Category: Organized Family

Give Wonderful Gifts, Not Clutter!

1 Comment

Some years, I struggle with gift-giving, mainly because I don’t want to add to someone’s clutter!  So here are some ideas to keep your gift-giving personal and awesome and Clutter Free!

  1. Give an activity, as my friend and fellow organizer Emily Smith suggested last week.  Offer experiences, not stuff.  And actually schedule the experience, so your loved-one is more apt to follow up (checking their calendar first, of course).  We bought my dad concert tickets last year, for a specific event.  A few years ago, my hubby bought me a spa gift certificate for Mother’s Day.  He checked my calendar, booked the appointment, then took that day off of work so I wouldn’t have to rush home for parent duties.  Awesome.
  2. Don’t underestimate simple, personal gifts.  I have a tray of rocks.  Yes, rocks. They’re garden variety rocks, with words written on them in a gold sharpie.  Basic and not terribly exciting on the surface, right.  But they came from a good friend, with an explanation, based on the book the 12 Ways of Christmas, and are one of my personally prized Christmas decorations.  They are in a pretty tray on my dresser.
  3. Give a tradition.  Last Christmas, I received a special occasion place setting from TP, a friend / client.  In TP’s family, you receive a special occasion table setting when you are old enough to appreciate it, and you can use it when you choose.  For yourself, or for a loved one on their special occasion like Mother’s Day or birthdays or graduations.  TP had told me about her family’s tradition when we worked together in her home, so I was moved and blessed when she gave me my own.  It came protected in a pretty hat box, and she told me why she chose the pattern and colors for me.  So wonderful.  And I think about starting the tradition in my family, too.
  4. Give something personal, with a note.  I help many people downsize.  Sometimes the client sets aside an item to give to a loved one later or upon their passing.  I always encourage my client to write a note to the recipient, explaining why the item is important, a little about the history of the item, and why the giver chose to leave it to the recipient.  Let your gift recipient know why they and the gift are special.
  5. Give the gift of Organization:  Gift giving is about the receiver, not the giver.  And using gift-giving as an opportunity to fix a perceived flaw in someone is rather rude.  “Here, honey, I got you some workout DVDs because you should exercise more” is totally about your opinion, not your loved one.
    All of that being said, sometimes our loved ones would like to be more organized, or could use inspiration from us to use their space and stuff better and live a more streamlined life.  So, here are a few ideas to pair beautiful function with good intentions.
    • Just read about this, Stick N Find (found on Smead Organomics) – you can use GPS and blue tooth technology to attach trackers to often-lost-things, to help you find them again
    • An “Ish” Hook: Find a unique and beautiful hook to mount on a wall or over a closet door.  The gift recipient can use it to hang up tomorrow’s clothes, or as a hook to hang up their ‘clean-“ish”’ clothes for another day.
    • A counter top charging station
    • A decorative and perhaps non-breakable (like wood or leather or acrylic) bowl for your loved one to place near the door for their cell phone, car keys, lip gloss, wallet, and whatever else goes in and out of their pockets when they go through the door.

Hope this provides some un-cluttered last minute gift ideas!  Merry Christmas!

Healthy Time Management: 10 tips in 5 Minutes or Less

breakfast2The Holidays are a wonderful time of year!  Unless you come down with a cold or flu, and then you’re miserable, regardless of the decorations and parties.  Your best time management would be to not get sick or rundown this time of year, right?!

I worked with a very wise client today – one of the first goals she mentioned is “making time for self care around the holidays”.  Awesome!!!

Make room in your schedule for these healthy habits.  Use your time better, be organized and less stressed, feel and live better.

  1. Drink a large glass of ice-cold water every morning when you wake up, to stay hydrated and boost your metabolism.
  2. Make a habit (maybe buy a pill sorter?) to regularly take your medications and supplements – with breakfast?  Dinner?  At bedtime?  Just make the habit.
  3. Clean out your briefcase, stand straighter and travel lighter.  Clean out the backpack, handbag, etc.  Pare down to what you really need.
  4. Strapped for time in the morning?  Grab a healthy and portable breakfast, like an apple and granola bar, on your way out the door.
  5. Pack your lunch – saves money, saves time, is much healthier!
  6. Every week, grab an antibacterial wipe and wipe down your computer area, keyboard, desk phone and cell phone.  And if you or people around you are sick, do it every day!
  7. Grab your calendar, and make your medical appointments for your annual physical and screenings, and twice annual dental visit.
  8. Take the stairs / park farther from the door
  9. Floss.
  10. Go to bed.  Early.  You know you want to, so just go to bed!  You’ll feel better, be more productive and more positive tomorrow!

Use your time better, feel better, live better – Enjoy!

5 Tips for the Wake Up / Clean Up / Eat Up / Get Out Process!

I recently read this blog article, “20 Unproductive Habits You Should Let Go“, and this was #10:

“#10:  Not having structure.  You don’t need to set a rigid schedule for yourself, Sergeant Crazy! Creating a general morning and evening routine will give you creative pillars to depend on so you can take more risks throughout the day.”

I l-o-v-e this statement. – imagine, general morning and evening routines give us a base for operating more fearlessly throughout the day.  Awesome!

There once was a teenager who abandoned her routine on days off.  Sleeping late, eating irregularly, not showering or getting ready as usual.  Sounds pleasant enough, until sleeping and eating late caused migraines, and not-getting-ready meant that she couldn’t be spontaneous or on time when she made plans with friends.

We can see the trouble so easily with the teenager, but fast-forward this scene to adulthood.  We all know, and may even occasionally be, the late sleeper, irregular eater, unwashed masses or non-routine person, which is fine once in a while.  But most days require us to get up and moving.  And a little planning can make morning time and anytime flow smoothly, providing both strength and structure, and flexibility and creativity.

Here are some tools and tips to make the wake up / clean up / eat up / get out process go better.

  1. Make it your Own.  Wake up early and do yoga or write.  Wring every ounce of sleep from your pillow and sleep late.  I won’t judge.  But if you tend to sleep late, minimize your shower routine, lay out your clothes the night before, and grab granola bars and apples for a portable breakfast.  Don’t let me tell you what to do, do what you want.  Just plan ahead.
  1. If you’re in charge, Focus!  Eyes on the goal, Mom or Dad!  The Goal for the Morning Routine is  getting everyone to school / work prepared and on time! I get up and shower by 6, so everyone else can stick with their routines.  But early morning focus and motivation are often lacking!  So I have to look past my pillow, or my IPad for email and Facebook, or my work and to-do list, or even the novel I was reading in bed last night.  Some mornings require lots of internal reminders and hard-won discipline, but I must keep my eyes on the goal to get us where we need to be when we need to be there.
  1. Make it a Team Effort: Whenever I present to parents, I encourage a team approach and asking for collaboration from children when establishing morning routines.  We all want to feel that our opinion matters, and that we have control over our situation.  Set the examples, and discuss what needs to happen and how.
  1. Keep it Simple. It may sound counterintuitive, but if you are maxed out, keep morning chores to a minimum and just cover the basics.  I have a bad habit of loading too many things into my morning: juggling wake up times with drop off times, fitting in writing and emails and billing and scheduling around drop-offs, drop-ins, laundry and spelling words occasionally makes me me crazy.  So I try to limit my work tasks before 8:30 to bare essentials.  As a self-employed business owner with a non-traditional schedule, that’s a challenge, but I try!
  2. Slack off occasionally, but still stick with routine:  Even on days off, I still get up early, shower and get ready.  So when the little guy asked to get donuts at 7:15, the answer was yes!  We could have fun and be flexible over a box of munchkins and a bagel because we had stuck to our routines.

So, rise and shine, give your morning routine some thought and Get Going!!  Have a great day!

Scared of your Late Afternoon? Conquer the Witching Hour!

witch hatAround our house, we call the 3pm to dinner-time span the Witching Hour.  I find that time of day the most challenging.  At work, my energy and focus lag in the late afternoon.  At home, the kids arrive home from school hungry, and tired but wired.

We struggle to strike a balance between: warm, welcoming and relaxing; and the business of our lives, dinner, homework and getting back out the door for evening activities.

So, if you find the late afternoon a challenge, too, here are some ideas to make it a little less evil….

  1. Take a moment or two when your energy starts to lag, and refocus your brain and energy.  Assess what you still need to accomplish today, clear out brain clutter, and recommit to getting your tasks done.
  2. If you need a break, take a walk, grab an ice-cold glass of water, and take a few moments of calm.  At work and at home, everyone around you will benefit from a calmer, more-focused you.
  3. Lay out tasty treats.  I was inspired by this after a party, when the kids re-plated on a serving dish veggies and dip, and crackers and cheese after school.  It takes no time to chop some fruit and add a couple of sliced hardboiled eggs and crackers.  I have been trying to reach those recommended 5-9 servings of fruits / veggies a day, and this could help!
  4. Banish the TV and any other screens unless they’re used for homework. For example, computers and IPads for homework purposes are fine, but not for play until the homework is done.  And if the homework is done quickly, send them outside for some exercise or to the family room for some Wii action!
  5. Put your family to work.  Kids of every age can help make dinner, set and clear the table, take out the trash or put laundry away.
  6. Encourage independence and organized habits.  Have hooks available for everyone (kids and adults, too!!) to hang jackets, accessories and backpacks, and make it a habit.
  7. Remember the homework basket (http://colleencpo.wordpress.com/2012/08/14/an-organized-work-space-for-student-success/)?  Keep a basket at hand with the supplies your children need for completing their homework.
  8. Collect papers and process all at once.  Pile today’s mail, the contents of my briefcase, any papers that came home from school, etc.  Then open the mail, recycle/ shred / purge anything you don’t need, file papers you want to keep, and act on the papers that need completion.

A word here…. As I wrote up these ideas, it occurs to me that all of these ideas are good for all of us, adults and children alike.  Take a breather, refocus, eat a healthy snack, banish the TV, help each other, encourage independent and organized habits. Good for all of us, all the time!

I hope these ideas help you with your Witching Hour, too.  Try one or two this week, and let me know how it goes!

It’s 6 pm – Do Something to Help Today & Tomorrow!

I presented to the parents in my local school district last week.  We discussed tips and ideas to help our students get organized.  What a great group!  I loved speaking to all of them, and I also loved how everyone was willing to share challenges and ideas to support each other.

A Question I ask in my presentation is “Why should we bother getting organized, especially if we have kids?” We realize we are the parents, the Adult, and we set the example.  We want our children to do well in school and in life.  We want our lives to be less complicated, less stressful and more enjoyable.  And we want to be able to say “Yes” to new things. 

So, how can we set the example?  Get organized, be less stressed, enjoy life more.  This week and the next two, we’ll look at busy family times of day, evening, morning and after school.

Let’s say it’s 6 pm.  What can you do tonight that will make tomorrow run more smoothly?  Try one of these:

  1. Pack lunches for tomorrow (for the kids, and for you!!).  We use our lunch packing time to discuss nutrition, and what goes into a healthy meal. I have also found that the kids are more likely to eat a lunch they had a say in packing!  We pack lunches after dinner, so often the boys will pack leftovers like refried beans and cheese on a tortilla, or a piece of chicken.  And since we’re in the kitchen cleaning up from dinner already, it takes just a few moments to pack lunch for tomorrow.  If I have clients the next day, I will pack a lunch for me, since my lunch will always be healthier and cheaper than the fast food that is available between clients.
  2. Look at tomorrow’s Schedule:  Typically, our after-dinner adventures lead to checking out tomorrow’s schedule.  We check to what’s on the hot lunch menu, who has to be at school early or late, and who has what activities.  Checking tomorrow’s schedule provides an opportunity to place band instruments by the back door, and pack sports uniforms, a snack and water bottle for practice.
  3. Make time once a week, like Sunday night after dinner, for a family meeting /      planning session.  Review together projects and events for the coming week.
  4. Pack up the backpack tonight, after homework is done, and set it by the back door.
  5. Check the weather forecast, and pick out tomorrow’s clothes.   If you have small children, lay out their clothes on the floor in the shape of a person, facing down.  Then they can climb right in!
  6. Solve tomorrow’s problems today.  Because there is still time to go to the grocery.  Maybe this only happens in my house, but have you ever heard at 7 am, “Hey Mom,      by the way, I need 4 2 liters of soda for the band party.”?  The obvious mom response is “When is the party?”   And the answer is… wait for it….  Today.  So start the conversations early!  Another example:  the oldest son mentioned late last Tuesday that he needed to wear his black suit coat to his concert Wednesday night.  That would be the black suit coat he wore to homecoming, the one that was at the dry cleaners.  So first thing Wednesday morning I retrieved the now clean coat.  I am very glad I found out about it the day before, instead of at 5 pm Wednesday!
  7. Get to Bed on time!  All of You!

So, take a look at just this one part of your day, and how to make it better by being more organized and less stressed!  Let me know what works!

7 Tips to Run Errands Better!

I don’t know about you, but with 5 busy people in my house, I run a lot of errands.  Dropping off, picking up, shopping, occasionally returning.  And between errands and shuttling my family here and there, I spend a lot of time in my car!  Few things irk me more than having to re-run an errand because I forgot something or didn’t plan ahead, and so I make every effort to run my errands well and get things done the first time.

Here’s how:

If you know something needs done, do it soon.  I encounter “all or nothing” people, who don’t take care of personal business for weeks and then expect to run 20 errands ranging over 40 miles in 3 hours.  This is unrealistic, inefficient and destined for failure.  If time is an issue for you, consider shopping or returning on-line.  It may cost you money in shipping, but saves hours in errand time!

Have a Master To-Do List.  I always have my Master To-Do list on my phone.  Several times a day, I update it with errands and tasks and synchronize it with my computer.  Errands on the list include:  Routine / weekly errands (farmers market every Thursday, dry cleaners every Friday, pay Kohl’s bill on the first of the month); and episodic errands (drop off flag, purchase clarinet reeds, new dress shoes for A.).  I attach a date to all of them, then group them based on my schedule.

If you’re in your car a lot, too, run your errands on the way to somewhere else.  For example, when I used to work in the city, I frequented the post office, dry cleaners and grocery store that were on the way to my office.  These days, I am more likely to lump my errands into bigger blocks of time, based on a free hour or two some weekday morning.

Make a plan:  Think through today’s to-do list and each errand.  This past Saturday, I planned to shop for myself at one store, return stuff to another, shop for a gift at a third, and buy groceries at a 4th.  As I planned, I pulled my gift certificates and coupons for the first store, and located the receipts for the returns.  I packed shipping materials and labels for the gift, so I could box it up and ship it out as soon as I purchased it.  Then I made sure my cooler bag, reusable grocery bags, coupons and grocery list were in the car.  I had quite a pile of stuff to go, but I got everything accomplished in the time allotted!

Bring your tools.  I have an errand basket at the back door for returns, receipts, items to go to other people, etc.  Right now it contains a CD to go back to my brother and a flag to drop off to a fellow scout leader.  My Iphone is also a tool, to google store locations and directions.

Keep details with you:  I keep regular purchase details on my IPhone.  Along with the contact info for my local Office Max, I list the printer ink I use, to reference if I need to pick some up.  Attached to the contact to my local music store is the type of clarinet reed my son uses (I never remember).  In addition, I have my family’s current clothing and shoe sizes, plus gift ideas, in case I find myself with motivation and opportunity to shop.

Remember you are super but not superhuman.  Take a snack.  Take a water bottle.  Take a deep breath, take a break.  Then get back to it.

I wrote this for a friend I chatted with last week about how to make the most of her on-the-road time. I hope it helps you with that, too!!  See you on the road!

Ways to Find Ideas, Keep Them and Act on Them!

Ideas are everywhere, wherever inspiration strikes! But, how do we save them?  And then use them?

What is an idea?  Dictionary.com says “a thought, conception, or notion.”  To me, ideas are more than just random thoughts, they’re sparks of inspiration.  A thought can become a task on your to-do list (ooh, remember to buy milk, order that gift, or make that phone call), but an idea seems bigger than that, like the term the “big idea”.  So bigger than a thought, grander than a task.  An IDEA.

Ideas for what, you ask? 

Anything!  Everything!  That is the great part!  We just have to be open, aware and seeking those sparks of inspiration.   What are you looking for?  Vacation ideas?  New business ventures?  Adventures?  Hobbies?   Better and different ways to deal with challenges or people?

Where are these ideas? 

I have come to realize that big ideas are rarely in my office, or waiting on my laptop.  To generate new ideas, I require new stimuli and information, or a different way of viewing things.  You can’t force creative ideas to come, but you can invite them.  For me, Ideas come to me when my mind is relaxed:  In the shower; as I drift to off to sleep; very typically in the car; or in my reading pile.  A few months ago, they were at the Museum with me and my kids.  My six year-old niece says they’re under the table.

So, if you are looking for ideas or solutions, go where the ideas are.  And if you are looking for new insight, go some place new, read something new or hang out with different people or in different places.

I have plenty of ideas.  For me the challenge is not finding them, it’s keeping them and then acting on them.  So, first things first –

  1. As an idea comes to you, Filter It.  You may come up with a great idea, but is it really something YOU need to act on?  The construction idea that comes to someone who is not a builder.  The song lyrics that occur to someone who is not a musician.   The hot and tropical vacation idea that looks beautiful in pictures, but then I remember I really hate to be hot. (!!)   I am not suggesting you abandon your big ideas, just determine if they are ideas You need to act on, or perhaps you can stick with your strengths, and Pass on the ideas to someone else.
  2. Make a Habit:  Write it down.  I get very frustrated when an idea disappears Aqua Notesbecause I didn’t write it down.  In positive terms, Writing down an idea makes that idea more likely to become an action.  Give your self opportunities everywhere and anywhere to capture your ideas.  I have pen and paper in the car, beside my bed, and even in the shower (thanks again, Steph and Lauren, for my Aqua Notes, seen here).
  3. Make a habit: Capture ideas technologically.  If you find inspiration on-line, there are all sorts of ways to capture those ideas, too: I have a “Pin It” button in my toolbar for posting images to Pinterest. and I can add gift ideas to my Amazon universal shopping list via another toolbar button on my Toolbar.  You can also save ideas to your Facebook timeline, or bookmark a website page for later.  Just set up your bookmarks with categories, to file the ideas for later.
  4. Make a Habit: Keep Lists, files or bookmark categories for different types JKs post it Ideasof ideas. Then make sure the new ideas get there.  These lists or categories could be “home improvements”, “recipes”, “restaurants”, “self-improvement”, “cub scout craft ideas”, etc.  Corral your ideas (like the colorful pile of post-its used by my friend Jan, seen here), and then disseminate them to their most useful list / destination.  And if the idea is a really great idea, or perhaps a time specific one (a seasonal weekend destination that’s available for only a few more weeks), add the action steps to your to-do list.   If it is a new restaurant to try, make a Date and go!
  5. Make a habit:  Review your Ideas periodically.  Once a week / month / year?  Make a habit of reviewing and prioritizing your ideas.  Pick an idea or two that is most important to you right now, and add the next action steps for that idea to your to-do list for today or this week.  It is October now, and the holidays are on the horizon, with all the Big Ideas that go along, so “Look at November and December Travel schedule” just went on my to-do list.

So, what are your Big Ideas?!  Make habits now to Find, Keep and Act On Your Ideas!

Welcome to my House Hour. Now excuse me while I start some laundry…

1 Comment

001In last week’s blog, I mentioned my House Hour.  I didn’t give it a thought, it’s just what I do.  However, two readers asked “What do you mean by your “house hour”? Is this cleaning, straightening, laundry? Is it one hour everyday or when you can fit it in? Hmmm…”

Let me explain.

Last Friday morning, moments before receiving my friend’s email, I was wiping down my bathroom sink.   

Why? 

Well, because it was Friday.  That’s what I do on Friday.

Why 7:30 am?

As mentioned, “Clean the Bathroom” is a Friday chore.  And my Friday was shaping up to be busy, so 7:30 am was a good time to complete the task.  Also, everyone was already showered and ready-ish for school, so if I cleaned the bathroom at 7:30 am, there was a pretty good chance it would stay clean for a while.  Bonus!

My House Hour is the hour I spend on routine cleaning tasks every day.  For many years, I would wait and clean my whole house one day a week.  That worked for a while, but I hit some snags:

  1. My schedule rarely allows for an entire day dedicated to staying home and cleaning. 
  2. After 6 or more days of inattention, my house dirt and clutter really bothers me.
  3. There are some tasks that require repeating multiple times during the week, like laundry and vacuuming.
  4. As a child, Saturday was our cleaning day, but that absolutely doesn’t work with our schedule.

Here’s my cleaning schedule: http://www.peaceofmindpo.com/DailyCleaningChart.pdf

      This system works for us because I have a small and organized house, and my family is pretty good about cleaning up.  If my house was bigger, I would probably have to spend more than an hour.

       In addition, my House Hour does not always include things like laundry (a never-ending cycle), or cleaning up the kitchen after a meal.  Those are routine chores.   When the two go together, like when kitchen cleaning is on the House Hour list, too, it’s nice to get things done faster!

      Cleaning different areas of my home a little bit every day allows me to skip a day if I need to, so long as I catch up the next day.  And since the house stays relatively clean, I can be flexible and spontaneous for events or friends stopping over.

If you like this idea, make it your own.  Determine the list of things that need to be done every week, then distribute the tasks over a few days. 

  1. Be prepared to work around external motivators:
    1. Weather:  today I ditched my regular House Hour so that I could take care of yard work after a few rainy days.  In addition, when you only have an hour to spend, and you spend it shoveling snow or raking leaves, you have to be flexible!
    2. Garbage day is a great motivator for clearing clutter and recycling, and emptying all the trash!
    3. Pay day – my hubby’s pay schedule changed recently. Now Menu planning occurs every other Friday instead of twice a month on arbitrary days, which links nicely with the kitchen cleaning day.
  2. Take your schedule and your family’s rhythms into account – I like to knock out my tasks in the morning (though that doesn’t always work!!), but perhaps you prefer an hour in the evening every other day or so. Great, go for it.
  3. Leave room for large projects.  We have a few Fall projects to accomplish in the next few weeks:  put screens on the gutters, fix the fence, wash the windows, and I really need to strip and re-wax my kitchen floor.  This weekend or next, we need to clear an afternoon for these bigger projects.
  4. Determining your plan ONCE and sticking with it means you’ll never have to feel overwhelmed and searching for a starting place again!

So, pick an idea or two from this week, make your plan and make your cleaning schedule your own.

Prioritize Your Tasks And Get Them Done!

Our Daily To-Do lists can overwhelm us, so it is important to Prioritize our tasks.  We juggle many responsibilities, each with it’s own set of to-do’s.   To avoid planning more 001that we can actually, feasibly accomplish in one day, here are a couple of tools that I employ –

  1. Put the Three Things that absolutely have to get done today at the top of your list.  At many times during the day,  I stop and ask “Is that what I really want / need to be doing at this moment?”  (preempting mindless email checking or web surfing!).
  2. Spend 5 minutes, and move non-essential tasks to    a different day’s list.   Divvy up your to-do’s into:
    1. Today
    2. This week
    3. Next week
    4. Someday
  3. Time allotments.  Once you have today’s To-Do list, allot time estimates for tasks.  This helps me plan my work flow and determine if I can really get through everything.
    1. Time allotments let me decide how long to dedicate to a task.  I could easily spend all day writing my blog, but there are lots of other things that need done, too. I block out a couple of hours to get it done well, then I move onto something else.  Conversely, some tasks really only take 5 minutes.  So get them done!
    2. If the time allotment for a task is just too big, break the task into smaller pieces.  For example, re-vamping my website is a time-consuming task.  But this week, I can complete the first couple of steps, “Review site and determine what stays / goes”, and “check out links recommended for templates / hosting”.
  4. Put your tasks in order of intended completion.  Order them as you like:
    1. Shortest to longest.  Complete the quick and easy tasks first, to motivate yourself and clear the way for the more time-consuming tasks.
    2. Order of importance: Get the Three Things done first, so you are sure they get       done.
    3. Work for others first, and then yourself.  If you have timely work that matters to others, complete those tasks first so the other people can get started on their tasks.
    4. Prioritizing to the Revenue Line (from Julie Morgenstern).  I own a business, and businesses are supposed to make money.  I can order my day based on income – make the bank deposit, complete the client hours, teach the class, book more client appointments and classes, etc.  When all of those are complete, THEN I can look at non-essential tasks like website research.
  5. Stop wasting time and energy on Avoidance and Dread.  Pick a day, Man Up (I have sons) and do the 2 or 3 noisome tasks you’ve been avoiding.  Allot the time, set a timer, get them done, then move on.  “Avoiding something” is still an action, and drains our energy.  Just do it.
  6. Be Kind to Yourself.  I will not vaguely suggest you “Should make time for You”, because being told that just irks me.  But add a few things to your daily To-Dos that are kind to You, that give you strength to complete your tasks.  The top of my To-Do list every day reads “Proverbs 14:15 says, ‘A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.”.  Also at the top is a list of tasks I complete  every day to live a better life.   They’re habits, but I like the reminders: “Take vitamins”, “exercise”, “read Scripture”, my household tasks for my home hour, etc.

So, the next time the Daily To-Do List gets a little out of hand, try one of these ideas to help you focus in and Prioritize what you really need to do today!

Some days, It’s All Too Much (and what to do about it)!

1 Comment

We can stuff a bag only so full before it bursts.  The same goes for our schedules.

A friend emailed me last week “I ran 8 miles this morning and was thinking about blog ideas.  Could you write something about people cramming too much into their day? One of the best things I ever did was cut back on the volunteering and get back to the things that I really wanted to do. I cut out [xxxx] after way too many years, and now I finally have time to train for the marathon.”

My response:  “I can write that article, and what’s really interesting is that yesterday, a client had the same epiphany. The client was supposed to fly cross-country for a family event.  Her husband was unable to attend due to a work deadline, the kids were stressed about missing back-to-school activities, she was just stressed.  And she stopped and said ‘No, we’re not going.  It’s just too much’ and cancelled the trip.  On our coaching call, instead of strategizing about how to get everything done in a short time, we strategized how to Un-make travel plans and determined what her family could say ‘Yes!’ to, since they would be staying home.”

I may not dare something as extreme as these friends (Thanks K&K!), but I respect their awareness that “It’s All TOO MUCH!” sometimes, and how they made the tough decision to let one thing go, in order to make room for something else.  Here are some suggestions, if you, too, feel “It’s all TOO MUCH!”:

1.  A wise friend says “Don’t ‘Should’ on yourself”. Don’t let others “Should” on you, either, telling you what you should or shouldn’t do.  Don’t “should” on others. We need to be kind to ourselves and to others.

2.  Find ways to say Yes, on your own terms.  I received an email today regarding an upcoming fundraising car wash:  washing the towels afterward and returning them clean counts as volunteering!  I can’t help at the event because I’ll have houseguests, but Laundry?  Oh, yes, I can do laundry!

3.  Don’t moan over being too busy to do anything, it becomes a self fulfilling      prophecy.

4.  Say less.  Practice “No, Thank You.”  You don’t always need to give an explanation.

5.  Make a list of your responsibilities, in broad terms:  Work and professional involvements; Family responsibilities (e.g. parent, daughter of aging parents, caregiver for my niece on a school half-day); Household / Life Management Responsibilities;      and Organizations with whom you volunteer, with roles or positions held.

6.  Looking at that list, ask yourself these Questions:

  • “What can Only I Do?”  There are some things that only you can do.  Be a parent to your children, and a spouse to your partner.  I can sing and organize better than  many, so I stick with those.
  • Be honest here, “What Can Someone Else Do?”  In the past, I have let go of roles that others could do as well as me. It’s not easy, to admit that someone else could do an adequate or better job on something, but if you’re looking to pare down, this is where we begin.
  • “What will I look back on fondly?” Playing pick-up sticks with my youngest.  Driving the teenagers to activities, since we have good conversations in the car.  Travel.        Making music.  Spending time with my hubby, and having all 5 of us together.  Guess what – Those are the things I need to make time for.
  • “What will I never think of again?”  I spend a lot of time menu planning and grocery shopping because we need to eat, but I can happily forget every moment spent on those, and be fine.  So I try to do both efficiently and effectively, so I can do them less often!  (I do love to cook, though, as well as sitting down for a family meal, or with friends.)

No one else will protect you from “TOO MUCH!”  That would be lovely, but it’s not going to happen.  So you have to step up for you and your family.  I can’t tell you what to      pare down, but I can help you determine that for yourself.  I don’t have all the answers, but YOU DO!

So, if this week you feel compelled to yell “Stop!  It’s all TOO MUCH!” be assured that you are not alone, and that there are specific steps you can take to make life better – and try one out!