Your Life. Organized.

Quote: We Work Miracles

"When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another."

Helen Keller
1880-1968, Author and Lecturer

 

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Cutting Back Moves You Forward

 

Summertime is flower time in the mountains and at our house, that means roses! In spring of 2008, we planted a red rose bush and even though it’s supposedly low maintenance, it still requires some time and attention as all roses do. I routinely dead-head the old flowers and prune back interior branches to allow the entire bush to get sun and for air to circulate between the canes. You can see in the photo that there are limbs and old flowers on the ground. What you can’t see is the roughly 50 new buds on still on the bush, just waiting to burst open.

Typically when I prune, 25 to 40 percent of the rose bush ends up in pieces on the ground. If you’re not into gardening that may sound harsh to you and the entire concept of pruning may seem counter-intuitive. How in the world does hacking limbs OFF a plant make it healthier?

The concept is simple – plants require energy to grow and bloom, just like people do. Removing dead flowers and unproductive branches eliminates energy drains, allowing the plant to put its energy into new and existing growth. Pruning old flowers makes room for new branches and new flowers. It doesn't mean you didn't love the old flowers when they were in bloom; it just means they’re past giving you joy and value and it's time for them to go. Hakuna Matata baby, it’s the Circle of Life.

I encourage you to “prune” the energy drains from your life, such as physical clutter, relationship and social drama and over-commitment. When you do, you’ll feel a weight lift from you and you’ll open up space for new things. Whether you’re seeking financial abundance, new opportunities, better relationships or improved health, cutting out what no longer serves you creates room for your life to grow and bloom like a beautiful rose bush.

 

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Quote: What You Manage

"It's not the day you have to manage, but the moment. It's not the dragon you have to slay, but the fear. And it's not the path you have to know, but the destination."

From Mike Dooley's "The Universe" Daily Quotes

 

 

 

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7 Simple Steps To Organize Toys

Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of money, so to entertain ourselves, we mostly played outdoors and to my memory, what toys we had were few. Some of my favorites were a kid-size air hockey table, my Lincoln Logs, Erector Set, and of course my bike which got me everywhere I needed to go. I did have a few Barbies but I was never a big fan of any dolls, including her and Ken. (Sorry Barbie.)

Today, families are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of toys that kids have. Toys end up in every room of the house, causing unecessary clutter and chaos. If this sounds like your house, here are seven simple steps to reducing toy clutter and teaching your kids valuable lessons in the process.

• Pare and Share. To keep toys at a manageable level, establish a quarterly “donate day” when your child “goes shopping” in his toy collection to find things to give to needy kids. Encouraging your child to pare down and share with kids who have little is a great way to declutter, while teaching him that he can be happy with fewer things. It also helps him learn to make choices when faced between two things he enjoys.

• Less Is More. Getting your child to put her toys away might seem like a monumental task. However, when you dramatically reduce the number of toys, clean up time instantly becomes faster and easier. She’s less likely to fight you if there are only ten toys to put away rather than a hundred. Wouldn’t you feel the same?

• Banish The Box. Toy boxes are a good idea on paper, however, they’re not often effective because for kids, “out of sight” also means out of mind. The depth and darkness of the box hides all the toys except what’s on top. Toy boxes also obscures small items, which tend to fall to the bottom. Replace your toy box with an open shelf and small clear bin system, so kids can store their toys in plain sight. When you make storage and retrieval easy, you set your kids up for success.

• Birds of a Feather. To make it easier for your child to locate his favorite toys, store like with like. For example, keep all the stuffed animals together, building toys together, store cars and trucks in the same container, games and puzzles can live on a low shelf, and dress-up items are easily stored in a suitcase at the foot of the bed or even beneath it. Grouping items teaches kids to categorize and makes finding what they want easy.

• Reading Is FUNdamental. If your child’s room is overrun with books that never seem to make it back onto the bookshelf, try containing them in small plastic dishpans instead. Most kids’ books will fit into a dishpan with the spine facing up. Storing books this way makes it easy for kids to identify books quickly, just by flipping through them. The dishpan is great too, because unlike a bookcase, it’s portable for those times when youyou’re your child want to spend reading time together in another part of your home.

• Set A Trend. Be the first on your block to boycott the big gift-laden neighborhood birthday party. Your friends will thank you for taking the pressure off because they will no longer have to buy your child a gift, nor will their child be coming home with yet another “goodie bag.” Let’s just be honest… nobody’s kid really needs another cheap plastic trinket to take home. Instead of spending money filling the dreaded goodie bags, hire a clown or a magician. To create a fun experience, set up tables so the kids can do art projects or have them dress in fun costumes and put on funny skits or make up songs.

• Control Gift-Giving. Establish gift-giving rules for your family and friends. Strictly limit the number of gifts they may give to your child on birthdays and holidays. Let them know that you’re in the process of simplifying your life and teaching your child to understand that more is not better. Encourage family and friends to give your kids “experience” gifts rather than things. Tickets to the circus, a museum, the movies, a sporting event or concert are wonderful gifts that encourage spending time together without cluttering your child’s mind and home with more “stuff.”

Toys are a perfectly wonderful part of childhood when they enhance your child’s experience rather than overwhelm his space and stress him out. How have you taken steps to curtail the tidal wave of toys over the years?

 

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Quote: Finding Yourself

"People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something one finds, it is something one creates."

Thomas Szasz
Psychiatrist and Author

 

 

 

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The Big O: Smartphones!

Listen to the newest episode of The Big O with me, and your hosts Vicky and Jen as we discuss smartphones, great apps to maximize productivity and make life easier and some fun stuff too, as always! Be warned when listening though... you may learn something new and you will have fun!

 

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Quote: The Future Is Open

"The future is open; we decide what's in it."

 

Wolfgang Sonnenburg
Founder of Winspiration Day

 

 

 

 

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What Can You Learn About Clutter From A Waitress?

Never leave a room empty-handed. It's one of the earliest lessons you learn in the restaurant business and it makes sense because the one constant in a restaurant is movement. I oughta know, having spent over twenty years in the hospitality industry. (Yes, one of those fresh-faced youngsters might just be me...)

Front of the house staff (servers, bartenders, server assistants, bussers and hosts) scurry from dining areas into the kitchen and back again, taking care of guests and keeping service supplies stocked. A smart restaurant staffer maximizes each trip by carrying plates from the dining room to the kitchen and bringing fresh supplies out of the kitchen on the way back. Failure to do so wastes time and energy.

You can utilize this tried and true restaurant strategy to maximize your efforts at home. Simply pay attention to what you see around you, and when leaving a room, check your hands! Are you carrying something with you? If not, try again! For example, if you see dishes in the family room, take them with you to the kitchen the next time you grab a beverage. If you see socks in the living room, take them along when you when you head to bed that evening.

Instead of letting things pile up to become a huge clean-up project for later, this week, try never leaving a room empty-handed. You move from room to room in your house all the time, so why not do your best impression of a waitress and make every trip count?

 

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Quote: Success

"The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself."

Mark Caine
Author

 

 

 

 

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