No Special “Get out of trouble” Pass
By · CommentsOne of the reason people’s lives seem so un-simple, is because life in un-simple. But, most people expect things to run smoothly. And for the most part it does. More things go right than wrong in a day usually.
But, when we get stuck in traffic, someone we care for gets the flu or the computer dies we act astonished and indignant. How could this happen to me? We are totally unprepared.
It can be helpful to keep the perspective that bad stuff happens to everyone. And you do not have a special "Get out of trouble" pass.
Today when you meet up with annoyances and situations:
- Stop and breathe at least 5 breaths.
- Remind yourself this is just life being life.
- Let go of the, "Why me?" energy sinking thoughts.
- Decide what is the best way to fix it.
- Think of preventative ways to keep the chances of recurring to a minimum.
Let’s say you backed the car over a toy in the driveway. You would:
Stay in the car and stop and breathe. Remind yourself about life and let go of energy sinking thoughts.
Then you would get out of the car and assess the situation. If the toy is a wreck, throw it out. If the car is damaged, call the repair shop. Do what needs to be done without the why me stories.
Decide to implement an ‘everyone picks up their stuff in the driveway before coming in the house’ rule. And when you hear the kids come in, check outside until the habit is established.
Will it ever happen again? Maybe, but at least you are making the chances lower.
Life is not out to get you – it gets everybody.
Boy I had a real bad hair day!
Weekly Simplicity Tips
By · CommentsThis weekend a friend and I had a garage sale.
(see here for simple garage sale tips: http://www.mysimplerlife.com/blog/a-simpler-garage-sale )
It’s much more fun to have a garage sale with a friend. Gives you a chance to catch up.
1. Take breaks at work so you have energy when you get home for home care.
2. Honor your own tempo.
3. List what you are grateful for.
4. Give the world the gift of a relaxed, loving, joyful you.
5. Are you busy to gain approval?
6. Turn off the TV for a full day.
7. Spend 20 min. nurturing yourself.
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Simple Ways to Take Care of Yourself
I had a survey the other day, and this is the call idea that won the most votes. So this is the call we will start with, since I want to give you what you want.
There never seems to be enough time and all the magazines ask you to do things like exercise an hour a day, fresh squeeze your juice, and meditate 20 minutes morning and night.
We all want to be the best we can be, so what are some simpler, less time intrusive ways we can take care of ourselves – body, mind and soul?
Join me on this content rich call with ideas for making time to take care of yourself, feeling more energetic and centered, and getting rid of the guilt. Practical ideas not "no real person has time for that" ideas. You will also have time to ask questions for your own personal situation.
You will also get a pdf workbook so you can engage with the ideas that you connect with most.
Simple Ways to Take Care of Yourself call, recording and workbook is $7.
Sign up below to register for the call, recording and workbook.
(Make sure you click to confirm the email, so you get the phone details.)
Simple Ways to Take Care of Yourself $7
The 2010 Calendar
http://www.mysimplerlife.com/2010.htm
Sign up for the Declutter Calendar and Weekly Tips Here: http://www.mysimplerlife.com/decluttercalendar.htm
Time Management Program
By · CommentsIn my blog comments someone asked what time management system is right now. I tend to play around with them and move to a different system when I find I start getting huge backlogs. This allows me to get rid of to dos that I don’t want/need to do.
The system I am using right now is Lean Kit Kanban with a word doc.
My word document is filled with todos (also called the master list). Then on Sundays I place 5-10 to do’s under each day of the week (later in the week usually has less so I can add what comes up during the week.) I add things to the Word doc as it comes up either under a particular day or at the bottom for next week. I like word because I can add bold, different colors, etc. And I can add the whole email task if I want so I don’t have to search for it later. I add a deadline to the task if it has one. Very fast and simple.
If I’m not at the computer I put tasks in a little notebook I have and clear out in the evenings.
Then for Daily planning I use the Lean Kit Kanban. It’s a system that uses post it notes in columns like you would on a whiteboard. You can put whatever columns you want. I like To Do, Doing and Done. The To Do column has everything I want to do that day, including daily routine items. You can use different colored post its for different things.
For me:
- Dailies are blue
- Financials are green
- Different clients get different colors
- Personal is pinkish
- Blog is purple
- Projects are orange
The doing column never has more than 5 items, though I prefer 3 items. These are my highest priority for the moment. This ensures you don’t have too many works in progress at one time.
When they are done they get to go to the done column.
In the morning or the night before I move my dailies to the to do column, add anything from Google calendar, and whatever is in my word doc for the day. (Daily chores are in the chore chart which we do after dinner, so they aren’t in this system.)
Here’s part of my Kanban this morning:
You can read more about Personal Kanban 101 here.
I like this method because it is fast and is not complicated. It is easy to personalize.
Have you found a time management system that is working for you?
Weekly Simplicity Tips
By · CommentsMy daughter has been sick most of the week, so we spent much of the time indoors. She is feeling better so we are going blueberry picking today.
I want to create a call that will help you. Will you take 3 seconds and click in the poll which call you would like? You can pick more than one. And if I don’t have a call you want, you can add to the comments:
http://www.mysimplerlife.com/blog/what-call-would-you-be-interested-in
1.Celebrate savoring fresh strawberries or blueberries.
2. Go through your shoes.
3. Submit any rebates you have laying around.
4. Give away clothes that don’t fit.
5. Set up a day where you can stay in your pj’s all day.
6. Model the standard of politeness in your family or work.
7. Give away food you won’t eat to a food pantry.
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Energy for Joy Health Plan
Create healthy habits for a lifetime for $1 a week. Not sure? Download the first week at no charge:
http://www.encouragingcoach.com/programs-energyforjoy.htm
Are you tired too much of the time?
Have you just been going through the motions of life?
Are you overweight or not as healthy as you’d like to be?
Instead of "losing 10 lbs in one week", I have created a program where we work on creating healthy habits for a lifetime over three months. And it can be personalized to meet your needs. It is not a one size fits all approach.
Would you like to:
- Get through the blocks that keep you from healthy living
- Uncover your personal reasons for gaining energy
- Find the energy changes that work for you
- Discover ways to relax
- Have a spa evening
- Get better sleep and more?
This 3-month plan is a downloadable version with worksheets, checklists and logs to help you implement your new healthy habits. You can get the first week free:
Energy for Joy
http://www.encouragingcoach.com/programs-energyforjoy.htm
You can check out all my programs and courses here to help you with your goals this year:
The 2010 Calendar
http://www.mysimplerlife.com/2010.htm
Sign up for the Declutter Calendar and Weekly Tips Here: http://www.mysimplerlife.com/decluttercalendar.htm
What Call Would You Be Interested In?
By · CommentsFree Summer Fun
By · CommentsSummer is for fun – when we aren’t working, we can at least pretend to be in vacation mode.
Smoky Mountains, TN
But, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune like an amusement park. Here’s some free summer fun:
- Write, call or chat with a friend.
- See if there are free concerts in the park in your area.
- Go swimming in a lake with no entrance fees.
- Go on a picnic – take what you were going to make for lunch or dinner to a nearby park.
- Watch the stars – get skymaps.com.
- Cool off at the library. Most have summer reading programs going on. Ours has it for adults too.
- Color, draw or paint if you have the supplies.
- Go for a hike or walk.
- Bike a new trail if you have a bike.
- Learn the local flowers, plants and animals.
- Build a sandcastle.
- Go to the airport and watch the planes take off and guess where they are going.
- Take walks at night with friends or family.
- Some movie theaters offer free movies. Check your theater web site for days and time.
- Play Kick the Can or Ghost in the Graveyard.
- Check your paper for local festivals that are free. Zevents.com shows local events, some that are free.
- Volunteer.
- If you have the equipment – roller blade, croquet, badminton or volleyball.
- Play with the toys you have – bubbles, hula hoop, water guns, remote control cars. I am sure we all have toys that rarely get played.
- Many towns have Art in the Park where local artists display their artwork.
- See a sunset.
- Walk the boardwalk and people watch.
- Feed the ducks some stale bread.
- Make your own popsicles.
- Read outside.
- Check out which museums have free museum day.
- Play at the park.
- Go on a picture taking walk.
- Play board games or card games.
- Catch fireflies and set them free again.
What is your favorite free summer fun?
Finish Up
By · CommentsOne of the best habits to cultivate to create order in the home is finishing up.
I know when I am slacking off on this habit. All of the sudden a memory card is stuck in the computer, a camera on my desk, plates from lunch on the end table, 5 pairs of shoes on the floor, and grooming supplies on the bathroom counter.
It is sooo much easier and faster just to clean as you go. It’s a rarity now that I leave the house before everything is put back into the cabinets in the bathroom. I used to say I didn’t have enough time, but it take less than 30 seconds to put stuff back.
During the summer when the kids and I are all home, we try to do dishes throughout the day. We don’t have a dishwasher, so it can be long, hot chore if we wait until night to do them all. Not to mention, have you ever tried to clean the blender from a smoothie that you forgot to rinse out right away? Dishes are much faster and easier cleaned up right away.
To help you create this habit, you can start by looking at a room before you leave it. Before you leave the living room check for your purse, cups, shoes. Before you leave the kitchen take a look around and put things away. Don’t leave anything out when you are done with the bathroom.
You can do this when you are doing a task as well. Before you jump to a different activity, take all the pictures off that memory card, put the card back into the camera then put the camera away. When you are doing bills, put the paperwork, receipts and stamps back when you are done. Before you rush off to another task, check that you’ve finished what you were doing before.
Now, most people can’t do this all the time, but when you can your life becomes much simpler. Finishing up those tasks, putting things away when you are done and not leaving things sit will free up more time. Because then you aren’t always cleaning up old messes and hunting for things left where they shouldn’t be left.
Anything you need to finish up?
Love Affair with Life
By · Comments
Abrams Falls, Smoky Mountains we visited this June
Responsible adults often seem to have lost their love affair with life. In the cult of busyness there is no time for things that aren’t productive.
Like going on a nature walk. Singing with all your heart. Having a deep conversation with a friend for hours. Seeing the beauty in a sunset. Savoring a ripe strawberry.
But, aren’t these things what makes life more joyful and fulfilling? It’s not how many emails we can churn out, how clean the house is or whether we pulled an all nighter so the project could be done by the unrealistic deadline.
It’s being aware of the beauty around us and the people we live our lives with. Living life with purpose and meaning instead of finishing a to do list. Really tasting, smelling, hearing, seeing and touching the present moment. Not waiting for some future goal to be achieved.
What can make you fall more in love with your life today?
Weekly Simplicity Tips
By · Comments
- 1. Do something you love first thing in the morning.
2. What expectation is causing you frustration right now? Is there another way to look at it?
3. Find something to enjoy right now.
4. Go to bookmooch.com and trade books you don’t want.
5. Find 5 items that you can sell or give away.
6. Decide if you need all your current memberships.
7. What have you been learning lately?
Don’t just read the tips – schedule and do them.
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Can you picture a simplified life in your mind? In this one month course you will: Zap your energy drains ~ Clean up your environment ~ Create satisfying routines ~ Streamline your life ~ Learn how to slow down ~ Create boundaries ~ Carve out time for yourself ~ Simplify your errands ~ Manage your finances ~ Create a simple wardrobe ~ Connect with the people you love ~ Beat procrastination ~ Get a life instead of a lifestyle ~ Eliminate projects and to do’s and more!
You can check out all my programs and courses here to help you with your goals this year:
The 2010 Calendar
http://www.mysimplerlife.com/2010.htm
Sign up for the Declutter Calendar and Weekly Tips Here: http://www.mysimplerlife.com/decluttercalendar.htm
Riding as Meditation
By · CommentsAs a simple living educator I feel like I should be a big meditation person. But, sitting meditation has never worked for me. My mind rarely slows down the entire time.
But, I figured out how to slow my mind down. Motorcycle meditation.
The meditation is touch and go at the beginning. I feel the wind on my face and feel the bike and my husband in front of me. Then I see a sign for fresh produce ahead. "I wonder if they also have farm fresh eggs, it’s been a long time since we have them. I wonder if the boy who used to sell them at the farmer’s market is still there. I think I may have some egg cartons for him. I wonder what to wear to the party on Sunday."
Then the outside world stops my run-away thought process. Ooo horses. I am back to the scent of the lilacs, hesperia and lilies. I peek at the beautiful blue of the lake between the houses. The sky is light blue with the most interesting clouds. I’m back into the moment.
Until the Bass Park sign. I remember when we got stuck in the mud there and had to wait 45 minutes for the tow truck because it was surrounded by blood thirsty mosquitoes.
Then I see some gorgeous gardens and I am back into the moment.
Until my mind wanders off on planning a trip to the beach and adding to the grocery list.
Finally though there comes a point where I am totally in the moment, yet not thinking. I feel the wind. I smell the scents. I see the golden wheat. But I am not processing thoughts. I am meditating.
Lakeshore Drive
