Gratitude is a discipline, not an emotion.  Joshua Becker

This time of year can feel especially overwhelming with all we feel there is to do
and trying to find the time and energy to do it.

Guilt, obligation, traditions, family, friends, co workers,
special events, parties, shopping, and, and…
all piled on top of our regular schedule of activities-
No wonder we feel stressed and grumpy.

We can’t do it all.
(Truly, we don’t even really want to!)

This year, instead of saying “I don’t have the time”,
try saying “It’s not a priority.”

Some commitments really are the most important.
Some activities really do fill your heart.
Some relationships you really do want to nurture.

Permission granted to:

Decide what’s important.
Let go of everything else.

Cheap things usually are.

Try using your money more wisely.
Spending a little more initially  to get an item of higher quality
is a better use of your funds.

Better craftsmanship and higher quality materials create products
that are nicer to use, hold up better, wear out less often, and need replacing
less frequently.

Better tools often make a job easier,
quality clothing looks nicer longer, and
most cheap food is highly processed and less healthy.

(Frugal is different than cheap. Frugal means buying the good stuff when it’s on sale…..)

The next time you’re shopping
consider how much you’re spending and the value you are receiving.

Bang for your buck.
Results based on effort.

You get the idea.

You may have a long list of cluttered places in your home
that could use your attention.
And what’s true is:   You have a limited amount of time (energy and interest).

Consider which project is going to get you the most useable results.
Where can you spend thirty minutes in order to gain five minutes every day?
Which areas are ‘shoulds’ and which areas impact your quality of life?

Sorting through the box of photos or sorting the pantry?
Arranging your underwear drawer or moving your summer clothes to the back of the closet?
Paring down your craft supplies or clearing the garage so you can use the space more effectively?

You get the idea.

Decide which project is really important to you.
Which space frustrates you on a daily basis?
How could organizing one space alleviate problems in another area?

You don’t have to commit to a several hour project,
although that might be just the catalyst you need.
Ten minutes of serious effort in one small space or drawer could solve several problems
and leave you feeling more organized and less overwhelmed.

Choose one spot.
Sort, prioritize and organize what’s living there.
See what a small time investment can make.
Invest in the life you really want to be living.

Eliminate steps and make life  (and chores) easier.

Pay bills on line.
Stash your work out clothes in your car.
Set up a donation bag right by the dryer.
Keep your vitamins next to your morning coffee cup.
Have the shedder and recycle  where you sort your mail.
Store bathroom cleaning supplies under the bathroom sink.
Use the notes feature on your smart phone to record your grocery list.

Store items where you use them.
Make it easy to complete tasks.
Eliminate unnecessary steps and complications.
Set yourself up to be successful.

Less time spent on the mechanics of daily living
frees up more time to spend doing what you really like
with the people you love.

Spending a little time now, means spending less time later.

Use the Two Minute Rule:  
If you can do something in two minutes or less,
do it now.
Deal with the mail every day:
Recycle the unnecessary, shred, date and add items
to your Action folder.
Take ten before bed:
Spend ten minutes each evening tidying up,
start the dishwasher, load the dyer.

By taking a little time on a regular basis to deal with the every day tasks of life,
things are less overwhelming.
You have fewer piles,
messes don’t get out of control, and
you won’t have to dig out from under a mountain of 
clutter just to find your keys.

Creating just one or two new habits,
having a few daily routines, and
making it easy to handle the mechanics of daily living
frees up your time and your mind.

Spending a little time every day buys you more space
for the life you really want to be living……..

“Enough” is a feast.  Buddha

Before you jump right into ‘getting organized‘,
admirable goal that it is,
you need to first get rid of the clutter.

Chances are if an area is disorganized 
it contains too much stuff.
Stuff you don’t need, use or value.

There is no point is spending time finding homes for things,
(which is one of the main tenets of of being organized),
if those are things are unnecessary, redundant or 
merely evidence of the life you used to lead.

Take the time to sort the area first.
Move things that live somewhere else in your house.
Donate things that others might be able to use.
Make good use of your recycle and trash containers.

Once you’re pared things down to how many is enough,
when all that remains are things you need to have accessible in that space,
when all the like with like are grouped together-
then you can easily organize the area to support you.

Get rid of the excess, then you can create a truly organized space.

Our clutter is often the result of us failing to close the circle.
A lack of an ending to a action or project.

We get the beginning part done by bringing in the mail.
We may even sort through it.
But we fail to pay the bills on time.

We do a load of laundry.
Dry, fold and stack it on the chair in the bedroom.
But never put in in the drawers.

We dine and carry our dish to the kitchen.
But somehow get distracted before we put it into the dishwasher.

By paying the bills, putting away the laundry and running the dishwasher
we close the circle.
We eliminate the clutter that incomplete projects produce.

Consider where in your life where you may be leaving projects and actions unfinished.
Consciously decide to close the circle.

If not today, then when?

When we lose ten pounds.
When we get a different job.
When we have more time.
When we have more money.
When we have more energy.
When pigs fly……

How many days, months, years have you been ‘whening’?

What one teeny tiny step could you take today
that would move you toward what it is you say you want?
What small but meaningful behavior are you willing to change today
to make tomorrow different?

And honestly, if you’re not willing to take one small step,
make one small change,
then nothing will ever change.
In a week ,
a month,
a year
you’ll still be waiting….

Act now.
Your time is limited.
Really.