"Getting organized is one of the top five New Year's resolutions people make."
~Standolyn Robertson, president of the National Association of Professional Organizers
Did you make a resolution to get organized this year? I think the majority of us make this resolution in one way or another. My resolution was to set up household routines and stick to them so that I can have more fun. Part of that will be getting things organized, so yeah, I made that resolution too. :) I can certainly understand why so many of us make these types of resolutions. The new year symbolizes a "fresh start." And our external environment is often a reflection of our internal environment - a cluttered home (or work space) reflects a cluttered mind.
Since January is National Get-Organized Month, I thought I would list some tips and tools for getting organized.
Lighten Up: Feng shui experts have found that well-lit areas tend to have less clutter. Look around your home and see if this is true for you. I know it is for me! If it's cloudy or dark in the house I feel like I can get by with doing less - I don't see the dust and mess as clear as I would if it were bright in the house. Add some brighter lamps, open up the curtains - let the sun shine in.
A Home for Loose Items: We all have these areas in our homes, they tend to be the hot spots - where we set all the little things that seem to float around the house (magazines, remotes, keys). Find a basket for each type of item so that it will have a home - other than the flat surface you are trying to keep clean.
Store items close to where they are used: Does your family play games in the living room? Set a nearby shelf or closet aside to store them. Do you craft? Think about setting up a crafting area near where you craft. Storing items close to where we use them increases the likely hood that they will be put away when we are finished with them.
Websites: There are a ton of organizational websites out there for your use. Here a few that I use on a regular basis.
Flylady - Creating routines, decluttering, cleaning by zones all 15 minutes at a time. Flylady's system is done using a Household Notebook. I personally love the notebook but I pick and choose what I use from the Flylady site. It doesn't all work for me.
My Messy House - I use this for my Weekly House Blessing (Flylady term). Flylady has WHB on hour a week, that's impossible for me no matter how hard I try. So I use the My Messy House plan to do my WHB one room (lucky room of the day) per day (Monday - Friday).
S.H.E.'s Organized - This is the home of Pam Young and Peggy Jones' Sidetracked Home Executives™ household management system. This is where I started. I am a proud SHE. This system is often referred to as being "in the box". It's set up with 3x5 cards and a box holder. I have incorporated a lot of Pam & Peggy's system into my Household Notebook.
Apps: I am sure there are a lot more apps and computer programs you can use for helping you get organized but here are just a few I use or have tried.
Google Calendar - You can use this in place of a household notebook. I also have a few friends that use Outlook instead of a notebook.
Cozi - This is a free online organizer (there is also a free mobile app). You can use it for appointments, lists, blogging and you can share with family members online too!
Home Routines - This an app for the itouch/iphone. This is one of my favorite organizational apps. I love this app. I have recommended this app to a few friends on Twitter too and they have loved it too. It is one app that is absolutely worth buying. One friend bought an itouch just to download this app. :)
Awesome Note - This is another app for the itouch/iphone/ipad. I just downloaded it this weekend and I love this app as well. There are so many things you can do with this app - it's amazing. It ranks right up there with the Home Routines app and I've only had it about 3 days.
So go have some fun getting organized this year! Remember this though - motivation follows action. Don't let yourself stop you from reaching your goals. Waiting for the motivation to strike or waiting until (insert whatever you are waiting for) often results in never reaching our goals. Vision what you want and then just go for it! Once you start working towards your goal, you'll be surprised how much motivation you will find to continue. Progress not perfection - life, organizing, loving ourselves -it's all a journey!
Do you have any tips or tricks for getting and staying organized? I'd love to hear them!
The word pretty is unworthy of everything you will be, and no child of mine will be contained in five letters.
“You will be pretty intelligent,
pretty creative,
pretty amazing.
But you, will never be merely 'pretty'.”
~Katie Makkai
I love listening to this poem by Katie Makkai. I have probably listened to it at least 10-15 times, since the first time I heard it. The words are so true. As women, society as a whole puts a lot of pressure on us to be pretty. I have never felt pretty as far back as I can remember and this poem helped me realize it's okay not to be pretty. It's more than okay. Why should I want to be just pretty? I am so much more than pretty. It's easy to get down on ourselves about our looks - I hope this poem will help you realize being 'pretty' isn't really as worthy of a goal as we might think in the moment.
I'm working on falling in love with myself. That means loving me for who I am and not what I think I look like. I know I am my own worst critic. I hope that if you need it, this post can help you work towards loving yourself more too. If we can't love ourselves how can we really love anyone else the way they should be loved? We owe it to ourselves to fall in love with ourselves.
Here we are at the start of a brand new year. I've been thinking about the end of 2010 and the start of a new year for a couple of weeks. There is something about a new year that is exciting to me. It's like an unopened book and I can't wait to see what is going to happen.
I don't know about you but every year I've set New Year's Resolutions only to fail the same day or to start off strong and fade off a few weeks later. This year I've decided to take a different approach. I'm going to set some intentions and keep in mind I have the whole year (and the rest of my life really) to make these intentions a reality. I'm really starting to understand that life really is a journey. I'm never going to fully arrive. You know what I mean? There is never going to be a day where I am able to say "okay, well I love myself enough now I don't need to work on that anymore". But to think that every day I can work on loving myself more and more; I can work on being a healthier me every single day; I can become a better mom & wife every day. Wow! What a journey this can will be!
Make good self-honoring choices when it comes to food
Practice mindful eating
*work on establishing a healthy relationship with food
Exercise for at least 20 minutes every day
*yoga *wii game *walk
Go to sleep at a reasonable hour (10pm Every day)
Spiritual Health
Make time for myself every day to take a hot bath or meditate
Read a book or watch a movie each week that inspires me to think, feel, or do.
Write morning pages
*Complete The Artist’s Way
Set a daily intention
Read morning message from Good Morning
Start a notebook with my favourite quotes
(Emerson instructed us to “Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your reading have been to you like the blast of triumph out of Shakespeare, Seneca, Moses, John and Paul.”)Personal Growth
Set up & follow household routines; so I will have more time for fun
Work towards establishing my self-worth/fall in love with myself
Date myself for 1 hour every week
Family Goals
Spend less time online in the evenings
Plan activities for us to do as a family for fun (1 day or evening a week)
*Dinner & a Movie *Local family outings *Family game night *Ask kids for ideas
Complete the 20 Days to Being a More Mindful Mother blog challenge
Relationship with Spouse
Complete the Love Dare
Plan time to spend together alone to concentrate on building our relationship
*Date night (out or at home)
Practice really listening without rushing to judgement
Practice communicating effectively
Goals for Fun!
Blog every day (either on main blog and/or one of the sub-blogs)
*Work on building my blog(s) *Comment on at least 5 blogs every day *Set up a blog routine & be able to have blogs in draft for future posting
365 Project – take a picture daily & put on Flicker
Craft – Set aside time each week to create
*get enough stuff made up to open up an etsy.com store Financial Goals
Create & Follow a budget
Think about money in abundance
Business Goals
Enter accounting weekly
Set up monthly in-store classes
Create website for the store
Be more active on social networking sites
Did you set any new year intentions? I'd love to hear about them! Happy New Year!!
Why compare yourself with others? No one in the world can do a better job of being you than you. ~Unknown
Yesterday I spent a good portion of my day going through and reading all the Mamavation Sistahood posts for this week. As I was reading everyone's successes and perceived failures I started thinking about how I would have reacted 4 short months ago. I would have been thinking "oh why can't I stick with my diet the way ___ can?", or "why can't I have the willpower that ____ did?", or "why can't I stick with exercise the way that ____does?", or even "why can't I lose weight as fast as _____ is losing weight?" All of those questions that would end up making me feel like I was a failure. When the truth was I was doing the best I could with the tools and knowledge that I had at the time. The truth was that I was being the best me that I could be at that time.
It just breaks my heart thinking that one of you might be sitting at home today comparing yourself to someone else. I want you to know that there is nothing wrong with you. Even if you are overweight, like I am - that weight has served a purpose for you. The food that you are eating is serving a purpose. For the last 10 years food has helped me deal with feelings. It's hard feeling the feelings when you don't know how deal with all or those emotions or not knowing how to take care of your needs and food was my comfort - even if the comfort was only temporary, because the negative self-talk soon followed. But still I was doing the best I could to manage my life with the tools and knowledge that I had, and so are you!
How much time do we spend comparing ourselves to others? Measuring our successes, health, willpower, determination, wealth, or beauty? What good can that do? We have no idea the exact circumstances of anyone else’s life. We cannot understand their shoes - we have not walked in them. And at the end of the day, “No one in the entire world can do a better job of being you than you.”
The problem with comparing ourselves to others and wanting approval from other people or comparing our successes and failures to others, is that you let others control how you feel in life. In order to be empowered we should only compare ourselves to ourselves. In doing this though it's important to be compassionate with ourselves too. Accepting ourselves as being good enough just the way we are. We should try to remember that everything that has happened in our life has brought us to where we are right this minute.
The world would certainly be boring if we were all clones of one another. Don't envy other’s successes or their efforts. Instead, cherish who you are and your unique offerings to our world. There is a beauty and uniqueness that only you can offer the world.
Today I hope that you can find some acceptance and love for yourself, because you are worth it!
I just know your life's gonna change
Gonna get a little better
Even on the darkest day
I just know your life's gonna change
Gonna get a little further
Right until the feelings change
So, is this how it goes?
Think you've come this far with nothing to show
That ain't so, no
You don't see where you are
And if you don't look back you know you'll never know
Cause you think that you've been living, just treading water
And waiting in the wings for the show to begin
But I always see you searching
As you try that bit harder
Getting closer, oh yeah, to the life you're imagining
[chorus]
(I just know your life's gonna change)
Maybe not today, maybe not today
Some day soon you'll be all right
(I just know your life's gonna change)
Don't turn the other way, turn the other way
Feels like luck is on your side
(Just wanna live)
No worries, no worries
(Don't wanna die)
No worries, no worries
(Fight through the lows)
Say it for me, say it for me,
(And take all the highs)
We all need somebody
(Yeah we can sink)
No worries, no worries
(Or can you swim)
No worries, no worries
(Or walk on out)
Say it for me, say it for me,
(Or jump right in)
We all need somebody
So, baby keep drifting on
Your endeavours ain't just selfless wasted time
Seek and find, yeah yeah
You're not that far from what you've hoped and wished for all along
Cause you think that you've been living, just treading water
And waiting in the wings for the show to begin
But I always see you searching
As you try that bit harder
Getting closer, oh yeah, to the life you're imagining
[chorus]
I just know your life's gonna change
Say it for me, say it for me
We all need somebody
Oh this song! I love it so much. I have no idea when was the first time I heard it. A few months ago when I started working on myself with the Weight-Release Program, this song came rushing back to me. "I just know your life's gonna change." And oh my gosh! Has my life ever changed and the most amazing thing is that it's changing every single day. I'm creating the life I've always dreamed of having with the tools and support from this program. Certainly I am doing the work, but just like the song says "We all need somebody" - I've really had some great support on my journey; from my husband to complete strangers that I now consider to be dear friends.
Do you have a song that has really meant a lot to you as you've gone through your journey? I'd love for you to share it with me in the comments.
What everyone wants from life is continuous and genuine happiness. ~Baruch Spinoza
I'm sure we've all said it or at least thought it...I know I'll be happy when I lose 25 lbs, I know I'll finally be happy when I get this job, or I'll for sure be happy when....and the list goes on. What we fail to realize is that external things really won't make us happy. Well, they might for a little bit but fairly soon the happiness starts to fade and we are off searching for the next thing to make us happy. I believe for us to find and experience true happiness; which is more of a fulfilling experience we have to look within ourselves.
In the book she outlines twelve intentional activities that can help us create a life of true happiness. I want to share those twelve things with you here today and my thoughts on them. If you want to find out more about the research supporting the advice you'll have to buy or borrow the book.
1. Expressing Gratitude - This is more than just saying "thanks". It's an attitude of gratefulness. She suggests keeping a gratitude journal and once a week expressing our gratitude for 3-5 positive things in our lives.
2. Cultivating Optimism - One way to do this is to write about your future story where everything turns out the way you want it to, for 20 to 30 minutes. This future story could be anywhere from 1 year to 10 years away.
Another way to practice this is by replacing a negative thought pattern with something positive. You don't have to believe it to say it, but keep saying it and you will begin to believe it.
3. Avoiding Over-thinking and Social Comparison - I do this often; thinking about a situation compulsively and what I "could have" or "should have" done differently. Thinking about how so&so is so much better at something than I am.
There are several ways to avoid this type of behavior
Distract yourself
Think of the bigger picture - will this matter in a year?
4. Practicing Acts of Kindness - Genuinely do something kind for someone. This can be as simple as a compliment or a random act of kindness. For RAK ideas check out Kind Over Matter.
5. Nurturing Social Relationships - Set aside time each week to just be with the people that are important in our life. By be I mean really being present with them and focusing on the time together - try not to allow ourselves to become distracted.
6. Developing Strategies for Coping - Write in a journal for 15 minutes a day about any painful experience in your life. This can be anything - a major trauma or just something drama in your life. By writing in a journal it helps to clear our minds and make sense of it. I actually try to practice this one daily and I can assure you that it does help over time. Sometimes I have to keep writing about the same situation to really get to the truth of it but it does help eventually.
7. Learning Forgiveness - This does not mean we have to forgive and condone their behavior, it's simply choosing to it let go. One way to practice this is try looking at the situation from the other person's viewpoint. Be empathetic. This is a difficult one for me and I consciously try to practice breathing and reminding myself to "just let it go".
8. Increasing Flow Experiences - This is anything that keeps you involved in the present moment. Something where you lose track of time; "get into the zone" as some people call it. When you find an activity that does this for you - do it and do it often. One thing I like to use to increase Flow is scrapbooking. I can get started on that and before I know it a few hours have gone by and I've really enjoyed every moment of it.
9. Savoring Life’s Joys - This is an easy one that she suggests we practice two or three times a day. It's about enjoying the simple things in life - stopping to smell the roses, really enjoying that cup of coffee. Sometimes the small stuff does matter - as long as it's positive.
10. Committed to Goals - This can be any goal you want, it doesn't matter how big or small - as long as it's important to you. Then pursue it with passion!
11. Practicing Religion and Spirituality - For some people practicing religion is an important part of their life and it helps them recover, improves their health and generally makes them happier. Religion and spirituality are not equivalent though; you can certainly practice spirituality without practicing religion. One simple way would be spending time each day reading a book with a spiritual theme.
12. Taking Care of Your Body - Here are two strategies she suggests - there are more in the book.
Physical Activity - Find something you enjoy doing and just do it for 30 minutes nearly every day. This isn't supposed to be a punishment or torture for you...the key is enjoy it. I love to swim. If I could swim every single day this would be the physical activity I would do the most.
Meditation - I can honestly say this practice made a huge difference in my life. In my happiness level and my general outlook on life has been improved through daily meditation.
Do you practice any of these Happiness Activities in your life daily now? If so, what ones do you practice or what ones have you received the most benefit from?
Do it, now
You know who you are
You feel it in your heart
And you're burning with ambition
But first, wait
Won't get it on a plate
You gonna have to work for it
Harder and harder
And I know
Cause I've been there before
Knocking on the doors
With rejection (rejection)
And you'll see
Cause if it's meant to be
Nothing can compare
To deserving your dreams
CHORUS:
It's amazing
It's amazing
All that you can do
It's amazing
Makes my heart sing
Now it's up to you
Patience, now
Frustration is in the air
And people who don't care
Well it's gonna get you down
And you'll fall
Cause you will hit a wall
But get back on your feet
And you'll be stronger
And smarter
And I know
Cause I've been there before
Knocking down the doors
Won't take no for an answer
And you'll see
Cause if it's meant to be
Nothing can compare
To deserving your dreams
CHORUS 1x
Don't be embarrassed, don't be afraid, don't let your dreams slip away.
Don't be scared of using your gift -- everybody has a gift.
Never give up, never let it die,
Trust your instincts, and most importantly...
You've got nothing to lose, so just go for it!
CHORUS 2x
I heard this song for the first time probably a year ago. It was on a playlist that I downloaded and it was only recently that I really heard it. Since then it has become one of my favorite motivational songs. I love to listen to this song particularly when I am jogging. I've always wanted to be a runner and it's only been in the last month and a half or so that I've actually decided to work on that. I'm far from being a runner yet, but this song helps me get through when I don't want to go any more. I especially love the last verse of the song - Those are words to live by!
Are you letting something hold you back from going for your dreams? Just go for it! Remember you are amazing!
Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind;
and the third is to be kind. ~Henry James
Choose being kind over being right, and you'll be right every time.
~Richard Carlson
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion. ~Dalai Lama
This morning I stumbled on the Pledge to be a Kind-Hearted Blogger at em jay and me. When I read the pledge I knew that I wanted to be a part of this, and help spread kindness through my words across the internet.
AS A KIND-HEARTED BLOGGER I PLEDGE TO:
create, inspire, and admire rather than compete with fellow bloggers
be understanding of each other-- in the blogging community, as well as in the world
stay away from internet/blogging bullying
speak my opinion freely, while still being mindful of other's feelings-- be tactful.
make an effort--no matter how big or small the gesture, to spread kindness or joy to others
acknowledge that I will make mistakes, (I am only human) but remember to learn from them
know that at times I will post about the negative stuff in life, and maybe even some complaining (I am only human) but I will always follow up with something happy/positive too.
believe that this world is a good place, filled with good people.
My own additions to the pledge:
I will be compassionate and non-judgemental
I will speak with integrity – use my words in a direction of love and truth.
I won’t make assumptions – I will communicate as clearly as I can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama.
I encourage you to take the pledge to be a kind-hearted blogger as well. After all kindness is all that matters!
Try not to do too many things at once. Know what you want, the number-one thing today and tomorrow. Persevere and get it done. ~ George Allen
The first week of August is National Simplify Your Life Week! It’s an official, yet little known observance that encourages you to organize and de-clutter your life. Ohio State University Extension suggests that you do something each day of that week to reduce the stress in your life and start enjoying life more.
Day 1: Make romance an important part of your daily life by identifying what your partner considers to be romantic. Do you have date night with your partner? This is a great way to reconnect and you don't have to spend a lot of money or any to do this.
Day 2: Read Life’s Little Relaxation Book for some super ideas on how to start savoring life - it’s not as hard as you think.
Day 3: Get soaked! Add some essential oils to your bath. The warm water will release a super-relaxing scent. Enjoy!
Day 4: Keep an artificial long-stemmed rose on your desk, dashboard, or kitchen counter to remind yourself to stop and smell the roses. Better yet, buy yourself a bouquet of real flowers this week - you deserve it!
Day 5: Think of something that would be a total waste of your time. Then do it!
Day 6: Put on your favorite music, then sing and dance like no one is watching.
Day 7: Get out of your rut: eat breakfast in the evening, turn the TV off, start a new hobby
When I read about National Simplify Your Life Week it seemed so timely. Lately the amount stress in my life has tripled. While I'm happy to be doing what I am doing; learning to cope with the new stress is sometimes challenging. This was a great reminder to remember to create some each day to reduce stress in my life.
These are just seven suggestions, but be creative and come up with some of your own. There are tons of ways we can simplify our lives daily. If we practice it then maybe we won't feel so stressed and we can enjoy life just a little more.
Do you have other ideas on how to simplify life? Please share your ideas to help others simplify their lives by leaving a comment below!
"Those who have found tranquility are calm and pleasant to be with." ~ Zen saying, excerpted from, A Thousands Paths to Tranquility
Since our day is largely dependent on how we begin our mornings, I try to give myself some extra time to calmly organize and plan for my day. I try to be out of bed thirty to ninety minutes before anyone else is up. This give me time to center, sort, and get in the right mindset to face the day. I do some positive reading, I write my morning pages, affirmations & daily intention, go for a walk or other exercise and get my shower.
I'm trying to ease myself into getting up even earlier so that by the time school rolls around again, I'll be in the habit of getting up nice and early to have my quiet time. I know that it will be much easier to wake up my kids with a smile and a compliment if I've have had a cup of coffee and a chance to center myself. Morning should be a pleasant time, not a mad dash and scramble to get everyone directed down their path for the day. I know that everyone (including me) will feel so much better, by getting a confident and calming send-off first thing in the morning. There is no worse feeling than having sent the kids off to face their day with a grumpy mom in the morning; this is my way of trying to avoid that.
I decided to write about it this morning because I really need the reminder. Starting work full time, working on some other projects that I'm very passionate about, plus caring for my family and our home; it's important for me to remind myself that I want to take care of me so that I am better able to do all the things I want to do.
Do you spend some time in the morning just taking care of you and getting centered for the day? If, not I encourage you to try it. Start out with just 15 minutes and gradually increase the time if you want to. I bet you'll be amazed at how much smoother your morning and your families morning will be.
“Thoughts are energy. And you can make your world or break your world by your own thinking.”
~ Susan L. Taylor
Positive thinking (even when it is difficult to do or done halfheartedly) has the power to change how we feel and impact those around us.
I used to think that negative motivation would change my behavior(I didn't think it was negative then - I thought I was just being real). You know how it works, fail at dieting day two and I would tell myself what a failure I was; I was such a loser I couldn't even exercise every day for a week. In doing the Weight-Release process, I learned about positive thinking and actually applying it to my life. When I first started talking back to my negative thoughts with positive thoughts I really didn't believe them, but over time my negative talker has started to quiet down. Now my first thought isn't always something negative and I have noticed that not only has my own attitude changed, but so has my outlook on the world.
If you notice you are more of a negative thinker than a positive one; I challenge you to try thinking something positive for every negative thought for a few days. See if it makes a difference for you. I bet you'll be surprised at the change in how you feel.
Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?
When you cry be sure to dry your eyes
'Cause better days are sure to come
And when you smile be sure to smile wide
Don't let them know that they have won
And when you walk, walk with pride
Don't show the hurt inside
Because the pain will soon be gone
And when you dream, dream big
As big as the ocean blue
'Cause when you dream it might come true
When you dream, dream big
When you laugh be sure to laugh out loud
'Cause it will carry all your cares away
And when you see, see the beauty all around and in yourself
And it'll help you feel okay
And when you pray, pray for strength
To help you carry on
When the troubles come your way
And when you dream, dream big
As big as the ocean blue
'Cause when you dream it might come true
When you dream, dream big
When you laugh be sure to laugh out loud
'Cause it will carry all your cares away
And when you see, see the beauty all around and in yourself
And it'll help you feel okay
And when you pray, pray for strength
To help you carry on
When the troubles come your way
And when you dream, dream big
As big as the ocean blue
'Cause when you dream it might come true
When you dream, dream big
I heard this song for the first time yesterday. Since then I've played it a few times and I often find myself thinking about the lyrics. I especially like the line that says "And when you see, see the beauty all around and in yourself". Little reminders like this are so helpful to me at this point in my journey. I'm discovering how to love myself and to see that I am beautiful, so I feel it's important to surround myself with reminders like this. And the message about dreaming big - Yes! Dream big! I'm dreaming big every day. I'm dreaming I can change the world - I think that's about the biggest dream around. And I am changing my world every day. You can too - Dream Big.
I love this song and I wanted to share it with you in case you haven't heard it yet. Give it a listen and go Dream Big.
Do have a favorite song that speaks to you? ☮peace.♥love.☺joy
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