I trust you had a wonderful Mother’s Day no matter how you spent the day. I had a great day that started with my youngest son preparing breakfast for me all by himself and bringing it to me on a tray in bed (complete with a tulip plucked from my garden).
I can’t believe May is half over already! Where did it go? We haven’t even started a theme for the month since I was away for a few weeks. So I thought a great theme for the rest of the month would be Time! Yes, the good, the bad, and the ugly truth about time and how we spend it.
That being said, I do have a limited time opportunity for you. My 3 Keys to Crazy Wealth program will be coming down at the end of this month - FOREVER! So this is your last opportunity ever to get it (and a very low investment of only $47 makes it super affordable). This could be the one program that changes your life forever.
I am redesigning some things in my business and this program will no longer be available after May 31st. In fact, the entire domain will be coming down. So if you were waiting for whatever reason, ACT NOW, because it will be gone VERY soon (seriously, I am taking it down and it won’t be available any longer).
Also, my new website will be up by this Wednesday (tomorrow)! WOOHOO!!! Fingers crossed. I urge you to check it out later this week and let me know what you think. If you find any typos or issues, please do let me know. Some things are still a work in progress but the majority should be there. Thanks so much.
This week’s article is all about how you can live your life with an abundance of time rather than being hurried, stressed, and overwhelmed with all you have to do. Check it out below.
As always, I’d love to hear what you are up to and feel free to connect with me here or on Facebook or Twitter.
Until next time, live well, have fun, and prosper!
“Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it, you can never get it back.” ~Harvey MacKay
When I asked you what some of your major obstacles or challenges to success were, Time Management is what most people said (being overwhelmed with all there is to do in a day). I started thinking about it and I noticed something really odd which was time for the most part was no longer a problem for me.
There are a lot of time management programs out there that will teach you how to become more productive and more efficient and how to better use your time and that sort of thing. That is not what I’m talking about. It’s really more about your relationship to time, how you live your life and become more effective by being present, being in the zone, and being in the flow. I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about that before.
Being in that place, you’ll be more effective; you’ll be more productive; you’ll get more bang for your buck out of any activity that you do. When you’re in that flow state, you have more power with each activity that you do. Instead of it being “I’m trying to get as much done as possible in the shortest amount of time”, it’s more the idea that “Everything I do I want to do with the most power possible.”
Wouldn’t it be great to no longer feel overwhelmed by all the things that you have to do to in a day? To no longer be hurried and rushed and worried? It’s a fact that the more that you want to accomplish in the world, the more things there are to do, the more things you put on your plate. Ultimately, how you spend your time IS how you live your life. It’s a currency you don’t get back – EVER.
Do you feel used by life? Many of us feel victimized and resentful of all that we think we must do. But you don’t have to feel this way. If you really want, you can choose to shift your perspective. And shifting your perspective will help you do things differently and more effectively.
Today, I have three suggestions for how you can do that.
1. Free your mind of time scarcity. What mindset do you think most people have? You guessed it. A sense that there is never enough time and you don’t know how to get everything done. You feel overwhelmed and at times out of control.
Are you a “busy person” or an “I’ll make the time” person? A “busy person” has a sense of time scarcity, through which they see everything. It doesn’t have to be that way. It is actually a defense mechanism – a way to try to protect yourself from disappointment and stress. But this scarcity mentality usually does exactly the opposite. It creates more stress and disappointment, by focusing on what you can’t get done or what you still have to do.
When you see life through a time abundance mindset you know you can find the time to do what is really important. Where do you stand on the time, scarcity vs abundance continuum?
2. Love everything that you do. When you love everything you do, you don’t dread things. You don’t procrastinate. If you’re choosing between watching your favourite TV show or watching your favourite movie that just came out on DVD and you can’t wait to watch either one, how motivated do you need to be in order to watch one of those things?
If you could imagine that the work that you do could be just as enjoyable as deciding between watching your favourite TV show and watching a great movie, if they’re both joys, motivation basically takes care of itself.
Basically it’s going to come down to either doing things that you love or getting yourself to love things that you do even if you don’t currently love them. Start making a conscious effort to choose to do things you love. For the things you don’t love, is there some part of it you can love?
3. Develop patient timelines. Most people have unrealistic expectations about how much they can accomplish which leads them to over-promise and under-deliver. Sometimes self-judgment gets in the way and keeps you from developing patient timelines. “Well, I should be able to do it this fast.” And “Other people do it this fast.”
Be patient with yourself. Don’t over pack your day. Create a list of 3 top priorities for a day and then do those. If you have a larger task, break it down into small tasks spread out over a few days, weeks, or months. If you need to clean the garage but just can’t face it all at once, decide to clean out one small section a day until it is done. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Be patient. Rome was not built in a day. Take daily consistent action and your goals will be achieved.
So there you have it, three time abundance principles to get you started. If you even apply just one to your life, you will suddenly find yourself feeling less hurried, less stressed, and you will feel more peace and joy. IF you apply 2 or more principles, the changes in your life will be dramatic.
“A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.” ~Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Many people around the world like to express their gratitude towards mothers and mother figures on Mother’s Day. It’s a time for people to thank the women in their life who took the time care for them and helped them through life.
Feasts celebrating mothers have actually existed throughout the world since the beginning of time. The earliest celebration honouring mothers dates back to the annual spring festival of ancient Greece dedicated to Rhea, the Mother of the Gods.
The Greeks would pay tribute with honey-cakes and wine and flowers at dawn. Continuing this tradition, Mother’s Day is still the biggest flower-buying day of the year. (I think the cake, wine, and flowers are awesome, but please hold mine until after lunch. Dawn is way too early.)
The idea of an official celebration of Mother’s day in US was first suggested by Julia Ward Howe, an activist, writer, and poet in 1872. However, Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia is recognized as the Founder of Mother’s Day in US.
Though Anna Jarvis never married and never had kids, she is known as the Mother of Mother’s Day, a perfect title for the lady who worked hard to give honour on all mothers. Mother’s Day was first observed in 1907 in the United States when Anna decided that it would be a great way to honour her deceased mother. Two years later, Anna and her friends began a letter-writing campaign to create a Mother’s Day observance.
In 1914, the US Congress passed legislation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day; Canada and other countries soon followed.
However, a little known fact is that Anna who started Mother’s Day celebrations had hoped for a day of reflection and quiet prayer by families— not mass flower, card, and gift buying. She filed a lawsuit in an effort to stop the over- commercialization of the day. But as I am sure you can guess, she lost her fight.
Mothers come in all shapes and sizes and races and religions, it is the one person we all have in common; we all have a mother at least for some portion of our lives. I found a few great poems that I would like to share with you today. I found the the first two on the website: http://www.mothersdaycelebration.com
Mother’s Love
Her love is like
an island in life’s ocean,
vast and wide
A peaceful, quiet shelter
From the wind, the rain, the tide.
‘Tis bound on the north by Hope,
By Patience on the West,
By tender Counsel on the South
And on the East by Rest.
Above it like a beacon light
Shine Faith, and Truth, and Prayer;
And thro’ the changing scenes of life
I find a haven there.
~ Author Unknown
Before I was a Mom
Before I was a Mom -
I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.
Before I was a Mom -
I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom -
I had never been puked on – Pooped on – Spit on – Chewed on, or Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and My thoughts. I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom -
I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests…or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom -
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn’t want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn’t stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life
so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom -
I didn’t know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn’t know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn’t know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn’t know that something so small could make me feel so important.
Before I was a Mom -
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.
Thank you…
For standing by me through thick and thin
For not giving up on me when I didn’t win
For your patience when I kept pushing you away
For caring when I said I didn’t need you anyway
I am grateful knowing…
I can count on your strength
Ask for your support, and know you’ll go to any length
When I lose my way
You help me get back on track
When in pain
Your comfort soothes and brings me back
I am lucky because…
When I was sad you gave me faith and hope
When I was confused you taught me how to cope
When I felt I couldn’t go on
You carried me long miles
When I didn’t believe
You restored my smiles
Mom, Thank you
For your guidance and you faith you’ve shown
For giving me a safe place where I have grown
For showing me how to strive
Because of your love
I will survive
I need to apologize. There is no article this week and there won’t be one next week either. I am sorry. I’m leaving on a jet plane in a couple of days for some fun and sun with my family (which I am very much looking forward to). There won’t be any (ok barely any) technology so I won’t be able to send an article next week. I am actually looking forward to no technology for an entire week. I’ll probably go a bit stir crazy the first day or so, but I’m pretty sure I can get used to it fairly quickly.
I could have been super organized and pre-written an article for you, but I’d rather be honest with you and let you know that I am human too. We all have limitations and though I can often pull off WonderWoman-like feats of the miraculous nature, this week is not one of them. I’ve barely started packing. I have, however, had my finger and toenails polished and buffed, legs waxed, and gone to the salon for a quick hair do. Priorities.
Again I apologize for no article and hope that you understand.
I trust you will have an amazing week in my absence and know that regular articles will resume in a few weeks.
Quick reminder: My good friend Maureen Kerr is a Social Media guru…she can teach you the tools you need to have an effective online presence. She is also a genius at showing you low to NO cost ways to promote your business or organization online to an entire network of customers who are incredibly adept at sharing your message for you!
She is offering a very special program that includes 5 webinars and a BONUS of one hour of 1-1 consultation with her. This exclusive program is ONLY open to those in my tribe and spaces are very limited; it is not open to the public. I’ve negotiated a very low tuition of $497 for this program for you (a one hour consultation can run you way more than that in many cases).
If you are interested, please email meTODAY (as I leave soon) and I can give you more details. The program runs in May.
As always, I’d love to hear what you are up to and feel free to connect with me here or on Facebook or Twitter.
Until next time, live well, have fun, and prosper!
I trust you had an amazing week and weekend. The weather here is once again beautiful so I finally managed to get out into my garden. The spring clean up is always a big job so I am very happy to have have started it.
This week is going to be super busy for me. Aside from my regular work, I am starting to pack for our cruise next week. Packing for 6 people is not as easy as one might think. We actually don’t leave until late next week but if I don’t start soon, it will be a mad dash at the end and I really hate doing that. I am very much looking forward to our family vacation but it is a lot of work to get ready for it.
I have a very special offer for you today. As you probably know, I am a huge fan of social media. I use Twitter and Facebook both personally and professionally. I love how I can connect with complete strangers all over the world in a very real way. But many of you have mentioned that you are confused and maybe even a tad afraid to dip your toe into the social media world, particularly for your business.
I have a great opportunity for you! My good friend Maureen Kerr is a Social Media guru…she can teach you the tools you need to have an effective online presence. She is also a genius at showing you low to NO cost ways to promote your business or organization online to an entire network of customers who are incredibly adept at sharing your message for you!
She is offering a very special program that includes 5 webinars and a BONUS of one hour of 1-1 consultation with her. This exclusive program is ONLY open to those in my tribe and spaces are very limited; it is not open to the public. I’ve negotiated a very low tuition of $497 for this program for you (a one hour consultation can run you way more than that in many cases).
If you are interested, please email me today and I can give you more details. The program runs in May.
This week we are continuing our series on the Refresh theme. I thought I’d take a bit of a different approach today. It’s sort of a unique combination of refreshing your body and spirit. You’ll see. Check it out below.
As always, I’d love to hear what you are up to and feel free to connect with me on Facebook or Twitter.
Until next time, live well, have fun, and prosper!
We’ve already covered refreshing and decluttering your environment and your mind, so logically we should be talking about refreshing your physical body or your spirit today. But I couldn’t decide on which one to focus on, probably because in my mind they are closely tied together. So today we will be discussing the four elements and how they can help you refresh your body/spirit connection.
Did you know that every cell in your body is replaced every seven years? That means every seven years there is a totally NEW you. Isn’t that cool? It’s like getting second and third chances to get things right. That’s the ultimate refresh!
Do you find in the spring you need to refresh yourself physically? I find that even if I am exercising during the winter that come spring I just need to really take care of my body. For me, that also means connecting with myself to see what I need. You are a spiritual being in a physical body. How you treat your body reflects on you spiritually as well.
I use the Four Elements principle to refresh myself body and spirit anytime I need that boost. Let’s look at each one and how it relates to your body/spirit.
Air – is your breath. Breathe in breathe out. Breathing is not just something we do to keep us alive; it can clear your mind, and if done properly can also help develop certain muscles. If you are tired and need a pick me up, the best thing to do is take 10 deep breaths. The extra oxygen will go straight to your brain waking you up faster than any mocha latte. Once you master basic deep breathing, there are many breathing exercises that can actually become a form of meditation.
Action: Take 10 deep breaths 3 different times each day.
Water – water not only makes up close to 75% of the world, it also makes up close to 75% of YOU. Coincidence? I don’t think so. We all need water to live but most of us are going around chronically dehydrated. Got a headache? Chances are you are dehydrated. We’ve all heard we need to drink 8 glasses of water a day. But that isn’t exactly true. It all depends on your weight. To maintain body functions, you need: .6 oz of water for every pound of bodyweight. So a person weighing 150 lbs would need 90 oz of water per day to maintain optimal health. Now if you are on a detox or in heavy training, you will need more.
Action: Figure out how much water you REALLY need to live. Fill a 16 oz travel mug/cup with water, add some lemons and limes for flavour, drink that until it’s empty. Then fill it up again. Repeat until you’ve drank your required amount of water per day. Tip: Space your water out over the entire day!
Earth – good food and exercise, in other words your physical connection to the earth as represented by your physical body. Do you eat good clean food and move your body regularly? Minimizing the amount of chemicals and processed foods in your diet is critical if you want to have energy for the things you want to do. This doesn’t mean you can’t eat yummy things, heck I love a decadent chocolate cheesecake like anyone else. But on an average day are you consuming mostly processed chemical laden foods or fresh, home cooked meals?
Moving your body doesn’t have to be as crazy as P90X either. A good walk (preferably outdoors where you can breathe deeply), a dance class, a swim… pick an activity you love and then go and do it. Often.
Action: Each day try to eliminate one more processed food. Read the labels of the food you buy and try to purchase as much fresh and local as you can. Move your body daily for at least 30 minutes. This can mean 3 – 10 minute walks, dancing around your home while vacuuming, or taking a 30 minute zumba class. Make it fun and make it often.
Fire – Fire is passion; it’s fun; it’s what makes life worth living. The element of Fire is essentially your spirit. How much do you pay attention to the fire within you? If you’re like most people and living on autopilot, this element is often neglected in your daily life. But it’s just as important as the others. Without fire or passion, what is the point in living? Life is meant to be LIVED! To refresh your fire you need a spark and tinder and that looks different for everyone.
What do you LOVE? What excites you? What makes you laugh? A spark can be an initial interest or curiousity or event. Once you have that, you need to add the tinder and fuel to really make it burn. Without that, your fire just dies.
Action: Pick something you LOVE (e.g. reading, playing with your kids, scrapbooking, gardening, etc.) and then do it EVERY day for at least 30 minutes for seven days.
WOW! That is a lot of action points for this week. I know you can do it. Start small…take just one element and focus on making it a habit, then add in another. How do you think your life would change if you took time to breathe more deeply, drank enough water, ate clean food, moved your body often, had fun and laughed until your sides ached? I think it would be pretty darn awesome!
Refresh your body and spirit by using the four elements and you’ll be amazed at how much energy and joy you have in your life.
I did it! Yes, I managed to spend one entire day lazing around in bed. It was actually extremely challenging for me as I kept thinking of all the other things I could be doing. In case you missed last week’s note, since my boys were gone over the Easter weekend to spend time with their father, I decided I needed one entire day to do absolutely nothing productive.
It started out pretty easy…I stayed up late Saturday night so that I could sleep in Sunday morning. After deciding I couldn’t sleep anymore, I had a leisurely breakfast in bed while reading. I had everything I needed including an awesome tray with legs to pile all my snacks, drinks, and books on.
It wasn’t until after lunch that I started to get twitchy (staying in bed all day is REALLY hard). But I fought it every step of the way. I read, watched some Netflix, played some Angry Birds on my iPad, and even had a nap. But I did manage to go pretty much the entire day without doing anything that most people would call productive. (I did have one lapse when I just had to get up and empty the dishwasher — hey nobody’s perfect.)
However, for me it was actually a very productive day; a day to relax and a day to think. A day to simply take for myself and declutter my mind. I wouldn’t want to spend an entire day in bed too often but I do really value being able to take time to recharge my batteries and let go of the clutter in my mind.
Which is a great lead in to this week’s article. Last week we talked about decluttering your environment (I even decluttered my master closet on the weekend). So this week, let’s spring clean our minds. Check it out below.
As always, I’d love to hear what you are up to and feel free to connect with me on Facebook or Twitter.
Until next time, live well, have fun, and prosper!
“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” ~ Hans Hoffman
Many people tell me they have way too much clutter in their brains and feel constantly overwhelmed. It isn’t just a matter of being too busy but more the fact that they have too many worries, stresses, tasks, etc. in their heads that they tend to lose focus and themselves in the process. Is your mind too cluttered? Do you feel like you’ve lost yourself? Or do you make it a habit to do things every day that you enjoy? Do you take out time each day to reconnect with yourself?
I used to be like that and at times I still have to be careful not to fall back into old habits. You’ve probably heard me say before that many people are living fast food lives. What does that mean? That means we’re in a hurry. We go here; we go there. We eat fast. We flip through channels quickly or surf the net at top speeds. We’re constantly in a hurry. We’re in this fast-paced, hustle-bustle, rushing around life and many of us lose ourselves in the process. Our minds can get like that too.
Do you feel like your mind is on overdrive at times with thoughts just rushing around in circles? It isn’t just about slowing down, though that is important too, you need to declutter your mind so that you can allow the good stuff —the opportunities— to appear.
How do you declutter your mind? There are many ways but here are three that I use myself.
1. Make sure everything in your environment supports you. We talked about decluttering your home and car last week. Make sure you surround yourself with things (and people) you love. Get rid of the things you only tolerate.
2. Take time for you – daily. Self-care is not being selfish. It is making sure you are well looked after so that you can then serve others. It’s loving yourself in a positive and healthy way. So take a bubble bath, get the massage, do some yoga, go for a walk—do something every day just for you.
3. Learn to let go. If you find there is way too much floating around in your brain…let some of it go. Write it down if you don’t want to forget it, but let some stuff go. When your brain feels full, that means it probably is! So let some stuff go. If your brain is stuffed with worries, lists, insecurities, negative self talk, and fears, do you think that awesome new ideas, and opportunities will appear? No way…because there is no room for them. So make some space in your brain by letting go of the non-essentials (and worry is never an essential).
Decluttering your mind is not all that hard—in fact I think organizing a closet is much harder—but you do need to consciously do it…often. A bonus tip: take a nap. I take a nap just about every day. Not to sleep but to declutter my mind. I lie down for about 20 minutes in the late afternoon and totally relax and then consciously let go of stuff from the day. I guess it is a form of meditation but it really helps me go from my work day to my family time in the evening.
Just like your home or car or purse, your mind can and does get pretty cluttered and fairly quickly if you are not careful. So take some time today to do some mental spring cleaning and let some things go. It’s time to make room for something amazing…
I would like to thank all of you who emailed me last week regarding boundaries. Thank you for your understanding and continued support. I sure struck a chord with many of you because boundaries really seems to be a hot topic. Remember, whether you work for yourself or someone else, honouring your personal boundaries is all part of being your authentic self.
Welcome to April!!! Woohoo we made it. Snow is gone…warmer days are ahead. Flowers are starting to pop up and soon we’ll have grass and leaves. For those of you who celebrate Easter, this coming weekend is sure to be filled with family, friends, amazing food, and perhaps a visit from the Easter Bunny.
For the first time I can remember, I will not be getting up early on Easter. My boys will be spending the weekend with their father. So I am planning to do lots of things I have been wanting to but that previously weren’ t as much a priority. Two big things are 1. some serious decluttering of a few closets, and 2. to spend an entire day in bed. I know that may seem strange to many of you, but I really just want a day to totally vegg—to stay in my pjs, read, watch some Netflix, and really do NOTHING productive (and maybe be served breakfast, lunch, and supper in bed…haha).
For those of you who know me, that is super hard for me to do. I always need to be DOING something. But for my mental health, I’ve decided I need a day doing nothing. I’m actually looking forward to it and am planning the books I want to read already. I’ll let you know next week how it went.
With a new month comes a new theme! This month our theme is Refresh. Each week we are going to chat about ways to refresh your mind, body, spirit, and life. This week we start with your physical environment. It’s a great time to get rid of the old and in with the new. Check it out below.
As always, I’d love to hear what you are up to and feel free to connect with me on Facebook or Twitter.
Whatever you do this coming week and weekend…make it awesome!
Until next time, live well, have fun, and prosper!
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” ~Mark Twain
When you walk around your home or office, or drive in your car do you feel relaxed, at peace, and surrounded by the things you love and that reflect your life today? If not, then your environment is probably being taken over by clutter. I detest clutter. Ultimately, all that stuff is costing you–emotionally and financially.
Every time you get into your car and see that mess of papers, garbage, and coffee cups, it drains a bit of your positive energy.
Every time you walk by ‘that closet of doom’, part of you cringes and runs and hides. Clutter in your environment is clutter in your life, mind, and emotions. Get rid of the physical clutter and you free up an ENORMOUS amount of emotional energy.
Clutter is made up of the things you no longer use or love; it’s the things you liked ten or even twenty years ago but your tastes have changed (that shirt from the 80s really doesn’t even FIT you anymore). It’s the piles of unopened junk mail and old papers. It’s hundreds of plastic margarine containers that might come in handy one day. It’s the 20 half-full bottles of shampoo under your bathroom sink. If you don’t use it or love it, it’s clutter.
If you look around and discover your environment is full of clutter, don’t panic. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and to walk away and have a coffee or something stronger. Here are some simple tips to help you refresh and take charge of your environment, get rid of the clutter, and free up your emotional energy in the process.
Start today! Procrastination is the biggest obstacle to decluttering. Choose a small area to start. For example, start with your sock drawer. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Put on your favourite tunes and you’re ready to go. Completely empty the drawer and give it a quick clean. Pick up each item and ask yourself: Do I wear this? Why am I keeping this?
Are you keeping old holey socks and underwear you no longer wear because they used to be your favourites? If it has a hole, throw it out! Why are you keeping all those odd socks? If you can’t find the matching sock, either have your kids make it into a sock puppet or throw it out!
Awesome! You’ve made a great start. I bet you feel better already. That tiny sense of accomplishment will motivate you to keep going. However, always work on one area at a time and finish it before you move on.
Once you’ve decided to let things go, it’s crucial to get them out of your environment as soon as possible. Unwanted items can be given to charity, friends or family, or recycled. Or if you have enough stuff, have a yard or garage sale. The thing to remember here is that the clutter needs get OUT of your environment (house, office, car, etc.). Don’t just make it clutter somewhere else (like the garage or shed)!
As you put things in the garbage or a charity bag, you may start to feel a massive sense of relief. Or you may feel guilty that you are wasting money by throwing things away. You may also feel guilty that you are letting go of unwanted presents or never worn clothes. I know many people feel it is wrong to ever discard a photo, even if it is blurred or brings back unhappy memories.
People are often afraid that the minute they part with something, they will need it and consequently hold onto copious junk. It takes a while to get used to a newly decluttered home. All these feelings are a completely normal part of the decluttering process.
Learn to let go. Keep only select items from your past that give you happy memories. Discard or donate stuff that you haven’t used or worn in a year, as well as projects you’ll never finish (remember that sweater you started knitting two years ago?). Give yourself a deadline for broken items to be fixed, if not discard them.
The “what if” thoughts are often the hardest to deal with. These are clutter thoughts. If you really feel panicky about letting go of something then put it in a box and store it for six months. Put the date on it. If you haven’t used it in six months, give it away.
Schedule regular decluttering sessions. Spend 5 to 15 minutes a day on one area, such as a closet, and keep working over several days until the job is done. For big jobs—garages, attics, and basements—dedicate a weekend to the task and ask a friend or family member for help. Make it more pleasant by listening to music, keeping drinks on hand, and taking breaks as often as you need them.
There are so many benefits to decluttering and letting go of old stuff. You will immediately feel more relaxed, refreshed, and lighter when you look around. When you walk by the old closet of doom you will feel an amazing sense of accomplishment and renewed energy. You’ll also have a much clearer idea of what you own and what you actually need. And finally, you will make room in your life for fresh new ideas, opportunities, and things. Happy Spring cleaning…
. Keep only select items from your past that give you happy memories. Discard or donate stuff that you haven’t used or worn in a year, as well as projects you’ll never finish (remember that sweater you started knitting two years ago?). Give yourself a deadline for broken items to be fixed, if not discard them.