KarenJane

Whine Free Wednesday

Published March 20, 2013

They should.
He always.
She never.
Why do I have to?
Don’t they see?
Isn’t the solution obvious?
I can’t believe he said/did/did’t/can’t/wont/doesn’t.

You’re so cute when you’re indignant.
So certain you’re right.
And, of course, have the best solutions!

The stories we repeat.
The conversations we replay.
the if only I’d saids.
Thoughts rushing down those worn, dead end grooves in our minds.
It’s all Mental Clutter.

How many of our thoughts are repetitious, circular and don’t move us forward?
How much of what we chew on only keeps us annoyed and hurt?

We want our physical spaces to hold only the things we love,
value and reflect the life we want to be living,
our mental space needs to be as clutter free as possible also.

Which thoughts and stores can we let go?
What judgments get in our way?
How might our lives be different if we spent more time in thoughts of gratitude and thanks?

Funny thing about our they should, he always, she never, etc.:
There is always another point of view.

Just for today, try not whining.
Put down your righteous chew toy.
Replace a complaint with a gesture of kindness.
Do some Mental Decluttering.

Sometimes we make being organized more work than it needs to be.
The goal of being organized is to simplify your life.
Not add unnecessary steps or complications.
We want to make the tasks of daily living as simple and easy as possible.

It isn’t about how the space looks; it’s about how it function, for you!

Create specific homes for your possessions and simplify your routines and habits.
Give yourself a sense of control in your life.

Do you need to fold your underwear and arrange it neatly in the drawer?
Probably not.
Why spend the time?

Do you need to neatly fold the towels in the linen closet?
Actually, rolling them up and stacking them takes up less room.
Bonus-they look neater.

Neatly folding your clothing and layering them up in your drawer usually means you wear the top three items in each drawer, over and over.
Try folding them in half one more time, then nestle them up against one another, front to back, so you can see what you have.

Spend your time and energy getting the maximum amount of organization for the least amount of effort.

Permission granted for it never to look perfect.

Know when to fold ’em, and know when to walk away.

One small change.

Published March 7, 2013

Staying uncluttered consists of habits and consistency.

This week I invite you to create one new small habit.

One action you can do in two minutes or less.

One tiny change in your routine that will become a habit that will keep you in the routine of being more organized.

Consider a place in your home that ‘bugs you lots’.

It might be the dining room table, the coat closet, the bathroom counter, your desk, or?

Commit to making one change in your routine that will have a positive impact on how that space looks, feels and functions.

Recycle the newspaper every night instead of leaving it on the table, thinking you’ll get back to it.

Install an over the door hook on the closet door so you can hang your coat when you come in, instead of just tossing it on the chair.

Clear the bathroom counter of items you don’t use on a daily basis.

Don’t leave any papers piled on your desk. Put every paper in the appropriate folder or file.

Practice your one small change until it becomes routine.

Then choose another small task.

Sure there are times when a total do over/sorting three hour tackle the space project is necessary to get an area Uncluttered.

And there are simple easy tasks you can do on a daily basis to make your home feel more organized and you feel more in control.

This week, choose something small and easy.

You are your choices.

Simplify your life in two steps.

Published February 6, 2013

Two steps to simplify your life:

1. Identify what’s most important to you.

2. Eliminate everything else.

Leo Babuauta, Zen Habits

Whether it is the books on the shelf, the clothes in your closet, your commitments, your hair care products, or your hobby supplies: Decide which of them are important to you, deserve your time, your attention, and are worthy of the space and energy they take up in your life.

Keep those; then donate, recycle, sell or toss the rest.

Choosing less gives you room for more.

It’s your choice.

Karen

One.

Published January 29, 2013

One item, one choice, one action.

You don’t have to organize the entire closet today, or deal with everything in the top desk drawer, or file all the papers piled on the desk.

Start with one.

Find something in your closet you know you’ll never wear again and put it in the donation bag.

Toss out the broken pencil in the desk drawer.

File your W2 with your 2012 tax papers.

That’s all there is to get organized.

You just have to decide about one thing; at a time.

Do you need it? Use it? Love it?

Does that one thing belong in that space?

Does it have a home somewhere else in the house?

Is it trash? Recyclable? A donation?

One decision is manageable.

Each single decision moves you toward

having what you need, where you need it, when you want it.

You’ve already made the decision that you want to have a simpler, less cluttered, and more organized life.

Now make one decision about one item in your life to make that new life possible.

Go ahead.

Make a choice.

Karen

Be daring……

Published January 23, 2013

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood,

who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again,

because there is no effort without error or shortcoming,

but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement,

and who, at the worst,

if he fails ,at least he fails while daring greatly…“

Theodore Roosevelt

Where in your life are you saying ‘yes!’ and daring greatly?

Karen

A bow of acknowledgement and thanks to Brene Brown and her new book.

Lose ten pounds (or more) in one hour.

Published January 8, 2013

January is the perfect time to start.

I can promise immediate results!

Open your file drawer.

Start at the front.

Purge.

Set aside all the papers you’ll need for your 2012 taxes.

Toss the receipts you were keeping ‘just in case’.

Weed out the out dated policies and accounts.

Get rid of evidence of paid off monthly bills.

Ditch the manuals for products you no longer own.

Shred or recycle all the paperwork that is no longer relevant or necessary.

(If the shred pile seems daunting for your home machine, Staple and Office Max will shred it for you for less than $1 a pound. How much is your time worth?)

Rethink your filing needs.

Consider on line bill paying to reduce the paper that comes into your home.

Scan important documents and eliminate whole categories of filing.

Decide if a file drawer is the best place to be storing paperwork for you.

Should some things be in a safe or safe deposit box?

Could some items go in a Sentimental or Memorabilia Box and be stored in less prime real estate?

Could you find the information on line? Users manuals, recipes, travel information, benefit explanations, etc.

Make filing as fast and easy as possible by filing in broad categories.

Chances are you’re never going to go back for the paper anyway.

But if you do, you can spend your time then looking through the papers.

Oragnize your files in a way that makes sense to you.

Some people prefer alphabetical.

Others prefer frequency of needed access.

Perhaps you’re a color coded kind of person.

No matter your preference, simple is best.

Every step you add makes it that much less likely you’ll follow through with the process.

By eliminating the unnecessary, out dated, redundant, and really should or could live else where, you will be able to reduce your four drawer file cabinet to a two, your two to a one, and maybe your one to a small case.

Talk about weight loss you can see immediately!

If you have questions or concerns about which papers you need to keep and for how long, I have list I can email you.

Or talk to your accountant to find out what your specific needs might be.

There will always be paper coming into your life and house.

By developing some simple strategies for dealing with it, you can keep it managed.

Here’s to having less weigh on us in 2013.

Karen

Theme Word for 2013

Published January 1, 2013

Borrowing an idea from Gretchen Rubin’s latest book, ‘Happier at Home’ I, and some friends, decided to choose a Theme Word for the New Year.

I invite you to do the same.

Without making it too big of a deal, or worrying that you’re choosing the exactly perfect word, or putting every desire/resolution/change into this, just let one word float to the top of your imagination and go with that.

Perhaps it’s a feeling you’d like to experience more in the coming year, or an activity, or a concept that inspires you, or perhaps a word to help remind you of what’s possible or important.

Write the word down. Or don’t.

Maybe you want to hang it where it will remind you on a daily basis. Maybe you want to slip it into a drawer so you can come across it unexpectedly, maybe you’ll want to make it the open screen on your phone.

This isn’t a declaration or a mission statement or another way to beat your self up.

This is one word to carry in your thoughts and heart, to gently remind you to pause and consider another way of being.

Here’s to a New Year that supports and delights us, challenges and nurtures us, and has Less Stuff and More Possibilities!

Karen

My theme word is BIG!

Simple Math.

Published December 26, 2012

This week presents the perfect opportunity to practice the ‘One in. One out’ suggestion. (Suggestion sounds so much nicer than rule!)

With the gifts unwrapped and in need of homes in your house, now is the time to decide what stays and what goes.

Remember that five of one thing isn’t five times better, it’s usually just a case of repetition and duplication.

When trying to decide which gifts stay, remember that your only obligation as the receiver is a sincere thank you, for the giver’s thoughtfulness in remembering you.

You don’t have to wear it, display it, eat it, add it to your collection, or make space for it in your house and life.

Cluttering your home with items you are keeping out of obligation or guilt prevents you from having space for the things you really use, love and value.

The longer an item stays in your home, the more challenging it is to let it go. For some reason the longer it stays the more obligated to it you feel. Even if you’ve never liked it! So let it go now.

You may have received some wonderful things you can’t wait to add you to your home and life. In that case, remember you still need to let go items those gifts are replacing.

Consider One in, One out with regard to decorations, ornaments, wrapping supplies and other items associated with the Holiday. Gently ask yourself, “How many is enough?” “Which of these still has sentimental value?” “Will I ever hang, display or use this again?” “Has my collection become a burden, not a joy?”

And actually, you might even find yourself letting go of two or three things for everyone you keep! Give yourself a head start on the gift of a simpler, less cluttered and more meaningful Holiday Season next year.

Letting go opens up space in your home, your life and your heart.

Karen

Present

Published December 19, 2012

No, not the kind in a box or gift bag.

The be here now kind.

The being present with the person right in front of you.

The being present with all the memories, feelings and emotions that the Holidays bring to mind for you.

The being present with what you’re engaged in now: The wrapping, the cookie tasting, the decorating, the planning, the music, the smells, the lights, this very minute.

The Honor of your Presence is requested in the present.

Slow down.

Breathe.

Pay attention.

Give yourself the gift of connecting.

To your experience, your relationships, your own sense of who you most truly, deeply are.

Your presence is a light in the world.

Karen

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Whine Free Wednesday

Know when to fold ’em.

One small change.

Simplify your life in two steps.

One.

Be daring……

Lose ten pounds (or more) in one hour.

Theme Word for 2013

Simple Math.

Present