Well, I’ve been blogging for a month now and really enjoying it. I’m hoping my posts on essential oils have sparked some interest and helped you see that there are other options!! If you missed them you can read them HERE, HERE, HERE, & HERE 🙂
This week we are changing gears and talking about organization. Ever feel like you’ve got a list a mile long and only an hour of time? Are you always saying yes when you should be saying no? Are you spending hours on Facebook or Pinterest yet your house is a mess? Do you have a hundred projects started but can’t seem to finish one? I get it, I’ve been there too and still visit every now and again. Eventually you get to the point where you have to just cut the chaos, change it up and do a self check. Here are my top five ways to achieve this…
Top 5 Ways To Cut The Chaos
1. Wake Up Early – Yes, I mean EARLYYYYYY, before the family, the dog or even the sun rises. Now what you do with that time, well that is what will set the whole tone for the day. Maybe that is a large cup of coffee or some form of exercise like a quick run or it could be meditation or prayer. Statistically, early risers have great success, optimism, energy and better sleep habits. Personally, I struggle with being an early bird. I like to stay up late, get daily tasks done, write my blog, read a book or look through Facebook. However, I have challenged myself to make the change and go to bed earlier so that I can have that “me” time in the morning instead. I’ve found that my go to is prayer and setting my goals. This allows me to organize my day, fill my soul with strength and be ready as inevitably challenges will arise. So, what’s stopping you from waking up early? Could you try this idea for one week and see what happens? What way would you start your day?
2. Clean Your Kitchen – I once read that if you clean your kitchen sink, not just the dishes, but the actual sink and make it sparkle you will feel a sense of accomplishment. Well, I have to say that is completely TRUE! Go ahead, I dare you to try it! There is something about a deep clean, stripping away all the dirt and grime that has built up over time, that puts a smile on your face. Especially when the rest of the kitchen or house for that matter is a mess. Once you’ve tackled the sink, those counters will be begging to be cleared. I have found that if I focus on one area a day, then the kitchen stays fairly clean throughout the week, which means less stress and more time to do other fun stuff. Although there are many ways to handle this task of kitchen cleaning, the following example has worked in our house: Monday: deep clean sink – Tuesday: clean off counters – Wednesday: organize the pantry and throw out old items – Thursday: clean out fridge and freezer – Friday: take out recycling and trash – Saturday: clean the floor and baseboards – Sunday: finally REST and enjoy your day!
3. Purge Your Closets – LOVE this one! Think about it, you use this space every day, just like the kitchen. It’s amazing how many clothes, shoes and accessories can accumulate over the years. Have you ever looked at your closet and thought where is all my stuff? Or you keep buying shoes because you can’t find the ones that match? This is one area that is often neglected and becomes a storage unit instead of a functional space. For this I say purge away!!!! In addition to the awesome tips found HERE, I have a couple other ideas that have helped me in this process… Take your hanging items and place the hanger backwards on the rod so that the open side of the hook is facing you. As you wear the items put them back in the closet with the hanger facing the other direction and within a month you will see the items that you are not wearing. At this point you can take those items out of the closet to sell or donate. I recommend doing this for every season as clothes usually rotate. Another great idea is to coordinate your clothes that are hanging or folded, putting short sleeves all together then long sleeves or you can sort them by color. As you are going through these items to coordinate them take any that are out of date, the wrong size or looking worn and place them aside to sell or donate. When you know what you have and keep it organized, your daily routine will get easier, I promise!
4. Simplify Your Social Media – Facebook? Pinterest? Instagram? Twitter? LinkedIn? How connected are you? As much as social media can be a blessing, it can also be a curse, a time suck. It has been reported that our society is one of the loneliest yet everyone would tell you that through these sites they have a connection. Honestly, why are you really using these sites? Is it to tell stories of the life you have, the life you want or the life you want everyone to believe is your reality? Recently, I read a blog post by The Humbled Homemaker – Making Facebook Interactions More Purposeful, she talked about downsizing her Facebook friend’s list after clearly deciding her purpose for using the site was communication with family and close friends. I’ve also talked to several people that have put time limits on using these sites or have even taken a hiatus from these sites all together. All these options are great ways to simplify and give you an outcome of more productivity and less distraction. At the end of the day has your time on social media added to your day or wasted it?
5. Write Out A Monthly Budget – In today’s debt filled society, the word “budget” is a whisper in the wind. Did you know that the leading cause of divorce is due to money problems in the marriage? True story. Do you know where you are spending your money each month?? The majority of people would say that yes they do since they balance their checking account. I used to say the same thing until one day I realized that there wasn’t enough money in the account to meet our needs. Desperate times called for desperate measures which lead my husband and I to take Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University class in 2011. I’ll tell you that this completely changed our way of thinking about money. This involved writing that monthly budget and once we did a huge weight lifted, each dollar was assigned to a specific location and we saw the light at the end of the tunnel. In fact, to this day we still follow his money management system. We made the choice that we want to live like no one else so later we can live like no one else! Just think about that, read it again and again. To allocate your money is wise, alleviates stress and gives you the control instead of your money controlling you. Who doesn’t want that??
Hopefully this list will inspire you to give a couple of these ideas a try and start to cut the chaos in your life.
Remember you design your days, so make each one count!
What are some other ways that you have cut the chaos in your life? I’d love to hear your stories and feedback in the comments below.
Design Your Days 