intentional living

7 TIME WASTERS

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Okay friends, for today’s Thoughtful Thursday post I wanted to share with you ways that we can waste our time. Especially if you are a homemaker, it can be easy to fall into these habits of wasting time. I hope by sharing these 7 time wasters with you, I can encourage you to be more efficient in your day, giving you more margin to do the things you love!

The first time waster is inefficiency in chores, responsibilities, or activities. I have found it really helpful to batch activities for efficiency. Running errands is a perfect example. It makes more sense to run all of your errands at once while you are already out and about then to do them throughout the week. This is especially true if you don’t live close to stores. Another example is checking your email or other notifications on your phone. Set aside times during the day when you will check email and other notifications to respond to emails or social media comments at the same time. It can be a big time waster to continually open your phone to respond to things like this throughout the day. Included in this is even batching your rest time! I personally have found it really helpful to have one day a week where I do not do any work!

The second time waster I wanted to share with you is the amount of time we spend choosing our clothes for the day. Now, if you’ve been around for a while, you will not hear me tell you to become a minimalist and wear black t-shirts everyday! That is not my style at all. I love having lots of options and being able to creatively put together outfits. However, I did want to suggest having a uniform. I do like to wear a uniform. In the summer I wear shorts with a t-shirt or button up, and in the winter I wear jeans with a t-shirt, button up and layer with cardigans and sweaters. I will say, more recently I am rotating in some dresses and skirts as I have been trying to wear everything in my closet. I am really enjoying adding these pieces into the rotation! And of course there are some days where I just stay in my workout clothes all day! Having a uniform cuts down on the time it takes to make that daily decision, and it prevents decision fatigue. 

The next time waster is trying to remember everything that needs to get done. I absolutely love lists! Having daily to-do lists helps me to get these things that need to get done out of my brain and onto paper. You could use digital to do lists if that is your preference, I just love writing things down with pen and paper! In addition to daily to-do lists, I would also suggest keeping a running master to-list – everything that needs to get done at some point but you’re not necessarily going to do it today. You can reference this master to-do list as you are making your daily or weekly to-do lists to incorporate these tasks throughout your week. Again, just getting these tasks down on paper relieves your brain from having to remember them!

Similar to that, we waste time trying to remember all the appointments and where everyone needs to go. I would recommend keeping a calendar – either a physical calendar, a digital one, or like me you could use both. When my kids were younger, I liked to color code my calendars with a color for each person so it was easy to know who had activities or appointments for each day. You could also color code the activities. Perhaps errands could be one color, chores another, and desk work another color.

The fifth time waster I wanted to share with you is trying to figure out when to do what needs to get done. This would be more so for chores or tasks that need to get done each day or each week. I like to have a regular schedule of when I get my basic chores and errands done so I don’t need to waste time thinking about when I will get each task done. Each week I have set aside time to get these chores done. I find that it works best to do two to three chores each day of the week and then you don’t need to worry about it for the remainder of the week. For example, every Monday I do our laundry; every Tuesday I give our kitchen a deeper clean; every Wednesday I pick up our groceries. By having the same schedule each week, I don’t have to waste time thinking about when these tasks will fit into my schedule for the week. 

Along those same lines, we may waste time by not having a regular sleep schedule. When our sleep schedule is unpredictable, we won’t know how much time we will have each day to accomplish our to-do lists. Studies have shown that it is far more healthy to stick to a regular bedtime and wake up time. Yes, even on the weekends! When we have a regular sleep routine, not only is it a healthier way to live, but it also allows us to be more efficient in our work. We are also less likely to feel tired when we keep a regular sleep schedule and so we are able to get our work done!

The last time waster is an obvious one, and I know it’s a tough one as I myself struggle with this… we waste time on mindless entertainment – either scrolling social media, or watching Netflix or YouTube. I understand that these things are a part of our lives, but I wanted to encourage you to unplug from time to time. Ideally we would come up with appropriate boundaries for ourselves on how much and how often we engage in this entertainment. I think we could all stand to cut back on our social media usage and tv watching, ME INCLUDED! I used to not open any of the social media apps on my phone on Sundays as a part of my rest day, but slowly it crept back in. Not to scroll, just to keep up with chats, DMs, and notifications. However I really think it would do me good personally to get back to the habit of not looking at social media at all for that one day a week.

The video I posted on my YouTube channel in conjunction with this blog post.

COMFORT CULTURE + WHY PAIN IS IMPORTANT

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Okay friends, for today’s Thoughtful Thursday post I wanted to talk about comfort culture and why it’s dangerous. Somewhat adjacent to that idea, I wanted to talk about the importance of pain in our lives!

So before I get into this conversation I feel like I need to make a disclaimer. I want to acknowledge that dealing with pain – whether physical or emotional – is challenging. I don’t want to minimize what some of you may be going through on a daily basis. Also, putting yourself through pain and discomfort just for the sake of it with no goal in mind is not necessarily beneficial. We do not need to be martyrs. But I will get into that pain/pleasure balance later. 

The first thing I wanted to talk about is self care. I feel like in our culture these days there are a lot of people promoting self care and the importance of self care. However, often I think this term “self care” is shared more in the context of self indulgence. Like: take a bath, get your nails done, get your hair done, go on a shopping spree, buy that fancy coffee. I would like to argue that self care is not always self indulgence. Self care is not always something that feels comfortable. In my opinion, a lot of healthy self care is not comfortable or easy. Take exercise for example. Moving your body every day is self care. Quite literally taking care of yourself. Can self care be those more indulgent or comfortable things? Of course! But I want to encourage you to think of ways you can take care of your body – self care – on a daily basis! Like exercise, getting plenty of rest, eating healthy foods, or other healthy habits.

Next, I wanted to get back to that pain/pleasure balance. The other day I watched this really fascinating video on YouTube about finding balance in this age of indulgence. It was shared on a YouTube channel I really enjoy, After Skool. I will do my best to concisely explain what the doctor in this video explained about the importance of balancing pain and pleasure. 

She explained that the same part of our brains process both pleasure and pain. She described the need for balance of pain and please like a see saw or scale in our brains – with pleasure being on one side and pain being on the other. Our brains want this to stay level. When we experience pleasure, our brains release a chemical called dopamine, which I am sure most of you are familiar with. But as soon as our brain produces this chemical, it tries to regain balance by downregulating our dopamine receptors. She described this as little gremlins jumping on the pain end of the see saw for this balance to be achieved. If we stop the pleasurable activity, those gremlins eventually hop off of the other side. But if we continue to indulge in something pleasurable, then the gremlins continue to multiply and eventually we change our homeostasis set point. Now you need to continue doing that pleasurable thing just to feel normal. She explained this in the context of addictive behavior and how we keep going back to that behavior in order to feel normal. One of her suggestions to this problem, and what she had suggested to clients, is to do a dopamine detox where you cut out whatever that behavior is: watching tv, scrolling social media, or playing video games, for a period of time in order for your brain to reset and for all the gremlins to jump off the see saw. The video describes everything in more detail, so I highly recommend checking it out! But it reminds us of the importance of balance and why we must fight against constantly seeking out comfort.

I have talked about the importance of stepping outside of our comfort zones in life. I even had a whole series on my YouTube channel where I challenged myself to do things outside of my comfort zone. It’s when we challenge ourselves in this way that we grow and become stronger – either physically and/or emotionally. Unfortunately that is not an easy thing to do in this day and age when so much entertainment is available to us! We must be intentional with pushing ourselves away from constant indulgence and towards things that will be better for us in the long run!

I wanted to share with you about a book I read quite a long time ago, however it was so impactful that I remember it to this day. The book is Where’s God When It Hurts by Philip Yancey. I specifically remember a story he shared in this book about how people who contract leprosy do not always die from disease itself. They die from the effects of the disease. What happens with leprosy is that you can no longer feel pain, therefore you might cut your hand or stub your toe and not notice it. Oftentimes these things will get infected, but because they don’t feel pain they might not notice that a body part is infected. His point is that pain is an indicator for us. Pain lets us know that something is wrong. Because of this, we can have a different perspective about pain, and be thankful that we can feel pain so we know when something is wrong. This can be physical pain, but even emotional pain helps us know when something is wrong, and therefore we can respond to it!

Like I mentioned, in this day and age it is not easy to remain disciplined in how we spend our time. I just wanted to encourage you today to see the value in doing things that are not easy, doing the things that are outside of your comfort zone in order to become the best version of yourself! I find it funny that this was what I had planned to talk about in conjunction with the back yard clean up YouTube video {{linked below}} because while I didn’t think about the connection at the time I was planning it, it was certainly not an easy task to clean up this back yard, but as I lay in my hammock this morning I realized it was so worth it!

Here is the YouTube video I posted in conjunction with this blog post.

DEBUNKING THE BUSYNESS CULTURE

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Okay friends, for today’s Thoughtful Thursday post I wanted to talk about the culture of busyness. I have often talked about living intentionally, and part of that is living at a slower pace – spending time on the things I love and the things that are important to me, and cutting out the things that just keep me busy.

In today’s fast-paced world, many people are proud of how busy they are. They may believe this busyness is a sign of importance or productivity. Today I wanted to challenge this glorification of busyness and the idea that constant activity is synonymous with success and/or fulfillment. I wanted to debunk this idea that busyness is always positive by sharing the detrimental effects it can have on our mental well-being, relationships, and overall quality of life.

Ryan Holiday, an author and content creator has said this: “Whenever you say ‘yes’ to something, you’re saying ‘no’ to something else.” We all make decisions on how to spend our time. And we all have a finite amount of time. If we say yes to lots of things, then we may be forfeiting time to rest and rejuvenate. 

One of the primary things I wanted to talk about is this assumption that being busy equates to productivity. The reality is, busyness often leads to inefficiency and burnout. When we have a lot on our plates, our ability to focus on and prioritize tasks diminishes. This affects our productivity and our quality of work. Being busy is different from being productive, and I think people often don’t realize this.

Something else I wanted to address is the effect constant busyness has on our mental well being. The constant pursuit of busyness can over time take a toll on our mental health. Having nonstop obligations leave little room for rest, relaxation, and self-care. All things that I think can be undervalued. This can lead to stress and anxiety which causes emotional exhaustion. Rest and relaxation are not a negative thing, these are not things to be viewed as being lazy, but instead as part of a healthy lifestyle. Scheduling in times of rest prevents you from being lazy by making a plan in your schedule for rest AND for work. When we give our brains, bodies, and emotions time to rest and rejuvenate, we are more likely to be productive when we are working. If you think about athletes training, they schedule in time to allow their bodies to rest for their muscles to recover. Our brains are no different, and need time to recover as well.

Our relationships can also take a toll when we are constantly busy and have a packed schedule. In the pursuit of busyness, we can sometimes sacrifice quality time with friends and family. When we are busy all of the time, it can be difficult to be present in the moment as we do interact with others, we may be thinking of all the other things that we must get done. Deep and meaningful relationships require time and attention. When we leave little margin in our lives to develop these kinds of relationships, we are left feeling alone and/or disconnected. We must schedule our time in a way that we can be fully present in everything we do, including time with people fostering these deeper connections.

Contrary to popular belief, a truly fulfilling life cannot be measured by the number of tasks we accomplish each day. Busyness can cause us to not live in the moment, and therefore we may miss life’s little pleasures as we are rushing from one task to another or one activity to another. Again, as we keep a schedule that allows for margin we are more likely to truly live in the moment, enjoy the little things, and therefore experience more gratitude in life. If we have a balanced life of productivity and the ability to live in the moment our quality of life will go up!

To counteract this culture of busyness, we must embrace simplicity and mindfulness. Simplifying our schedules, and learning what to say yes to and what to say no to can create the space we need for this type of presence in each task and activity in life. As we are more mindful of how we spend our time, we begin to become self aware of our priorities and moving forward we can begin to choose our time doing the things that align with our values and goals in life.

I did want to say that I recognize that there will always be busier seasons in life. I remember when my kids were all school aged we felt busy and on the go constantly. This was just a season. Also, we chose to combat the extreme busyness by limiting the number of activities our kids could participate in each season. We wanted to teach them the value in not overcommitting and to be fully committed to the things they wanted to invest their time in. We not only embrace these ideas for ourselves but to teach our children the value of rest and self-care. 

Lastly, I just wanted to encourage you to challenge our culture’s narrow view of success, which often revolves around busyness and external achievements. True success should be viewed more holistically, accounting for mental well being, healthy relationships, and personal fulfillment. When we adopt this mindset, we will be able to escape this culture of busyness and replace it with something far more meaningful.

This is the YouTube video I posted in conjunction with this blog post.

DO ORDINARY THINGS IN AN EXTRAORDINARY WAY

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Hey friends, for today’s Thoughtful Thursday post I wanted to talk about a quote I posted over in my Instagram feed this week. The quote says, “The true call of a Christian is not to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things in an extraordinary way.” This quote is from Dean Stanley, an Anglican priest from the 1800’s. Although he speaks in terms of a Christian having this life ethic, I think this could apply to anyone. Do ordinary things in an extraordinary way.

I think it is easy to feel like what we are doing with our lives doesn’t matter. We can feel like these little mundane day to day tasks aren’t making a difference and we wonder if there is something grand we should be doing with our lives. This quote reminds us that we can do an extraordinary job right where our feet are planted. Sometimes we get so caught up in dreaming about what we should be doing that we don’t look at the opportunities right in front of us! 

Living an extraordinary life does not always include performing grand acts as defined by our culture. Living an extraordinary life happens when we are fully present in ordinary moments in life, being able to fully appreciate the moment for what it is. I talk often on my social media about living intentionally. Part of living intentionally is recognizing the importance of the mundane. These everyday ordinary moments make up the whole of our lives. When we approach these moments with mindfulness and enthusiasm, we then can uncover this extraordinary meaning in the mundane. Whether it’s taking care of children, preparing a meal, cleaning the bathroom, or engaging in conversations, we can find these experiences extraordinary when we infuse these moments with passion, creativity, and attention to detail.

In order to do ordinary things in an extraordinary way, we must approach each task, regardless of what it is, with a commitment to excellence and attention to detail. So many of our daily tasks can become mundane. When tasks become part of everyday routines or habits we can begin to do them on autopilot instead of living in the moment. These simple everyday tasks like exercising, making our beds, or answering emails can be done with precision and care and have a remarkable impact on the people around us as well as our internal thoughts. It is through this attention to detail that we begin to develop a reputation for excellence as we demonstrate that we go above and beyond in everything we do. 

When ordinary actions are carried out in an extraordinary way, the ripple effect it has on others can be profound. Especially if you are a mother with little eyes on you – they will absorb this work ethic. I can tell you, now having young adult children, that what you do is far more important than what you say. By infusing our daily interactions with kindness, empathy, and genuine interest, we have the power to positively influence those around us. Ordinary conversations can become extraordinary when we are present in the conversation – actively listening, offering support, and providing encouragement. Not only does this provide more meaningful connections, but it could also inspire that person to pursue their own extraordinary path.

In addition to these external benefits of doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way, there are also internal benefits. As we challenge ourselves to approach everyday, routine tasks with a growth mind-set and a commitment to self-improvement, we will begin to change the internal as well. This can push us to become more creative or expand our potential. We speak to ourselves more than anyone else speaks to us. We must be aware of the things we are saying to ourselves and redirect this belief that the ordinary is unimportant. We can choose to create a life of purpose and meaning through making the ordinary truly extraordinary.

As a homemaker, I have always pursued the work I do here in my home with excellence. I’m thankful to my parents who taught us high work ethic and to value putting in our full effort in anything that we did. I have not always done this perfectly and I know there have been days or even seasons in my life as a homemaker that I was just trying to make it through each day.

I wanted to share a story with you to remind you that while I fully believe in doing ordinary things in extraordinary ways, I acknowledge that this isn’t always easy. The year our daughter, who is our oldest child, graduated from high school was the same year our middle son graduated middle school and our youngest graduated elementary school. I’m not sure how the cosmos aligned to create this kind of upheaval of change in our lives, but this is nevertheless how it played out for us. That spring was tough for sure, and I think maybe in hindsight we should have invested stock in Kleenex before hitting this phase of life. But nothing would prepare me for what happened the following fall when the new routines set in, with all three of our kids in a new season of life.

That year was really rough for me mentally, which is probably not surprising. I wasn’t officially diagnosed with depression, but my behavior pointed to a depressive season of life. I felt lost, which made me not want to pursue things I used to love doing. In the fall of the following year, a local boutique owner reached out to me to see if I would like to work for her. I was a regular in her boutique and we had developed a friendship through my visits. I worked for her for a year and a half, and so appreciated that time which pulled me out of my funk and gave me new purpose and inspiration in life again. I actually quit working for her to start up my own business as a professional organizer!

We may go through days or even seasons in life that it is difficult to be present and to pursue our work with excellence, however we must keep pressing forward reminding ourselves that we can be extraordinary wherever our feet are planted!

The YouTube video I posted in conjunction with this blog post.

10 Questions to Ask Yourself When Decluttering Sentimental or Holiday Items

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Today I wanted to talk about decluttering sentimental items, and in particular holiday decor. Decluttering sentimental items can be such a difficult thing! Holiday decor can have an added layer of difficulty because of the sweet and fond memories wrapped up in the items. I always encourage people to start with an easier category when beginning their decluttering journey because momentum is the key. It’s a whole lot easier to declutter items that don’t have a sentimental attachment. Starting there will give us the confidence in our decision making process as we gain momentum with decluttering. If you are in a place where you are ready to tackle decluttering sentimental items, but you are struggling, I have ten questions you can ask yourself as you make these decisions.

The first question you can ask yourself is: Am I going to use it again? If you didn’t put it out this year, how likely are you to put it out next year? Oftentimes if we do not display something from our Christmas bins one year, we are not very likely to display it the next year. And even less like the next year, or the next. I know it can be difficult to be realistic with ourselves when it comes to sentimental items, but really evaluate if you are going to display items in the future. 

If you’re not going to display the items, the second question you can ask is: are these items worth just storing away in a closet, attic, or basement? I am all about displaying or discarding. For me, when things are out of sight, they are out of mind. Be honest with yourself if the items are important enough to just have stored away in a box somewhere.

The third question to ask is: Am I believing in my  fantasy self? This term refers to having items in your home that you think you will one day use because of who you wish you would be. You have a desire to follow through on ideas you have, but the reality is you probably won’t. Maybe you’re keeping old Christmas cards to use for a future craft project, or you have some other craft materials to make things that you will actually never make, or maybe you have a lot of holiday decor with the idea that you will put it all out but the reality is you don’t have the time or bandwidth during the holiday season to do so. Again, being realistic with yourself is the key. Ask yourself how much you really need to have on hand. How much will you actually use?

The fourth question you can ask yourself is: is this meaningful to my children or family members? Think about if your children or family members would want these items when you are gone. I know this is a bit morbid to think about, but it is a good way to help make these decisions. If you missed my previous blog post (or YouTube video) regarding Swedish Death Cleaning, you should check it out for a more in depth explanation, but this mindset has helped me when making decisions especially regarding sentimental items. The basic idea of Swedish Death Cleaning is recognizing that one day when you pass away your children or other family members will have the responsibility of deciding what happens with the belongings you left behind. It is already an emotional time dealing with the loss of a loved one, but there is the added burden of going through their stuff. Therefore this question of will your family members find these items meaningful is valuable.

An adjacent question you can ask yourself with regards to your children or other family members is: can I pass anything along to my children or family members now? While you are still living it is a great time to ask your family members what items are important to them. You may find that what is important to you may not be important to them, or vice versa. It may be easier to let go of sentimental items if you know they are going to be cherished by family.

The sixth question you can ask yourself is: will this matter to me one year from now? Five years from now, or ten years from now? Thinking about sentimental items in terms of the future can help you to make those decisions. You may want to hold onto items for now and that’s okay. It can take time to let things go. In a recent video on my YouTube channel where I was going through my Christmas decor to declutter, a friend asked me if I was emotional going through my kids’ childhood items (my three children are now young adults). I honestly was not emotional. It took time, but I am starting to get to a place where I am accepting this life stage. It takes time to transition for sure, but when you’re ready to let go, you’re ready.

The seventh question you can ask yourself is: is this item something I could take a photo of to have the memory? Sometimes it’s enough to have a photo of the special item, and this takes up far less physical space since photos are now digital. This is an especially great technique for larger sentimental items.

Another question you can ask yourself is: how much Christmas clutter am I okay with having displayed in my home? Everyone has a threshold of how much stuff they can have around them. Studies have shown that clutter can contribute to feelings of anxiety and overwhelm. For some people that threshold is higher, but really evaluate your threshold. If you like a lot of holiday decor and you have the time and energy to put it all up, then by all means keep it all! But if the reality is you have way more than you feel comfortable displaying then it’s time to evaluate what you can part with. 

The ninth question you can ask yourself is: do I have the space to store what I want to keep? Physical boundaries can be a great way to limit what you keep. It can be helpful to give yourself boundaries by having a certain number of bins for your holiday decor and only keeping what fits in the bins.

The tenth and final question you can ask yourself is: Am I keeping items because of guilt? Sometimes we keep sentimental items or holiday items because they were gifts given to us. It can be very difficult to let go of items given to us, however it doesn’t seem sustainable to keep every gift ever given to you. I am sure the person who gave you the gift would not want you to keep the item simply out of guilt and might rather you pass it along to someone who can use and enjoy it!

Well, I hope these ten questions were helpful to you to process through making decisions when it comes to decluttering sentimental and holiday items. This time of year as we get out our holiday decor and set it up is a great time to think through these questions! Happy decluttering, and happy holidays!

Here is the YouTube video I created in conjunction with this blog post if you would like to check that out.

12 Tips For Packing To Move

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In today’s post I wanted to share with you some tips for moving! I thought summer is the perfect time to share these tips as a lot of people move during the summer months. I have been married for 26 years, and we have three adult children now. Over the course of our marriage we have lived in 4 states, 6 different apartments and 2 homes, so I have experience with packing to move! I hope these tips are helpful for you for a future move, or if a move is not in your near future you can pass this along to a friend or family member that might benefit from these tips!

{{1}} The first tip is to pack all non essential items well in advance. I always liked to pack non essential items even a couple months in advance to get this out of the way. When we begin the packing process, we don’t realize just how many belongings we own. At first it seems like it won’t take long at all to get everything packed, but the deeper into the packing process you get, you realize that you have A LOT of stuff and it is time consuming. Some examples of non essential items are home decor, throw pillow and blankets, picture frames, books, and holiday related items. 

{{2}} My next tip is to color code labels to match the rooms they belong in. This tip is especially helpful if you have movers moving your belongings, but even if friends or family members help they will know which room each box goes to very quickly. You can even have a color sign in each room to indicate which boxes go in which rooms. 

{{3}} Another tip is to use towels and blankets to pack fragile items. Using towels and blankets to pack fragile items will be efficient since you’re packing both items, but protecting the fragile items. Obviously you will want to take special care to wrap really fragile and special items with bubble wrap or newspaper.

{{4}} Speaking of newspapers, save newspapers to wrap breakables. If you don’t get newspaper you can buy non printed newspaper from moving stores. Using the non printed newspaper is nice for things like dishes and drinking glasses so they don’t get dirty from the printing.

{{5}} Another great tip is to ask local grocery stores or big box stores for boxes. Instead of purchasing new moving boxes, you can go to local grocery stores or places like Target or Walmart to ask if they have extra boxes you could take. They often have leftover boxes from unloading inventory and are happy to give them to you. Sometimes these boxes aren’t quite as sturdy as the moving boxes, so you will want to be careful with what you pack in them. 

{{6}} My next tip is to declutter, donate, and sell anything not worth moving. It is best to use the opportunity while you are packing things to move to declutter and donate or sell anything you are no longer loving or using. Depending on how much you have, this can be an overwhelming task and too time consuming to do in conjunction with packing to move, but it is wise to just leave behind anything that is no longer serving you.

{{7}} Next, have paper goods on hand for the last few days leading up to the move and the first few days in the new place. It is nice to have paper plates and bowls, and plastic cups and cutlery the last few days before a move so you don’t have to worry about doing dishes. In addition to that, then you can get your kitchen packed and ready to go! And it is nice on the other end, moving into a new place knowing you have something to eat on when you arrive without having to unpack.

{{8}} Something else that really helped me was to have a box or bin filled with all moving essentials – packing tape, sharpies, labels, scissors, AND know where it is (have a designated location for it). Often during a move everything is a bit chaotic. It’s easy to misplace things or not know where things are because everything is getting upheaved. If you have a designated bin for all of the moving essentials, and you know where it is located (maybe in a central location in the home), then it’s easier to keep track of those things and know where they are when you need them.

{{9}} The next tip some people may not think about, and that is to carefully label the last boxes. We often are just throwing a bunch of stuff together towards the end. Indicating in detail what is in the box will make it easier to know what is in it. In addition to that, write “last box” on them clearly so you know that it is a box you will also want to unpack first!

{{10}} Another tip I have is to enlist help. You can teach your children to pack! Most kids are excited to help with the packing process. You can allow them to pack their own things and give them ownership. Maybe a friend or family member can come over and help you pack or unpack as well. Working with friends and family is always so much more fun than working on your own!

{{11}} My next tip is to unpack essentials first. Maybe this is an obvious tip, but it can be overwhelming arriving at your new place and feeling like you don’t know where to start. Starting with bedding, bathroom essentials, and kitchen essentials is a great place to start. You will also have those last few boxes that you labeled “last box” which you will likely need right away as well. If you’re anything like me, the coffee will be the first off the truck!

{{12}} My final tip is to take breaks! Packing for a move, and moving in general is really exhausting, both physically and emotionally. Be sure to listen to your body and take breaks when you can. 

Well, I hope this gave you some tips that will be helpful for your next move! If you’re interested, you can check out the YouTube video I made in conjunction with this post!

7 Tips For Slow Living

/ OrganizedWithJoy / 4 Comments

Over the last several years I have been focusing on living with only the things I need and love. I have shared some of this journey here on my blog and over on YouTube. I have consistently taken steps towards this goal of living with less. Each month I spend time intentionally decluttering my spaces, and over the last several years I have done spending fasts, including my no spend year back in 2019. One of the primary reasons for this journey was to get to a place where I had less physical possessions to take care of so I have more time to live at a slower pace. Pursuing this journey has also caused me to really evaluate my life – what I spend my time, energy, and money on. I have learned more self awareness in the last 5 years perhaps than in the rest of my life! I do recognize that everyone is in a different life stage and what is “slow” for me might look different than what is slow for you. Our youngest is now 18, so I have a lot less responsibilities around child care than I did when my children were young. However, I believe whatever life stage you are in, you can find what works for you and your family – still choosing behaviors that will support a slower pace. Today I wanted to share with you 7 tips for slow living.

The first tip is to EVALUATE YOUR PRIORITIES. What do you spend your time, energy, and money on? You could probably look at your bank statements and your phone time usage for a picture of this if you’re not sure. Oftentimes we may THINK we have certain priorities – like cultivating healthy family relationships, health/fitness, habits that help us grow – like reading, taking a course, talking to a counselor or therapist; but in reality the statistics (bank statements and phone time) tell a different story. At times, it can be easy to live life on autopilot – not even recognizing that you are developing priorities whether you are conscious of them or not. Intentional living is naming your TRUE priorities and making day in and day out habits that will curate the life you ACTUALLY want. Say them out loud, write them down, or tell a friend.

Knowing your priorities can help you decide if there are things you need to do differently, which brings me to my next point: slow living requires us to CUT OUT THE NOISE. Living in the time we live in, we are bombarded daily with messages – the news, social media, email, and more! We need to choose what we will allow to speak to us. Putting boundaries on habits that are a time suck like internet scrolling, social media, TV, and shopping will give us more time to live slowly. It will look different for each person, but maybe you can decide how much time a day you will a lot to these activities, perhaps you can take a day off of social media or internet use each week, or maybe delete apps and take time off for a period of time to reset your mind and habits around these things. Studies have shown how addictive social media in particular is! We need to set boundaries and not allow this NOISE to be ever present!

The next tip for slow living includes BEING PRESENT IN THE MOMENT. I must admit, as a type A who makes lists and plans things out, this has been difficult for me. There are times when I struggle to live in the moment because I am worried about something in the future. It is a good practice to be aware of this, and try to redirect your mind to enjoying the moment. I think it is especially important to live in the moment during routine things. It can be really easy to live life on autopilot, especially in the routine moments of our days, instead of really enjoying even the mundane. There is some sacredness to the mundane – tasks we perform everyday can almost become a moment to treasure because these little everyday mundane moments add up to the wholeness of our lives! Slow living requires us to not live on autopilot, but to really enjoy everyday practices and living in those moments rather than thinking about the next thing that needs to get done. You are consciously aware of the things you choose to do instead of just going through the motions of life. 

The next tip is DON’T OVERCOMMIT. I think it is much easier to say yes to things than to say no. We must be intentional about our “yes” because commitments pile up much quicker than we anticipate or expect. If you are hesitant to say no because you don’t want to let someone down, remember that you need to do what is best for you and your mental health. You are not in charge of someone else’s feelings. If you are unable to do something and the person is “let down,” really that is on them and not on you!

On a similar note, UNCOMMIT TO THINGS THAT ARE NO LONGER SERVING YOU. This one can be even more difficult than saying “no.” It is important to evaluate the responsibilities you have and which ones maybe are not working well for you. Cutting out those things in life that are not serving, you or are worse yet detrimental to you, will provide extra time in your schedule to slow down.

Another thing that has helped me to live slowly with intention is to SCHEDULE IN REST. Particularly if you are someone who tends to struggle to slow down, scheduling in rest will give you permission to rest. Each morning I like to spend time quietly, for me that is reading the Bible and praying, prior to getting on social media or checking email. I also schedule one day a week where I don’t work and for the most part stay off of social media. This day helps reset my mind and body so I am forced to slow down. On this day I find it easier to do things like reading, self reflection, and self care that I don’t make time for on other days because I feel “too busy.”

Lastly, another way to slow down is to MAKE IT A PRIORITY TO GET IN NATURE. This doesn’t have to be a big production where you’re pulling on hiking boots and going out for a hike that will take half the day. Walk around the block, or even just step out into your backyard. I have found that putting away my phone and getting into nature resets my mind. 

I hope this post was encouraging to you today! I don’t have all the answers, and I still struggle with some of these things, but I am AWARE – and that is the first step to changing behavior!

A Clutter Free Christmas!

/ OrganizedWithJoy / 4 Comments

As the holiday season is upon us, most of us are thinking about gift giving. I have to admit, for me this time of year is difficult. As someone who is intentional with what I bring into my home, I want to make sure any gifts I give are also intentional. I want to make sure anything that I am giving to someone that goes into their home will be used and appreciated instead of just adding to any clutter they may already have in their homes. Today I wanted to share three categories of gifts that are sure to be used and appreciated that will not cause clutter in your family or friends homes!

The first type of gift I wanted to talk about is the intentional gift. In spite of what people may think, I truly do love giving gifts to others! Some people may think since I am anti clutter I am anti gift-giving. One of the ways I like to be sure I’m giving a gift that will be used and loved is by knowing the person and paying attention to what they talk about to get clues about their interests. Purchasing a gift in line with the person’s interests is the best way to give them something intentional. Maybe your Mom likes a certain store, or your Dad collects something specific. Perhaps you can get something that is adjacent to their interests. For instance, my son was interested in the medical field when he was in high school, so I purchased some medical related wall art. My daughter loves nature and wants to visit the National Parks around the US, so I got her a coffee table type book with photos and information about the National Parks. Actively listening to and engaging with people in your everyday interactions will give you clues as to their interests!

The second type of gift that will prevent clutter is a consumable gift. Most people enjoy receiving special food or drinks for a gift that they otherwise might not purchase for themselves. Perhaps it’s a fancy bottle of wine, or a gift basket of their favorite type of food! Perhaps they don’t like to cook and you could give them a subscription to one of the dinner making kits. Another great category for consumables are special body products – like soaps, bath bombs or salts, or lotions. Be mindful if you know someone is sensitive to smells to take that into account. Lastly, another great consumable gift is a candle. Again, you will want to be mindful if the person likes scents and which type of scents they prefer. All of these items are great gifts because they will be used up over time and will not create clutter for the receiver.

The third and final category of gifts that will be useful is an experiential gift. There are such a wide variety of experiences you could give to a friend or family member – from some sort of subscription, to some fun experience you know they have wanted to have like going to a theme park. I will share a list of ideas that might be helpful as this is my favorite type of gift to give!

Gift card to their favorite restaurant

A vacation or plane tickets

We took our son to Hawaii for his graduation gift!

Passes to a theme park or museum

I took my son to Disney for a special mother and son trip!

Movie theater or live theater tickets

A tour – wine or factory, or plane or helicopter ride over the city

Adventure type experience like skydiving, bungy jumping, or ziplining

Concert tickets

A spa day package

Nail salon gift card

Coffee shop gift card

A cooking, painting, or some other sort of class of their interest

You could also get a season pass for a local venue they frequent:

The zoo

Children’s museum

Arcade

Indoor trampoline/bounce house park

Roller skating rink

You could also get them a gift card to some sort of subscription service:

Streaming service like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, Disney +

Spotify

Audible

Gym membership

Yoga/spin studio membership

Lastly, you could give to a charity in their honor. There are many charities that appreciate end of the year giving. Think about what organization may be meaningful to the person you are giving the gift to. One year for Christmas, my husband purchased several livestock animals for “me” through an organization we trust, to help support an impoverished community in another part of the world. It was SO meaningful to me. I loved that I wasn’t bringing more stuff into my house, and we were able to bless someone else at the same time. Maybe you have an animal lover and you could give money in honor of them towards animal protection. Or perhaps you have someone who is into astrology and would love to have a star named after them!

As you can see there are a lot of ideas for gifts that would not clutter someone’s home and truly be meaningful and appreciated! I hope this gives you some ideas for family members or friends in your life!

Here is the YouTube video I made in conjunction with this blog post.

15 Things I No Longer Purchase

/ OrganizedWithJoy / 1 Comment

If you are new around here, you may not know that I have been on a long, slow journey towards minimalism. I’m learning the balance of making my home cozy, but also not owning an abundance of stuff! I’ve been learning what areas in my home it makes sense to own less, and then there are other spaces where I’ll be honest I like to have a variety – like clothes and shoes! One thing that I have found helps with keeping a minimal home is not just what goes out through decluttering, but also what comes in. I wanted to share with you 15 things I no longer purchase now! Not purchasing these items has helped to keep the inflow of items down. With that said, some of these items are consumable as well. All of these items are things that I used to purchase.

{{ONE}} First is dryer sheets. I used to use dryer sheets, however now I use wool dryer balls. I purchased the dryer balls a couple years ago and I really love them! Not only are they more environmentally friendly than dryer sheets, I actually like them better for making my clothes smell better! I just use a few drops of essential oil on the balls prior to adding them to my laundry in the dryer. In addition, dryer sheets often have chemicals in them.

{{TWO}} Next is plastic straws. I have been drinking protein shakes for my breakfast for a very long time and I used to use throw away plastic straws. Several years ago I bought some reusable metal straws and I have never bought plastic straws since!

{{THREE}} The next item I no longer purchase is plastic water bottles. Well, I no longer consistently buy these! After the crazy winter storm here in Austin in 2021 I decided maybe we should have a package of bottled water on hand in case of an emergency! On a day to day basis our family uses a reusable water bottle. We have a reverse osmosis system in our home, so our water is purified and tastes great! I think it tastes better than bottled water.

{{FOUR}} I also no longer purchase cans of soda. It was quite a while ago that I began learning about the importance of eating whole foods and avoiding unnecessary processed sugar. This ages me, but I recall really starting to get into whole foods when I was pregnant with my second who is now 20 years old! I used to drink a soda every afternoon for the caffeine and I would often drink soda on the weekends with pizza or take out. I have stopped purchasing cans of soda to have on hand. We do purchase sparkling water, which is somewhat of a substitute for soda. We also occasionally have soda when we get fast food, but I no longer regularly purchase it.

{{FIVE}} The next item I no longer purchase is pre-cut food. Pre-cut food is so much more expensive than purchasing it not pre-cut. It was definitely something that was very convenient when my kids were younger and I was busier with their schedules. Now that they are older, I find I have more margin in my life to devote to cooking – something I love to do! Cutting up fruits and vegetables is very cathartic for me and something I actually enjoy.

{{SIX}} Next up is magazines. I used to love magazines many moons ago before Pinterest and Instagram were a thing. I used to love home and home decor magazines for inspiration and even had a 3 ring binder that I would keep all of my magazine clippings in for home decor inspiration. Now I am inspired by photos on Instagram and finding ideas and inspiration on Pinterest. My in-laws do purchase Consumer Reports for us as a Christmas gift, but recently my husband and father-in-law had a conversation about how all of this information is easily accessible online, so it is silly to receive paper copies of this magazine, so we will no longer receive those after this year.

{{SEVEN}} Another item I no longer purchase is special events or holiday dishware. I used to have different dishes that were for specific holidays, only getting used once a year. Now I have all white dishes and serveware and can use napkins and table decor to make any holiday or event feel special!

{{EIGHT}} Along those lines, I no longer purchase special event clothes. I have several dresses in my closet to choose from and I use what I have on hand to make work for any special event or holiday.

{{NINE}} Next up is sale items. I used to be a sucker for the sale section in any store – clothes, shoes, accessories, and home decor! I would definitely get drawn in by the price and the “great deal.” Oftentimes these items didn’t last long and I would soon have a pile of things to declutter. Now I have different shopping habits where I am more intentional with what I bring into my home. Since I am not bringing as much into my home, I can spend a little more on fewer items that are more meaningful to me or I absolutely love. Don’t get me wrong – I will purchase something that is on sale if it is something that I love and would make a good addition to my home, but I do not shop sales just because there is a sale now.

 {{TEN}} I also no longer purchase souvenirs. To be fair, I will if it is something that is really meaningful, but I don’t purchase them just for the sake of having an item to remember a trip. I always take a lot of photos to remember trips!

{{ELEVEN}} Next, I no longer consistently purchase nail, brow, or lash services. I actually never did get lash extensions, so maybe I should not have included that, but it is in that same category! I used to consistently get my eyebrows waxed, but when COVID happened and a lot of those places shut down for a while I learned I could live without that! I didn’t ever consistently get my nails done, but I would get them done a few times a year and I have stopped going to get my nails done as well ever since COVID.

{{TWELVE}} Another item I no longer purchase is purses. I used to have a variety of purses and in different sizes and colors, but a while back I noticed that I really don’t like to take the time to switch my purse over to a different one and decided to only keep one. I use that purse basically until it breaks and then buy a new one. I tend to purchase a high quality purse so that it will last longer. I do have a smaller purse that can be a fanny pack, cross body, or clutch that I will use when we go out, but on the daily I only use one purse.

{{THIRTEEN}} I also do not buy the newest version of phone! I actually have never been one to purchase the newest available phone or electronics. I use my phone until it dies!

{{FOURTEEN}} Something else I no longer purchase is seasonal decor. I do have some seasonal decor that I have had for many years – some pumpkins, Christmas decor, and Easter decor, but over the last few years I have looked for decor that could be used year round. For instance, I have some brass deer which are great for Christmas or winter time, but would really work year round. I also like purchasing items that are a great color scheme for different seasons, but you could still use them year round. In general, I do not purchase new decor each year for every season.

{{FIFTEEN}} Lastly, I do not purchase things I cannot afford. Again, this is something we have always done as a couple and as a family. We have chosen to live debt free with the exception of our mortgage. Everything else we want to purchase we save up for. We don’t have any credit card debt.

Well, I hope this inspired you to think about items you could potentially quit purchasing, or at least made you think about why you purchase what you purchase. I would love to hear what things you no longer purchase. Do you have some of the same items on your list? Or do you have different items?

This is the YouTube video I made in conjunction with this blog post if you would like to check that out!

My Intentional Spending Year Reflections, Part 1

/ OrganizedWithJoy / 1 Comment

For those of you new to my blog, last year in 2019 I did a no spend year. You can read my reflections from each month by clicking on the “No Spend Year” link under categories on the right side of the home page. After that experience, I didn’t want to go back to my old spending habits. The reason I decided to do the no spend year was to reset some of my negative spending habits. Moving into 2020, I decided to do an “Intentional Spending Year,” focusing on being more intentional with what I brought into my home. I wanted to give an update on how that has been going now that we are well into the third month of the year.

At the beginning of the year, I was struggling to buy anything. Since I took a year long spending fast, it almost felt like “cheating” because my brain became so accustomed to not spending. So far, I feel like I have been very intentional about certain purchases, while other purchases I don’t feel like I am being as intentional as I had planned on being.

My biggest struggle so far this year has been with Poshmark. This is a clothing resale app in which you can buy and sell clothing to other users. There were several clothing items which I had “liked” even when I wasn’t purchasing clothing. For those of you not familiar with the app, it is set up similar to social media where you can follow certain people (their closets) and you can “like” certain clothing items. I did purchase several items from my “likes” over the first couple of months of 2020.

The other struggle I had was having items “stored up” from the year that I had my eye on or needed to replace, and really still wanted. Where I would only purchase 1-2 items like this per month in the past, I had several items I wanted. I needed a new black leather jacket (as my old had an obvious worn spot). I also had my eye on a specific pair of shoes that I had first seen probably 6 months ago. In addition to that, I had some workout clothes that were no longer fitting me right, and needed replacing (whoever designed high waisted workout pants are a genius! No more slipping! I replaced a couple pairs of tights that were not high waisted.) I needed to replace one of my white t-shirts that had a stain. And the list could go on!

Leather jacket and basic white t-shirt which I replaced.

Another struggle, which I mentioned in several of my no spend year reflections – was this idea of the slippery slope. I think I purchased some items just because it was “okay to buy things.” I realize now that my biggest struggle is with SHOES! I definitely make excuses as to why I “NEED” a pair of shoes.

Just one of my three shoe racks! I also have some shoe storage boxes on the top shelf of my closet to store out of season shoes!

I do feel like I’m slowing down on the purchases now that I’m through those first couple of months. Part of it is now I’ve purchased those things that I’ve had my eye on, or needed replaced. Another part of it is just being disappointed in myself – wanting to do a better job at being intentional with what comes into my home.

Pair of shoes I had my eye on for over 6 months!

If you read my past reflections from last year, you will know that clothing items were much more difficult for me to not purchase versus the home decor. I feel like I have been much more intentional with home decor purchases. In addition to that, I feel like I’m getting to a place where I can appreciate something in a store without having to purchase it. I probably am erring on the side of NOT purchasing when it comes to things other than clothing.

I purchased these brass birds from my friend’s vintage Etsy shop.

Even with clothing items, I did have a couple of “wins.” Unfortunately, in February, I had to travel back to my home town for my Grandma’s funeral. Ordinarily, I would want to purchase a dress for this occasion. I remembered back to my experience with wanting to purchase a dress for my son’s graduation, and realized I have plenty of dresses to choose from (even though they were all sleeveless or short sleeved and I was traveling to Indiana in the middle of winter! But I added a blazer and it worked!) I also went on a trip at the end of February. I often will purchase clothes specific for trips, but I chose to wear what I had – and I made it work!

Me with my four sisters at the lunch after my Grandma’s funeral.
My son and me at Magic Kingdom!

One other thing I wanted to share, which is difficult to open up about, is one of the reasons why I may have been spending more (other than I was “allowed to.”) I learned while on my no spend year that when I was tempted to shop, I replaced it with other habits – like watching Netflix for instance. As I reflect, I realize that oftentimes I am tempted to shop when I am stressed out or going through something difficult in life. It was my way of numbing out life. I have gone through several difficult personal things over the last few months – making me more susceptible to seeking out ways to find comfort. I’m thankful for the no spend year, and how it has contributed to my ability to see more clearly reasons behind my habits. Moving forward, I will find more healthy ways to deal with the stressors of life. I used to journal a lot, but have not been consistent for several years now. I want to use journaling as a way to brain dump my thoughts and feelings. I also want to turn to meditation and prayer when I recognize that I’m going down that path of self medication.

Moving forward this year, I would like to be more intentional than I have been thus far. Practically I am going to do this by doing a few things. First, I want to come up with more concise “rules” for my year. For my no spend year, I had specific rules that helped me stay on course. I didn’t really come up with specific rules for my intentional spending year. I think this will help keep me grounded. I plan on cutting way back on looking through the Poshmark app. I also plan on just not going into stores. This will be easy now that we are staying at home more with the Coronavirus pandemic. In addition, I plan to shift my focus. I found during my no spend year that I had so much extra time, and this was because my focus was shifted away from things! I will also, as I mentioned find healthier ways to deal with difficult circumstances in life.