In This Issue...
Welcome...
If you are feeling at all the way I am, you are so thrilled to see those dirty piles of old snow have disappeared and the crocus and daffodils are poking their hopeful little heads through the ground looking for that warm sunshine!
Spring is such an amazing time of renewal and a chance to recommit to clearing out, cleaning up and reclaiming the space you love! It's a wonderful time to examine out attitudes, increase our gratitude and enjoy a bit of solitude!
For you, maybe it is a time to think of spring cleaning. There are definitely tasks needing attention and time devoted to them. For me, though, when the sunshine and gentle breezes appear, the last thing I really want to do is clean! I'd rather play in the dirt and soak in the sun!
But, being the responsible adult that I am, I know I need to take care of those parts of life that ultimately create a place of peace for me and my family. But, rather than try to do all the cleaning at once, I prefer to break it down into small, more manageable pieces.
This takes a little planning, but the pay-off is so great. To eat an elephant one bite at a time always makes the job more successful and more enjoyable.
Featured Book...
There is a great system for doing these daily, weekly, monthly and even less-often and less-remembered jobs. And, it can be learned about in detail in my book selection for this month entitled "Sidetracked Home Executives–From Pigpen to Paradise," by Pam Young and Peggy Jones.
Reading this extremely entertaining and enlightening book will lead you to organizing your cleaning and maintenance tasks so that they are spread out over the days and weeks and not all piled into spring time! It will help you remember, using a tickler file system, those occasional tasks that really don't required as much time as it seems, but nag at us.
One of the things I love about creating this system for yourself is that it encourages you to consider how much time each task you need to do actually takes. And, once you have realized that it really only takes 5 minutes to empty the dishwasher, you find that the job is easier to do and easy to slip into a 5-minute time slot that you before had not even noticed.
The important thing is to get started–which we all know is half the battle. I ran across a wonderful saying that truly expresses what I feel about progress vs. perfection.
Favorite Saying...
Real success does not result from everything going
perfectly. Real success comes when you are willing to move forward no matter what may happen.
--Ralph P. Marsden, Jr.
Featured Product...
I have run across a great product that I would like to let you know about. For me, one of my frustrations is the flimsy cardboard boxes that house the nice board games that our family plays over and over. How many times, really, can you retape those torn corners and reshape the flattened lids? Instead, take a look at these great storage boxes for games.
These boxes, called Game Savers, are sturdy, colorful and set up to keep all your games contained neatly and safely. No more lost play money and game pieces. These are available at the site: http://www.organizedatoz.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=173 , as well as other web sites. This web site also offers many other wonderful types of organizing tools and products.
Harmonic Hints...
Here are a few suggestions to get you going:
- Accept that home maintenance is part of life! Make it something you plan for and thereby enjoy more!
- Tripping over clutter everywhere? Take one step every day to reduce clutter. Even spending 15-minutes in a different room each day to return items where they belong and let the things go you are not using.
- Make sure everything you choose to keep has a home! Store the items as close as possible to the area where you use them. Make the storage work for you-and make it easy to put the item away!
- Inventory your pantry and throw away outdated foods and those your family won't eat. (When in doubt-throw it out!) Store like items together, making it easy to find and put away for everyone-and easy to determine when you are running low on items. Use containers to give small items a home and label them. Then label the shelves so everyone can see immediately where things belong! (a good resource for understanding food expiration dates is: http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/aa102102a.htm)
- A few suggestions for spring: Replace batteries in smoke and CO2 detectors. Wash windows and install screens. Clear cobwebs and dust from ceiling fan blades and lamps. Dust windowsills and baseboards. Just choose one or two tasks such as these each day-you'll be on top of things before you know it!
- Switch clothing in closets to warmer weather items. Out of season clothing can be stored away to give more room in your prime closet space. Make sure you only keep those items you USE and LOVE. Let the others go to someone else to USE and LOVE!
- Make sure to keep a file of all documents you will need to support your tax filing. As you find and obtain receipts and statements, it can all go into that file folder home so things are in one place when you are ready to move forward.
- Be sure to give yourself a big pat on the back when you accomplish something! If you've cleaned out a cupboard, leave the door open to enjoy the beauty of the order and show it off to others!
Notes from Laura...
Many of the decisions we make every day are related to how best use our time. When we make conscious decisions, rather than just dodging the bullets as they fly, we create our lives, rather than fall into them. Rita Emmett, author of several great books, embraces the philosophy that, as we create our "to do" lists, we will find that all of our tasks fall into one of two categories.
The first category is maintenance, and the second category is enrichment. To quote Rita: Maintenance jobs are those that are necessary to keep your life running smoothly. Many of them must be repeated daily, weekly, or monthly: cooking, cleaning, mowing the lawn, paying bills, doing the laundry. Enrichment activities, whether short- or long-term, are those you do by choice, not because your "should" do them . . . you usually know if you've done something enriching because it makes your life seem-well-richer. Reading . . . visiting friends . . . taking a class . . . traveling . . . make you feel happy and enjoy your life more. You feel a pleasant sense of achievement and satisfaction. You feel energized.
Saying "I don't have time" is simply an . . . excuse to procrastinate. When all your time is being spent on maintenance and there is no time for enrichment, that's precisely when it's time for you to adjust your priority and change your way of thinking and planning. In fact, the more fast-paced your life becomes with work and responsibility, the more you need to allow time for enrichments. (Rita Emmett: "The Procrastinator's Handbook," pg. 199)
Enjoy spring! I believe it is aptly named as we spring forward towards the life we want to live!
Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied
at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's when you had everything to do,
and you've done it.
--Margaret Thatcher
