I'd like to talk about shopping. Shopping is a personal experience. An experience that becomes habit over a long period of time. Sometimes the style is developed because there are constraints on us. Groceries become an after thought when we have little ones in school and activities. Working out of the home takes up to 40 hours plus commute times, not to mention preparing the children for day care or school, making lunches, and pitching the trash before you leave in the morning. I think most of us are aware of the routine.
LISTS
On top of the groceries needing to be hunted, the kids need clothes and someone used the last of the toothpaste without telling you.
The idea is to get the thoughts out of your head and onto paper. Not everything has to be completed that day, but there will be a reminder for you in writing.
I learned a trick from a special education teacher long ago. Instead of numbering items on a list, draw a little box in front of the item. When the task is completed, check off the box with a big check mark. I couldn't believe how much this mattered when I started following through on her suggestion. A feeling of relief came along with that simple check mark.
INVENTORY
Making it a habit to inventory your things before you go out the door is helpful. There will be less buying of items you already have. This would include food, clothes, make up, health essentials, or anything that is on the list. This saves real estate (space) in your home and money. Many people are on tight budgets these days. A penny saved is a penny earned - as the saying goes.
I know there's so much to juggle. I've gone through it myself. But, I promise you once you get into the habit, it will become second nature. The learning curve is minimal, a couple of weeks at most.
TIME MANAGEMENT
This is a difficult one. All we feel like doing at the end of the day is putting on sweats and dropping into a favorite chair. I do recommend this. I also have found that once I learned how to manage time more efficiently, I wasn't so tired at the end of the day. How you divide your time will be an individual decision. It helps to get started by jotting down everything you do in a week, then reviewing the list. Can you pop a load of laundry in before you get online to check out what friends are up to? Something is being accomplished while you are decompressing. Perhaps when dinner is made you can cook enough for lunches the next day, too. There are many ways to manage time. But, like I said, it is an individual thing.
DECLUTTER
I know you hear this word a lot these days. I'm not sure if reasons are given to why this is important. One big reason is de cluttering unclutters your mind and spirit. We take in our surroundings into the spirit. When there is less 'stuff' around us, there is less stress on our mind and spirit. We would not notice a difference until the de cluttering process begins. Then just doing one area encourages us to do more. This is part of the simple life style.
A good rule of thumb is; if you haven't used/worn something in a year, then you most likely won't. There are many organizations that could benefit from our un needed items. Donating does the spirit good!
Things that could be de cluttered are, makeup, pantries, cupboards, closets, basements, bathroom cabinets, linen closets, shoes, clothes, entertainment items such as DVDs, CDs, sports equipment, and books.
If you do end up creating empty space you can look at it as room to move. Do everything you can not to refill it with 'stuff'. You will feel so much less stress and will be able to enjoy life and loved ones more because you will have more peace in your spirit to be able to relax and laugh.
Stay safe.
No comments:
Post a Comment