliberate and thoughtful with your time and actions, and have a clear goal. If you go into a shopping mall with the goal of “shopping for family members,” you will waste hours perusing the stores seeking inspiration OR you will purchase a bunch of crap that your family members will politely smile about and never use. It’s the difference between trying to fit a gift to the person versus trying to fit the person to a gift. Example: My awesome Mom will, despite my age, occasionally buy me clothing that she thinks I could use or would like. When she happens to pass something that’s on sale and buys it for me, it’s hit-or-miss as to whether I’ll like it (though I’ll admit she has a pretty good success rate). Last Christmas, on the other hand, my Mother was on a mission to get me a new leather jacket to replace an old tattered one that I just couldn’t let go of yet. The result? I ended up with a totally badass, warm black leather jacket that goes with a t-shirt just as well as it does with a shirt and tie. Mission: Accomplished. Thanks, Mom!

SuperSelf Tip: Do yourself a favor, and spend some quiet-time brainstorming gift ideas for the people on your holiday list BEFORE going to the store. Your wallet, watch, and gift recipients will thank you.

Defining the Worst-case Scenario

Every mission has an objective and a risk of failure; holiday shopping is no different. You might obtain the required gifts or you might strike out and walk away empty-handed after hours of sifting through the shelves and aisles. Either way, it’s important to know what your goal is and what will happen if you totally strike out so that you’re prepared (or at the very least, not surprised). I used to go Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve as a tradition, and one time I got home late enough to upset my family. Oops. With all of the odds stacked against me, I should have known that I was playing with fire and would eventually get burned by a traffic jam or an excessively-long line at the cash register. Not only did I get home later than I promised, I was extremely anxious and irritable on the trafficky drive home. Road rage on Christmas Eve? No thanks. If I had expected to hit traffic and long lines and take three times longer than usual to complete my mission (instead of assuming that the planets would align for me and everything would be fine), I would have been mentally prepared for the long lines and traffic (and less stressed). I also would’ve left the mall earlier. Finally, I had a couple pending gift purchases for people I wouldn’t see until New Years Eve and I was killing myself to find the gift before Christmas just in case Santa came by to do an audit. Was that payoff worth the risk? Nope. Some missions should just be aborted.

SuperSelf Tip: Know that you might fail, have reasonable expectations, and have a backup plan if possible. If you’re in a tight spot, make sure you don’t do anything stupid that might jeopardize time with your family or your budget. Avoiding this avoids stress.

Using your Mission Intelligence Effectively

Assuming you’ve defined your goals for a December trip to the mall, it’s time to lay out what you know about the scenario. The parking situation will suck. There will be a LOT of people. There will probably be lines. Product availability may be an issue. There will probably be traffic. You will probably encounter at least one overly-stressed mother with a screaming child dragging behind her. These are things that you know and use. James Bond expects to be shot at when he goes into enemy territory, so he doesn’t lose his cool when the first shot is fired. The Black Widow knows that she will not have an extraction plan when she goes on a mission, so she doesn’t freak out when she finds herself all alone in a foreign country with a manhunt on her tails. If you expect to coast through normal traffic and find a parking spot within three rows of the door to the food court, you will likely be disappointed and upset by your reality. Be smart, and be prepared:

• The parking situation will suck: Park far away from the mall entrance to avoid most of the chaos, or budget extra time. Expect the chaos and stay calm – Santa hates angry drivers.
• Product availability may be an issue: Brainstorm multiple gift possibilities for the people on your list.
• You will probably encounter an overly-stressed mother with a screaming child: Remember that patience is a good thing. Tell her how cute the kid is to remind her to smile. Hold the door for her. Moms have it the hardest at Christmas time, so remind yourself to cut them some slack.

Have a Holiday Plan of Attack

If the Mall is an enemy compound, your route should be well thought-out and effective. Think about the gifts you need, the locations of the stores in the mall, and the best way to get through. Know a shortcut? Use it. If you find yourself passing the same store multiple times, you’re wasting YOUR time. If you’ve got a solid two-hour mission ahead of you, eat beforehand or work the food court into your route. If you’re like me and you lose steam after about an hour, force yourself to fight for survival by starting with the stores FARTHEST from where you parked so you have to work your way back. I used to always park at the food court entrance, which was the stupidest because it was the busiest and I was tempted to buy something to eat/drink before AND after shopping. Parking outside of the least-popular department store entrance proved far easier once I wised up. Got a plan? Stick to it – don’t get distracted or you might accidentally lose 20 minutes playing around in the Apple Store without realizing it.

Divide and Conquer: Co-op Missions

If you find yourself with a companion on your mission, consider the lists before going into the fray. Married couples will likely have collaborated on gift lists for friends, family, and the kiddos. If you tackle the entire list together, prancing around the mall while holding hands, it might take you four hours of usable time for a two-hour trip to the mall (2 hours for him + 2 hours for her = 4 total hours of shopping time). If you divide the list and each take half, you can complete the mission in half the time (1 hour for him + 1 hour for her = 2 hours). One approach is clearly smarter than the other, if feasible. Time is precious in December – if you’re really concerned about being ‘together,’ get the shopping done in half the time and go out to dinner together with the extra time you saved.

The Online Assault

Shopping on Amazon.com does not exempt you from this stuff. You can waste hours browsing holiday deals and buy a bunch of crap if you don’t have a clear idea of what you’re shopping for. Have a backup plan, batch your shopping on fewer sites to save on shipping and take advantage of discounts, divide and conquer with a spouse if possible, leave extra time for shipping and be mindful of inclement weather and where you’re going to be when the package is delivered.

That’s all, folks!  Try to exercise some of these tips on your next shopping mission and remember – be extremely purposeful with your time and energy.  Happy Holidays!

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