Author Archive
The Friends and Family Plan
Posted by: | CommentsAs an introvert, I can go for months before I realize I haven’t connected with a friend or family member. Grandma has been known to say, "I can never get a hold of you."
So now in my calendar I have times to call my Mom, Grandma and Sister so I connect regularly.
I also have time on my calendar to plan time with friends. And I have a friends list where I keep people I want to keep in touch with. Don’t think you need a friend’s list? Have you ever realized a year has gone by and you haven’t gotten together with a friend? If people are important to you why not make it easier to stay connected?
This also helps with aquaintances that you would love to turn into friends. Studies show that the more people get together, the sooner they become closer friends. Even if it’s in a group. Who would you love to become closer with?
When we get busy, hanging out with friends is often the first thing to go. I like to have standing dates to get together with someone every other week for coffee. Or a monthly walking date with someone. It helps with the back and forth of planning time together.
And you can add friends to things you are doing anyway – exercising, eating, shopping, socializing after a meeting you have to attend.
For those of you already naturally sociable, how do you stay connected with the ones you love?
Whole Grain Storage
Posted by: | CommentsI took a nutrition class on whole grains and filled my cabinet with millet, quinoa, couscous, steel-cut oats. And now my cabinet had a bunch of bags of grains.
Before
The same Goodwill that I found the water bottle basket, I found a big, clear plastic tub. Perfect size for all my grains. Now instead of sorting through all the grains in the cabinet I pull down the tub and find the grain I want right away.
After
What needs containerizing in your cabinets?
Planning Valentine’s Day
Posted by: | CommentsJust a reminder to plan valentine’s day. Here are some ideas:
http://www.encouragingcoach.com/articles/plan-valentines-day.htm
Weekly Simplicity Tips
Posted by: | CommentsWelcome to this week’s Weekly Simplicity Tips. My husband and I got away this weekend to a hotel, just the two of us. Some much needed time together.
I’m also planning a trip to Washington D.C. in June with my daughter. Any suggestions of places to stay, restaurants to go to, and must see places? You can email me at .
- Make a list of ebooks, books and courses you are taking so you don’t forget any.
- Read some of those articles you clipped and write down any action steps.
- Be present and pay attention more often this week.
- Reflect on your year so far.
- Plan Valentine’s Day.
- Eat one less processed food a day.
- What have you been trying not to know about yourself or a situation?
Solutions
Declutter Calendar
I am so excited – the Declutter Calendar is now a real calendar! People have asked to have a calendar they can hang in their kitchen and now it’s here. They will only be available until February.
THE
LOVELY
DECLUTTER
CALENDAR
NOW AVAILABLE FOR ORDERING.
Make 2012 the best year yet and be more organized than ever before
with this day-by-day guide to decluttering your life! Order here: http://www.lalovelyink.com/Lovely_Declutter_Calenda.html
ONLY
$24.00
with FREE SHIPPING!
This calendar is brought to you by My Simpler Life & La Lovely Ink.
What Else?
Posted by: | CommentsI had enough of my broken necklace on my desk. So finally I got out the hot glue gun, plugged it in and fixed my clasp. Took less than 10 minutes.
Now I was on a roll, what else needed hot gluing? I hot glued the bird back on the fence of the decoration that is on my porch.
Then there was the piece of corkboard loose on my bulletin board and a rhinestone that had fallen out. I asked my daughter if she had anything she needed fixing. Round the house I went.
After 30 minutes, I had a multitude of items fixed that had been broken for months. And I had so much energy afterwards.
"What else?" has become a habit. If I have a hot glue gun out, I’ll ask what else needs fixing. If the vacuum is out, I’ll ask what else needs vacuuming. If I have the window spray, what else might need spraying. If I am trekking down into the basement, what else can go?
I save time doing it this way and I keep up with upkeep better.
This week, try asking, "What else?"
Decluttering Storage Areas
Posted by: | CommentsI used to think we needed to save the storage areas like the basement, attic and garage for last. But, I have been realizing that it’s helpful to at least get part of that area decluttered, so you have room to store things you find as you declutter. Plus it’s often easier to get rid of things in storage because you know it’s been a long time since you’ve used them.
If you have to get rid of things to make room in your home, things in storage are less valuable and less used than things in your living room or kitchen.
To keep yourself from going up and down the stairs as you declutter, make sure you have boxes for give away, keep, belonging to someone else and a bag for trash.
First, go through things not in boxes. These things have not been stored properly and may not even be useful now. You didn’t care enough about the object to keep it free from dust. Do you really still need it in your home?
Move on to the boxes not labeled. These are boxes you may not have opened for years. They are MISC. Go through them quickly getting rid of the obvious clutter. Consolidate what you can.
Go through seasonal as you put away the decorations each time. You’ll find you may not need 8 boxes of Christmas decorations. Just think what you could store in that space that you may use more than once a year.
Memorabilia is often the hardest. Photograph what you can. Or put them in scrapbooks. Decide how much of your present space you are willing to give to your past. 3 boxes? 5 boxes? Give yourself a limit. Keep a couple baby dresses, but not a whole wardrobe. Other children could be wearing them now if you give them away or sell them. Same with toys. You can hang memorabilia on walls. If it’s important to you, you may want to find a way to display it.
If you are storing your grown children’s stuff, it’s time to pick up the phone and have them get their stuff, if possible.
Don’t buy new storage boxes and shelving until you declutter. You may not need them after all.
Label any boxes you are keeping and keep like together ie gardening, memorabilia, holiday, camping, clothes, and tools.
I love using the basement as overflow storage. Things like cookie cutters, canning equipment and the yogurt maker can be stored there to free up room in the kitchen. Craft supplies stored in the basement can bring room to an office. Out of season clothing can be stored to make room in your closet and dressers.
But you can only do that, if you have purged the storage area of clutter you don’t like, will never use and is not in good shape anymore.
Weekly Simplicity Tips
Posted by: | CommentsWelcome to this week’s issue of Weekly Simplicity Tips. I’m very excited – the Declutter Group starts tonight. I have a few more spots open if you want to join. People have already started decluttering from the forum encouragement.
I had someone unsubscribe because they said they couldn’t see the pictures in this email. If you are in gmail what you do is look above the email to the blue text that says "Always display images from". Click that and you’ll be able to see the pictures.
- Get a shredder or empty out your shredder (thanks, reader Bonnie!)
- Clean off your computer desktop.
- How are you doing on the taxes?
- Slow down and have a real, cup of hot cocoa.
- Give your bedroom some romantic touches.
- If those plastic cups get lost in your cabinet. Try putting them in a long basket and place it so it takes up the least amount of room.
- Connect with a friend or family member.
Solutions
Declutter Calendar
I am so excited – the Declutter Calendar is now a real calendar! People have asked to have a calendar they can hang in their kitchen and now it’s here. They will only be available until February.
THE
LOVELY
DECLUTTER
CALENDAR
NOW AVAILABLE FOR ORDERING.
Make 2012 the best year yet and be more organized than ever before
with this day-by-day guide to decluttering your life! Order here: http://www.lalovelyink.com/Lovely_Declutter_Calenda.html
ONLY
$24.00
with FREE SHIPPING!
This calendar is brought to you by My Simpler Life & La Lovely Ink.
***
Are You Wasting Your Time if You Organize?
Posted by: | CommentsI was reading this article that claims yes you are wasting your time if you organize. It talks a lot about creating folders in gmail or just using the search feature. The search feature will save time.
I’ve seen pantry organization that looks like it belongs in a museum it’s so pretty. But, if you don’t have much time you might not want that as your goal. When it is you get stuck on, "My pantry just isn’t as lovely as theirs. I decluttered it and organized it and it still looks like a pantry." If it is usable that is the important thing right?
The same goes for complicated time systems. When the upkeep takes so much time, is it worth it?
I know people that are so particular in their filing that some files only have 1 or 2 pieces of paper in them. Broad categories are usually more efficient.
Where in your life has the quest for organization gotten out of hand? What is a simpler solution?
A Freer Year
Posted by: | CommentsAt the beginning of the year it feels like people are tight. This is the year they will be disciplined, focused and reach all there goals. Above all the regular activities of the day now they want to exercise an hour a day, do home cooked meals every night and stay productive 100% of the time during work.
The breathing is shallower. The jaw is clenched. The neck and shoulders are tense. You are popping more stomach calmers. Pressure is stifling.
And the sad part is, most of the pressure is put on by yourself.
What if we started with one small goal broken down in little parts. What one small action could you take towards one small goal?
Or you can even throw the goal out the window. Live in the present. When you make the present the better, than the future becomes better as well.
Freedom
(Me letting milkweed fluff go. Taken by Brea Dargis)
My word of the year last year was freedom. It helped tremendously in my decision making.
As I was looking at my options, I was asking, "Do I feel lighter, freer, looser?" "Or do I feel tighter, constricted and trapped?"
The freer choice is usually the one that is better for you, the option that comes from the soul. It’s based more on who you are and what is important to you.
The tighter choice usually means you are choosing based on ego, how people will think of you, on other’s expectations. And sometimes we do need to go that way, say on a work project. But, you can also ask further questions – how can I make this situation feel freer to me. Often it is the mindset. Saying "I am choosing to do this work project because I made a commitment to get it done" feels freer than, "I have to get this done and I’d rather be out playing."
Sometimes the freer option feels more open, but also scarier. Fear doesn’t make the option wrong. Often it means you are going in the right direction.
You can chose the freer option more than you think. Ask yourself if you are wavering, tilting towards the tighter choice, "Why am I holding back? What am I afraid of?"
I am wishing for you a freer year.
Wishland
Posted by: | CommentsI woke up this morning with a migraine. Again. I work with many clients with health issues that make it more difficult to simplify and organize. I empathize since I am down for the count about 4 times a month. And I know for many it’s a daily challenge.
I see people get caught up in wishland.
They remember when they were healthy and think, "If only I were well, than I could get things done." They concentrate on that thought so often that they lose energy before they even start on something. When you fight with reality you are the one that suffers.
It doesn’t have to be health either. I remember someone who kept saying, "If only Extreme Home Makeover would come to my home, than my problems would be over." That wish dominated her world and she did little to help herself.
Parents of young children can get caught up in how much more time they had before kids and now it’s "impossible" to get things done.
Life changes. Life can be difficult. But, living in wishland makes things worse by making you feel helpless.
Driving out of Wishland
So how do you get out of wishland?
The first thing to do is watch your thoughts. As soon as you start thinking about how much easier it was in the past or wishing it were better now, stop yourself. (It may help to have an alarm go off every 1/2 hour so you can check in with your thoughts until it becomes more habitual.)
Ask yourself:
- What is my body telling me right now? This morning my body told me to take Excedrin Migraine and go back to bed. I’m behind on my work now, but I can function. If I hadn’t listened I would have plowed through work, ending up with a bigger headache. And out of commission longer.
- What is my current situation – right now? Are my expectations realistic or based on a different time in my life? If you have fybro and it’s a bad day, don’t make your list impossible to do. Be gentle with yourself. If lots of time is taken with caring for an elderly parent, don’t cram more projects into your life.
- What one small step can I take to move forward? People keep emailing me saying how great the declutter calendar is because it breaks things down into such small steps they can declutter without a lot of time or energy. Most things can be broken down. Even five minutes a day can accomplish more than you think.
Make plans based on your current situation.
Work with your challenges instead of pretending they don’t exist or wishing things were different. If you know at 4pm every day you crash, plan for this as recovery time. If you know you only have 5 minutes max to do something because you have young kids, have a list of 5 min tasks on the fridge. If you have good days and bad days health wise see how many bad days you average a week and make your plans accordingly. Don’t plan your day based on an ideal day. Base it on an average day in your current life.
You may think you "need" to do more. You don’t like the limits placed on you.
What if you used those limits to narrow down what is most important to you? Recognizing those limits are opportunities to say, "Reading my child a story is more important than finishing the laundry." "This creative idea I have is more important than playing on Facebook." Wishing for a better day has you wanting to do everything even when you can’t. Then you feel badly about yourself and your life.
But consciously choosing what you have the time and energy for gives you an even more fulfilling life.
So at the end of the day, don’t look at what you could of, should of, would of done. Look at the loving moments. The fulfilling times. What you were able to do.
Where are you stuck in wishland? How can you create a more realistic and fulfilling plan for your life?
***
