Planning

Summer Reading-Simplicity

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Summer is a good time to slow down and really think about how you can simplify your life. I took out a book by Elaine St. James, “Inner Simplicity” to read about ways to regain peace in my life. Her books are easy to read and get me thinking about how complicated our world has become and what we can do in our individual lives to slow it down.

“Doing too much and having too much get in the way of being able to enjoy the things we do want in our lives, and to simply be who we are.” By Elaine St. James

Check out her books or any book by your favorite author and take some time to slow down and read. Be inspired to declutter both the physical and mental things in your life that are “too much”.

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“I am often reminded of the early mountain man who roamed freely throughout
the Rockies far before that area was settled. He was able to move unencumbered
along beautiful mountain trails where very few people had ever been able to go.
Years later in his life, he had obtained more possessions and wealth. While traveling through the area in a wagon, he was forced to take a desert road instead of his beloved mountain trail. As he gazed at the beautiful mountain peaks in the distance, he realized that his quest for a few material things had changed the course of his travels and the course of his life.” by Jim Stovall

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

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Staying Organized When Chaos Reigns

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Last week was one of those weeks where my plans were thrown out the window and I had to deal with some minor and not so minor emergencies.

First my dishwasher went out on Tuesday morning. The water inlet valve broke so there was water in the bottom of the dishwasher. I shut off the water from under the sink and scooped out the water from inside the dishwasher. I checked it later in the day and the water had filled in again. The shut-off valve under the sink had corroded and continued to let a little water through. The plumber couldn’t come out till the next day so I scooped water out of the dishwasher twice a day so it wouldn’t overflow onto the floor. Minor problem.

Wednesday morning the air conditioner went out. Being that St. Louis can get very hot and humid this time of year, this was a little bit more than a minor inconvenience. So I waited for the plumber to show up to stop the leak and started calling to set up some bids for the A/C replacement. Because the A/C was 20 years old and the furnace was 16 years old I was prepared for this to happen. I just didn’t plan for it the same week the dishwasher broke and my husband was out of town.

Then I had a health issue come up on Thursday evening that I have to deal with. As they say, when it rains, it pours.

Well I now have air conditioning. The plumber had a problem with installing the new dishwasher and will have to return with a part next week. Oh well, my hands work well as a dishwasher. At least it is comfortable in the house now.

As you can see I have been a little too busy to write any posts this week. We all have crazy things happen to us and have to prioritize what we do with our time. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when so many things go haywire at one time. But we have to stop, take a deep breath, and realize it will all work out.

As Annie sings in the play “Annie”; “The sun’ll some out tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that the tomorrow there’ll be sun!” I always think of this song when things get me down. Here is a recording of the song.

I plan on getting my “Decluttering Tip Newsletter” out tonight and the July issue of “Organize By The Month News” by this coming Sunday. If you haven’t signed up for these newsletters then please do so now. (On the right sidebar) There are lots of links in the Organize newsletter for fun things to do on the Fourth of July. You won’t want to miss this issue.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

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Mindfulness in the Home

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I was thinking about mindfulness and how it can apply to home organization. So I decided to look up the meaning to see if was a good word choice. The definition depends on whether it’s used in reference to Buddhism or psychology.

The more general meaning of mindfulness is paying attention to what is going on at the current moment of our life. In other words, paying attention on purpose in the present moment without being judgmental. Hard to say, even harder to apply.

Mindfulness is usually referring to our thoughts and learning to control them. When chaos is all around us in the form of clutter then our thoughts are not usually nonjudgmental. They are more about:

  • Who made the mess?
  • How did it get this bad?
  • Why am I the one who always has to clean it up?
  • How did so many things accumulate so fast?
  • Why can’t anyone let go of these things including me?

On and on the negative thoughts swirl around in your head.

Learning to pay attention on purpose to these thoughts can help us learn how to control them. When we are aware that our surroundings are causing these negative thoughts then we have greater freedom to respond instead of react.

Many times we are on auto-pilot as we go through the day. If we do this while cleaning a bathroom or washing the dishes then it is okay because we have created good habits to take care of these necessary jobs. But if we put the mail on the counter to “deal with later”, or leave the snack dishes and games, etc. out in the family room to “deal with in the morning” then we are on auto-pilot in a bad way.

These are the times we need to practice mindfulness. We need to learn to pay attention on purpose in the present moment so we can take care of our environment.

So next time you start building or adding to a hot spot, stop and take a deep breath. Get off auto-pilot for a moment and become aware of your current thoughts.

  • Do you dread dealing with the mail?
  • Are you too tired to clean up the family room before bed?

When you become aware of the thoughts that are causing the bad habit then you can take the steps needed to change it.

Janice

 

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Gardening Master List

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About a month ago I suggested making a Gardening Master List of all the things you would like to do to improve you yard. I took a paper and pen and walked around my whole house. I separated the areas into seven different zones. I can then look at each zone to see what can be done now and what needs to be planned for the future.

I have only done a couple of things on my list so far. Now that the constant rain pattern has broken I can start working on some of the things that can be done in the summer heat. The shrubs I wanted to buy and plant this past spring may wait till fall. With short term, long term, big jobs, and small jobs listed there is still plenty that can be worked on. That is the beauty of writing out a master list with flexibility built in especially for gardening where you are at the mercy of the weather.

Did any of you write out a Gardening Master List this year? If so, how are you doing on it? I would love to know how others are handling their yards and gardens with the extreme weather that different parts of the country have had.

I hope everyone had a nice Father’s Day. The rest of June is quiet as far as holiday’s are concerned. The next big holiday is Forth of July. I will be researching ways to celebrate that day with fun and inexpensive ideas. Be sure to check back often. If you have any suggestions to share with fellow readers please leave a comment.

Please share this blog and my newsletters with your friends and family you feel will benefit from this decluttering and organizing information.

Thanks,

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

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Out of Chaos and Back to Routines

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Sometimes there are so many things going on at one time you feel like you’re in the middle of a three ring circus. You go from focusing on one thing to another and then back again so you don’t miss out on anything. After awhile it all becomes a blur.

That is how I have felt the last three weeks. First I went on vacation the end of May. Then my contractor scheduled to fix my back porch (leaky roof) and stain the deck. This happened at the same time the construction workers tore up the street in front of our house. With all the noise from out in front and the repairs going on in back, I felt I was in the middle of that three ring circus.

Because of the street being out and rain delaying the pouring of the concrete I have had to park my car a half a block away. This meant carrying groceries and cans of paint that distance. I think I built up a few muscles this week. I know my contractor wasn’t happy either but with an empty garage he was able to store his stuff here instead of carrying it back to the truck.

This morning the garage was cleaned out, the cars returned to their “home”, and it is now quiet around here. And guess what, it is raining again. At least now I can start getting back in my daily routine.

Having routines can make life so much more organized. There will always be things in our lives that disrupt our routines. The key is to get back to the routines as soon as those disruptions are past. If things change to the point that the old routines don’t work then come up with new routines.

We are creatures of habit but we also have the power to choose what those habits are. Create good routines that become habit and ours lives will be more organized. That helps us handle the three ring circuses when they come to town.

Have a Happy Father’s Day this weekend. If you still haven’t planned out the day then check out the June 1 “Organize By The Month News” under newsletters on the sidebar. There are links there that will give you some good ideas.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

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