Make it easier

Eliminate  steps whenever you can.
(Unless you're doing the Tango or walking for exercise)

Easier as in:
    Sort the mail over the recycle bin.
    Set up on line bill paying.
    Put a hook on the back of the door and skip the hanger hassle.
    Keep your grocery list on your phone.
    Say No.
    Buy fewer things.

Make the mechanics of daily living as simple as possible.

Set yourself up to succeed at creating less clutter and being more organized.

Start with the results you want to achieve:  Less mess, bills paid promptly, more personal time, less stuff to clean/store/keep track of.  

Then figure out the fewest steps, least amount of energy and brain power you need to exert to make it happen.
(Trust me, there are no bonus points for making things complicated)

Life is complicated enough,
when you have the opportunity make it as simple and easy for yourself as you possibly can.

  

Off topic, but important to me.

This weekend I watched a video I haven't been able to stop thinking about:

A Place at the Table about hunger in America.

As this documentary shows, Food Insecurity is an issue with many causes, ramifications and no easy simple solution.
(Just like every other complex problem we face)
However just because it is complicated and complex isn't a reason to avoid confronting it
or working to find some solutions that will change people's (and especially children's) access to good nutritional food. 

But we can't change what we aren't aware of,
what we don't make a priority,
or if we fail to change our attitudes and actions.

I do know that Little Bites (no food pun intended)
does work as a way to tackle a big problem or what seems to be an overwhelming situation.

Doing what you can, where you are, with what you have
is the way for each of us to make a difference.

It is wrong that people are going to bed hungry in a country with more than enough food.

My question this week:
How can each of us become part of the solution?

Easy pickins. (and one more challenging one)

Grab a bag.
Go to a closet, dresser, shelf or drawer.
Choose five items that you're ready to let go.
(Donate, recycle or trash-your choice)
   Pants that don't fit.
   Dvds you'll never watch again.
   Tight socks.
   Old catalogues.
   Excess mugs.
   Plastic containers.
   Hobby supplies you'll never use.
   Shoes.

Once you have your five items:  

Throw out the trashy ones, 

recycle appropriately, 

and take the donation items out to your car so you have them the next time you drive by a donation opportunity.

Tomorrow or the next day choose a different closet, dresser, shelf or drawer.
Repeat the process.
Create room in the closet, free up space in a drawer, and open up inches on a shelf.
Make it easier to see what you have and access what you use.

Want an extra bit of challenge?
Try letting go of something that you think you're not quite ready to part with.
Consider what thoughts, ideas, beliefs and emotions keeps you tied to a possession.

Make sure that the things in your home
  bring you real joy, personal satisfaction, inspire you and
  reflect the life you want to be living now.

    

Just give up.

Yup.  Give up.

Give up trying to be perfect.
Give up trying to fit into clothes from two sizes ago.
Give up your need to always be right.
Give up the righteous grudge you've been holding on to for months.

You will never have a totally clutter free and perfectly organized home.
(Well not for more than a nano second at best!)
Accept the body, and the life you have right now.
Choose to be kind and let the conversation end.
Forgive someone and feel your own heart lighten.

This week try to pay attention to your self as a human being,
  not a human doing.

You will be amazed how giving up will get you more of what you really want.
Trust me.

Just one.

This week trying doing just one thing to unclutter your life.

Put your keys in the same spot very day when you come home.
Hang up your coat, don't just drape it across the chair.
Set your dirty cup inside the dishwasher, don't just set it in the sink.
Sort the mail, every day.
Add the item of clothing you know you're never going to wear again to the donation bag.
Call and make the appointment with your doctor, or dentist, or to get the oil changed.

One small action.
Just start there and see where it leads.

(I'm here, cheering you on!)

Why before how.

Knowing the why can make the how easier.

Any change you’re hoping to make in your life, whether it is to declutter, or lose some weight,
or change jobs, or stop biting your nails
are much more likely to happen if you are honest about why you want the results.

Should isn’t nearly the motivator people assume it is.
And appearance and perception can change in a moment.

To create real and lasting change we need to spend time looking beneath our initial reason
and find the real desire that is fueling our want.

Being  honest in our heart of hearts will make the space for intention to manifest as results.

Getting clear on where we want our results to lead keeps us motivated and willing to stick with changing our habits and routines. 

Understanding and being honest with ourselves about what is important and valuable
makes our interior lives more closely aligned with our outward appearance and actions.

Go ahead, set some goals and intentions for this new year.
But before you fill that bag with clothes to donate,
or stock up on carrot and celery sticks,
or send your resume out:  Get some clarity about the real results you want in your life.

If you need some assistance in setting the goals, or staying motivated, or holding yourself accountable,
here are some links that might be helpful:

Happiness Project:  Tips for Keeping Your Resolutions

Unclutterer: Keeping New Year’s Resolutions

Zen habits:  How to have the best year of your life

Hope for the New Year

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. 

You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.

So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. 

Make New Mistakes.

Make glorious, amazing mistakes. 

Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. 

Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.”

Neil Gaiman