A few weeks ago, Michael called me into the living room to show me something on the television. It was a story on a local channel about an adorable older couple from Kentucky. I’m not sure exactly how old they were, but I’m certain that recalling their 60th birthday would be a challenge.
The husband, as it turns out, is an amazing harmonica player. The best I’ve ever heard. My jaw hit the floor as my spirit soared. However, it was the wife’s words that tapped me on the shoulder and, literally, made a change in my life.
She was telling the show’s host about things that she loved - what she enjoyed most in life. My kindred spirit talked about cooking and her great passion for gardening - especially her flowers. My first thought was, “What a wonderfully sweet and simple life - no wonder she’s lived so long and is, obviously, so happy.“ My next thought was, “I’ve always loved cooking and gardening, too. I just don’t have time to enjoy them as much as I once did, though….“ Then, I sort of stood there wondering why I don’t have as much time for them anymore.
I still cook, of course - to the tune of every single day. But I once was able to escape to the kitchen and experiment with new dises for hours at a time - as happy as a young girl in front of a Zac Efron movie. Maybe happier!
And my flowers! My flower beds and herb gardens would literally stopped traffic. You’ve heard the phrase, “I did this and I did that…then I got married”…. or… “then came the children.” My husband and children have never gotten in the way of things I enjoy in life. They’re perfect for trying new recipes on, and the husband…..excellent with a shovel!
In my case the phrase is “I did this and that…then came the blogs.” This past summer, I never even set out tomatoes - let alone my beloved herbs, peppers, cucumbers, and squash. I put out a row of glads, hung a fern, and set out a few pots of petunias - but that’s nothing compared to the showcase I normally pull out.
It had gotten to the point that I didn’t control my online ventures - they controlled me. Controlled me? Okay, they owned me It can become a rat race, can’t it? You feel like you’ve got to blog every single day, you have to check your Google performance, you have to update, you have to generate more links, etc.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t do our work and do it well. I’m just saying that if we look closely enough, we can find unnecessary things in our daily routines that steal time from us. Time that can be spent enjoying life and everything we love about it!
I sat down that evening, with a pen and paper. I challenged myself to come up with ways to simplify my life. So far, so great!
Here are some suggestions you might find helpful if Simplifying your life is something that sounds appealing to you:
S - Get a pen and paper and Sit down, just the three of you. Examine everything you do. Make yourself accountable - no one else has to know but you, because no one else needs to know but you. Do you complicate your life by trying to do too much? Or do you simply take too long to do what needs to be done?
I - Put on your detective’s hat and Investigate ways to eliminate unnecessary tasks or time consuming habits. For example, if you’re like me, you probably check your e-mail three times too often during the day! Stop checking the e-mail so often - it’ll be there waiting for you. And seldom, seldom, seldom is it ever so urgent it can’t wait a little while.
M - Make changes. If you can identify anything that needs to change - give yourself a nudge and go for it!
P - A Place for everything and everything in its Place. We’d probably all be amazed how much time we waste just looking around for things. My cell phone and I have come to an understanding - he’s to stay put in one certain place. When he follows me around the house, he just gets lost and can’t find his way home. I get frustrated, we have words…
L - Sometimes, you just have to Let go. I have actually decided to let go of a few web sites. Not my main ones, of course! But there were a few that I didn’t really even enjoy anymore - I held onto them out of habit, I guess. I always thought it’d bother me to part with them - but, guess what? I don’t miss them at all! In fact, the word free comes to mind.
I - Forget the Instant mentality - nothing “instant” is nearly as good as the alternative. Instant oatmeal? Nope. Instant potatoes? Gross. Instant coffee? Please. Simplifying your life probably won’t be an overnight process, so don’t expect it to be. Know that it’s a process and you’re working TOWARD a simpler, better, more enjoyable life. If that’s not worth being patient for, I don’t know what is.
C - Clean house! Literally. Organize closets, drawers, the refrigerator, the utility room, the home office, book shelves, etc. The busier your life, the more chaotic they’ll get. Take an entire day and just work your little butt off! Haul things off to Goodwill or The Salvation Army by the trunk loads. Room by room, closet by closet - think how great it’ll feel…and look.
I - Plan out your Ideal day - hour by hour. Write down everything you wish you had time for. An hour reading your favorite author? An hour of yard work? 30 minutes on the treadmill? Write them down.
T - Time management Baby! Now, look at your list of things you want in your ideal day and make a schedule. Depending upon how anal you are (No, Emily, I wasn’t calling you, go back to studying, sweetie.) - you may want to write your schedule out hour by hour. Personally, I go with a “Get my errands done by 9:00….Get my work finished by 2:00, etc..”
Y - Oh, Yes, you can! Never let anyone…not even yourself…tell you that you can’t change. You aren’t known by what you DID, you’re known by what you DO. So, get to doing what you want to do and leave the dids and the doubters in the dirt.
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