What is the most difficult part about simplifying your life? It is fairly easy to clean your closets and organize your belongings. It is possible to eliminate activities that are not really important to us (watching TV, web surfing.) Even simplifying your finances is not too complicated if you have a general plan.
The most difficult part about simplifying life is dealing with emotional attachments. Let’s say that you have an old picture frame (vase, shirt, shoes etc.) in your house. If it’s just a thing that you picked up on sale or bought ten years ago you will probably be able to change its permanent residence to “trash.” But how would you deal with this thing if you got it from your late grandmother? Maybe your parents gave it to you as a graduation present? Parting with this thing (even if you do not like it too much) gets much more difficult.
Another difficult part about simplifying life is going against social approval. We are so used to a certain order of things and certain cultural rules that we do not even doubt them. We assume that we need to have cable with 200+ channels only because everybody else has it in their homes. We break are backs to sell things for the fundraisers at our kids’ schools just because everybody else does. This list goes on and on.
I had trouble simplifying my life for all the reasons mentioned above and this is when I found a balanced approach to simplicity. Balance helped me find the simplicity that I was personally comfortable with. I didn’t have to limit my belongings to just 100 things and I didn’t get rid of all social commitments. However, I realized what is really important in my life and what is just clutter.
Here is the balanced approach to simplicity that I use in my life. Can you use it in yours?
This is an article from http://zenhabits.net/ by Anastasiya Goers
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Have faith in yourself and your abilites
Ok, so I have been a stay at home mom of three small kids for about three years now. I love to be at home with my kids but sometimes I feel like I need to get out there and accomplish something more and make more money. I know that it is utterly important for me to be home with my kids and be the one to take care of them because I trust myself over any babysitter. Now that they are a little older, I would like to focus on a career. To be able to provide them with things that I never had growing up. Sounds like a typical story of a stay at home mom? well thats me right now. But am I on my way to change it? Absolutely. Staying at home so long and not really going out much, I had to be creative and make the four walls of my house interesting to be in. I started to rearange things and keep changing the curtains and mirrors until they looked perfect in harmony together. I started to get compliments from everyone that came into our house. They asked me "why dont you decorate houses for a living? " I never thought of that, I was just doing this for fun to keep me interested in staying home so much. After a while I realized that I had something special and thats an eye for design. Before this I had felt like I had no talant or passion for much but now it feels so good to know I am good at something. It felt like a blessing from God; to know something good about yourself is amazing and only God allows you to have that feeling. I was a person who was interested in many things but couldn't find my niche, I dindnt know what I was good at or if I would be interested in something long enough to persue it until I realized my passion for design and its beauty.
So what now? I know I'm good at something but will I make it? There is alot of unknown factors in being an interior designer. The business aspect, marketing, sales. I had already applied to nursing schools which is the safe way to go. It would be stable income, good benefits and I would have no homework. Which way should I go? The stable way or the way that is fun for me? For my kids I would do nursing but for myself I would do designing homes. I will do both, Nursing for now and interior design for later when the kids are older. Im glad that I had the chance to discover something about myself during my endless hours of staying home and feeling like my career was drifting away. In conclusion, no matter what you are doing right now if you have the passion for something, you will find your self at some point making a desicion to either go for it or leave it. That is when your life changes and you either have the faith in yourself or your not strong enough at that moment to do what your made to do. If you are looking, you will find. Good luck!
So what now? I know I'm good at something but will I make it? There is alot of unknown factors in being an interior designer. The business aspect, marketing, sales. I had already applied to nursing schools which is the safe way to go. It would be stable income, good benefits and I would have no homework. Which way should I go? The stable way or the way that is fun for me? For my kids I would do nursing but for myself I would do designing homes. I will do both, Nursing for now and interior design for later when the kids are older. Im glad that I had the chance to discover something about myself during my endless hours of staying home and feeling like my career was drifting away. In conclusion, no matter what you are doing right now if you have the passion for something, you will find your self at some point making a desicion to either go for it or leave it. That is when your life changes and you either have the faith in yourself or your not strong enough at that moment to do what your made to do. If you are looking, you will find. Good luck!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Declutter Your Home and Learn to Live in Simple Style
You don't need to move away and start over to get a clean and organized place to live. Just making a plan to conquer the clutter can help you dig out of the mess in 30 days.
Start on the road to recovery now. Make a Plan. Do it now...at the least the planning can begin. If you can find a notebook and pen, make a list of what your priorities are. Do you just want to be able to sit down without having to move something out of the way or do you have a dream goal of opening your closet and being able to reach right in and get the outfit you want with the first try? Really do take the time to jot down a few goals. Save the paper for later so you can see how far you have come when you are nearing the finish line.
Start simply. Just make a Fast Pass with trash sack in hand. Now is a good time to use those plastic grocery bags and stuff them with trash, broken toys, pens that are out of ink. If you will just spend 30 minutes this first run, you will be surprised how much you can accomplish.
Think Simple. For so many years, I had so much clutter that I could not find what I wanted when I needed it. I would repurchase something rather than spend hours looking for it. That was a waste of time and money.
You will find that plastic totes and baskets can be your trusted friends. Look for resources. Do you have a cabinet or bookcase that is running over with things you aren't using? Measure the space you have available and find containers that will fit inside those shelves. Purchasing good baskets and containers is a lasting investment
I found three rectangle baskets were just the right size to organize a bookcase in my hall. This became the perfect place to store childrens videos and craft items so my grandchildren could reach their favorite things when coming to visit. The baskets fit three across a shelf and occupy two shelves of the book case. It also helps the children keep their things neat and tidy and develops good habits that will last them a lifetime.
Want more information that is designed for living the simple life? Visit our website today.
Do you miss having time to spend with your family and friends? Take action today. The first step is the hardest. Build your patience and learn to have fun together whether at work or play. For more help with your de-cluttering mission check us out at http://BreakFreeFromClutter.com --Cynthia Charlee
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cynthia_Charleen
Start on the road to recovery now. Make a Plan. Do it now...at the least the planning can begin. If you can find a notebook and pen, make a list of what your priorities are. Do you just want to be able to sit down without having to move something out of the way or do you have a dream goal of opening your closet and being able to reach right in and get the outfit you want with the first try? Really do take the time to jot down a few goals. Save the paper for later so you can see how far you have come when you are nearing the finish line.
Start simply. Just make a Fast Pass with trash sack in hand. Now is a good time to use those plastic grocery bags and stuff them with trash, broken toys, pens that are out of ink. If you will just spend 30 minutes this first run, you will be surprised how much you can accomplish.
Think Simple. For so many years, I had so much clutter that I could not find what I wanted when I needed it. I would repurchase something rather than spend hours looking for it. That was a waste of time and money.
You will find that plastic totes and baskets can be your trusted friends. Look for resources. Do you have a cabinet or bookcase that is running over with things you aren't using? Measure the space you have available and find containers that will fit inside those shelves. Purchasing good baskets and containers is a lasting investment
I found three rectangle baskets were just the right size to organize a bookcase in my hall. This became the perfect place to store childrens videos and craft items so my grandchildren could reach their favorite things when coming to visit. The baskets fit three across a shelf and occupy two shelves of the book case. It also helps the children keep their things neat and tidy and develops good habits that will last them a lifetime.
Want more information that is designed for living the simple life? Visit our website today.
Do you miss having time to spend with your family and friends? Take action today. The first step is the hardest. Build your patience and learn to have fun together whether at work or play. For more help with your de-cluttering mission check us out at http://BreakFreeFromClutter.com --Cynthia Charlee
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cynthia_Charleen
Declutter House - 7 Sure-Fire Tips to Declutter Your Home
Do you know about these declutter house tips? Get the job done fast with these 7 sure-fire tips to declutter your home
#1. Be ruthless when deciding what to keep and what to let go of. It's the only way to succeed at decluttering.
#2. Look at everything with fresh eyes. What made sense to hold onto five or ten years ago may not fit in with your lifestyle today. Tastes and fashions change. Technology changes. Kids grow up. Relationships change
#3. Every time you leave a room, take something with you that doesn't belong there and put it away.
#4. Pick off small declutter jobs. It could be getting a diaper bag organised so you're always good to go. It could be clearing out a drawer or closet. Just keep picking small areas to work on and it builds momentum. You'll achieve quick and easy victories and start to feel the benefit of decluttering.
#5. Time for a declutter blitz. Once you've decluttered a few closets and drawers, you'll have some room to work with. You'll also have a good idea of how much time it takes. So pick a room and a time and blitz it!
#6. Aim to have a place for everything and everything in it's place. If something doesn't have a place then make one. There's plenty of great storage products available
#7. When sorting through your stuff, choose what makes sense to throw out, donate to charity, give away to friends or sell it on ebay. Take action straight away on letting go of stuff.
Learn more declutter house tips to get your home organized in no time.
Find out the easy way to declutter your home
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Penny_Scott
#1. Be ruthless when deciding what to keep and what to let go of. It's the only way to succeed at decluttering.
#2. Look at everything with fresh eyes. What made sense to hold onto five or ten years ago may not fit in with your lifestyle today. Tastes and fashions change. Technology changes. Kids grow up. Relationships change
#3. Every time you leave a room, take something with you that doesn't belong there and put it away.
#4. Pick off small declutter jobs. It could be getting a diaper bag organised so you're always good to go. It could be clearing out a drawer or closet. Just keep picking small areas to work on and it builds momentum. You'll achieve quick and easy victories and start to feel the benefit of decluttering.
#5. Time for a declutter blitz. Once you've decluttered a few closets and drawers, you'll have some room to work with. You'll also have a good idea of how much time it takes. So pick a room and a time and blitz it!
#6. Aim to have a place for everything and everything in it's place. If something doesn't have a place then make one. There's plenty of great storage products available
#7. When sorting through your stuff, choose what makes sense to throw out, donate to charity, give away to friends or sell it on ebay. Take action straight away on letting go of stuff.
Learn more declutter house tips to get your home organized in no time.
Find out the easy way to declutter your home
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Penny_Scott
Monday, November 2, 2009
Clean Your House the Easy Way
It is a fact that busy people do not have the time needed to clean their house. Therefore, what can you do to keep your home from looking like a bomb went off in it? Well here are a few suggestions that you can try to keep your house maintained.
One of the first things a person can do is simple maintenance. When you have, a few extra moments gather a few things like some multi purpose cleaning fluid, a cleaning rag, and some paper towels. Put these items in the restrooms of your home. This will be, explained in a few moments. Next, you will want to put some extra trash bags in the bottom of each wastebasket around your home. This will only take a few moments to do.
Now the reason for this is that when you get up in the mornings and while you are in the restroom getting ready for work you can take the cleaning rag and the cleaning fluid, give your restroom a quick wipe down, and dry with the paper towels. That is it for today do, not worry about anything else for today.
The next day when you come home from work before you do anything make a quick sweep around the house and empty all the wastebaskets. Take this out to the dumpster and you are done for this day.
The next day choose another thing that needs attention in your home this makes cleaning easy. The next day you can choose to sweep or vacuum all the floors then you will be done for that day. If you continue to do just one thing each day for a few moments soon your home will be, maintained. You can maintain a clean well kept house that is easy to keep clean.
Even when you are busy, you only have to do one thing each day and it only takes a few moments. Moreover, you are not trying to clean the whole house in one day. This is an impossible to do and you see it as extra work to your already long day.
You are only adding more work, and tiring yourself more trying to do it all at once. Each day pick one task and work on it briefly you will begin to see a major difference and you will not be, exhausted in the process.
This is the way to clean house the easy way, it is not considered lazy it is considered smart and fast. It is also very productive and simple busy people can have a clean house too.
Do visit Irsan's latest website at American Tourister Luggage Set which contains the best prices on Wheeled Carry On Luggage and other information about luggage.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Irsan_Komarga
One of the first things a person can do is simple maintenance. When you have, a few extra moments gather a few things like some multi purpose cleaning fluid, a cleaning rag, and some paper towels. Put these items in the restrooms of your home. This will be, explained in a few moments. Next, you will want to put some extra trash bags in the bottom of each wastebasket around your home. This will only take a few moments to do.
Now the reason for this is that when you get up in the mornings and while you are in the restroom getting ready for work you can take the cleaning rag and the cleaning fluid, give your restroom a quick wipe down, and dry with the paper towels. That is it for today do, not worry about anything else for today.
The next day when you come home from work before you do anything make a quick sweep around the house and empty all the wastebaskets. Take this out to the dumpster and you are done for this day.
The next day choose another thing that needs attention in your home this makes cleaning easy. The next day you can choose to sweep or vacuum all the floors then you will be done for that day. If you continue to do just one thing each day for a few moments soon your home will be, maintained. You can maintain a clean well kept house that is easy to keep clean.
Even when you are busy, you only have to do one thing each day and it only takes a few moments. Moreover, you are not trying to clean the whole house in one day. This is an impossible to do and you see it as extra work to your already long day.
You are only adding more work, and tiring yourself more trying to do it all at once. Each day pick one task and work on it briefly you will begin to see a major difference and you will not be, exhausted in the process.
This is the way to clean house the easy way, it is not considered lazy it is considered smart and fast. It is also very productive and simple busy people can have a clean house too.
Do visit Irsan's latest website at American Tourister Luggage Set which contains the best prices on Wheeled Carry On Luggage and other information about luggage.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Irsan_Komarga
Speed Cleaning Your Home
If you're looking to cut your cleaning time in your home, then consider the following tips:
Put on some music, set a timer for 15 minutes and focus on the room you are about to clean, and challenge yourself to see how much you can get done in that time by making it a game. If possible work get others involved like a team effort.
Have your supplies with you in something that you can easily tote around. Make sure you have the right tools for the job within easy reach. Also consider having a tote for different rooms, for example a different one for kitchen than the bathroom. This helps not get supplies mixed up and are ready to go when the cleaning needs doing.
Pick up stuff that doesn't belong on the floor so you can clean about freely and not trip over stuff.
Use gravity to your cleaning advantage, and start at the top and work your way down. Start dusting first, from the top and work your way down before vacuuming.
Clean what's dirty and leave the rest! Work your way around the room, and clean what needs cleaning from top to bottom, then move on to the next section and vacuum the whole area last.
Keep on top of clutter, as you bring in the mail, or newspapers, don't just lay them down anywhere, put junk mail in recycle boxes, and newspapers and papers in a organized place for them.
If your cleaning the bathroom or kitchen, put cleaner on surface, then clean surfaces and then rinse once. By thoroughly cleaning and then rinsing takes less time as opposed to starting and stopping.
Ann Coltin is an Author and cleaning expert that enjoys helping others get their home organized and speed cleaned. For more information and tips on Speed Cleaning your home, visit the website at http://www.cleaningdetails.com/ and sign up for the free newsletter.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ann_Coltin
Put on some music, set a timer for 15 minutes and focus on the room you are about to clean, and challenge yourself to see how much you can get done in that time by making it a game. If possible work get others involved like a team effort.
Have your supplies with you in something that you can easily tote around. Make sure you have the right tools for the job within easy reach. Also consider having a tote for different rooms, for example a different one for kitchen than the bathroom. This helps not get supplies mixed up and are ready to go when the cleaning needs doing.
Pick up stuff that doesn't belong on the floor so you can clean about freely and not trip over stuff.
Use gravity to your cleaning advantage, and start at the top and work your way down. Start dusting first, from the top and work your way down before vacuuming.
Clean what's dirty and leave the rest! Work your way around the room, and clean what needs cleaning from top to bottom, then move on to the next section and vacuum the whole area last.
Keep on top of clutter, as you bring in the mail, or newspapers, don't just lay them down anywhere, put junk mail in recycle boxes, and newspapers and papers in a organized place for them.
If your cleaning the bathroom or kitchen, put cleaner on surface, then clean surfaces and then rinse once. By thoroughly cleaning and then rinsing takes less time as opposed to starting and stopping.
Ann Coltin is an Author and cleaning expert that enjoys helping others get their home organized and speed cleaned. For more information and tips on Speed Cleaning your home, visit the website at http://www.cleaningdetails.com/ and sign up for the free newsletter.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ann_Coltin
Quick Cleaning Tips to Make Your Home Look Cleaner
What can you do to make your home look cleaner than it really is? I've been lucky enough to have two mom's that have shared their homekeeping tips with me for years. Both my mom and my mom-in-law have very clean homes. Once I had a family of my own with three kids and a dog, I could never figure out how they did it. My home always looked "unkept". So I went back to both of them and asked for a little advice. Each had some little secrets to keeping their home looking so good.
1. If you only have time for one thing- vacuum the floor. When your floors look clean everything else will look better. Even vacuum the kitchen floor. When you pick up the big dirt, the other stuff will disappear.
2. Try making your bed every day. This is for your mental health, since we usually don't let guests into our bedrooms. When your bed is made the rest of the room will look better. And there is nothing more relaxing than ending your day in a room that looks clean.
3. Don't pile your dishes in the sink. Put them directly in the dishwasher. Dirty dishes create negative energy, especially if they are piled up in the sink. If you can train your family to do one thing- make it that they put their dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Try running the dishwasher at night and empty it before you leave for the day. Then no one will have the excuse that the dishwasher was full of clean dishes
For more tips on homekeeping, visit http://www.thecleaningcoach.us/ .
Leslie Reichert is a "green" cleaning coach. Her mission is to teach and encourage others in the "art" of homekeeping and green cleaning. Leslie has seen scores of people who fight a daily battle with asthma and allergies, which many believe are caused by using harsh chemicals in the home. With over 20 years experience, she realized she wanted to share her knowledge and encourage people to start green cleaning and since then she has become an author, coach, presenter and speaker for the green cleaning industry. She presents with Celebrity Chefs like Paula Deen and Ming Tsai at events such as the Chicago International Home and Housewares Show and Good Taste, Pittsburgh. Leslie can be contacted at her cleaning hotline at 1-866-50CLEAN or on her blog. Her book, The Joy of Green Cleaning, is available on line at Amazon.com or at her book site. You can also download an e-book or just specific chapters for only $2.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leslie_Reicher t
1. If you only have time for one thing- vacuum the floor. When your floors look clean everything else will look better. Even vacuum the kitchen floor. When you pick up the big dirt, the other stuff will disappear.
2. Try making your bed every day. This is for your mental health, since we usually don't let guests into our bedrooms. When your bed is made the rest of the room will look better. And there is nothing more relaxing than ending your day in a room that looks clean.
3. Don't pile your dishes in the sink. Put them directly in the dishwasher. Dirty dishes create negative energy, especially if they are piled up in the sink. If you can train your family to do one thing- make it that they put their dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Try running the dishwasher at night and empty it before you leave for the day. Then no one will have the excuse that the dishwasher was full of clean dishes
For more tips on homekeeping, visit http://www.thecleaningcoach.us/ .
Leslie Reichert is a "green" cleaning coach. Her mission is to teach and encourage others in the "art" of homekeeping and green cleaning. Leslie has seen scores of people who fight a daily battle with asthma and allergies, which many believe are caused by using harsh chemicals in the home. With over 20 years experience, she realized she wanted to share her knowledge and encourage people to start green cleaning and since then she has become an author, coach, presenter and speaker for the green cleaning industry. She presents with Celebrity Chefs like Paula Deen and Ming Tsai at events such as the Chicago International Home and Housewares Show and Good Taste, Pittsburgh. Leslie can be contacted at her cleaning hotline at 1-866-50CLEAN or on her blog. Her book, The Joy of Green Cleaning, is available on line at Amazon.com or at her book site. You can also download an e-book or just specific chapters for only $2.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leslie_Reicher t
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