Friday, August 5, 2011

"Simplify, Simplify, Simplify!" Learn to Say NO, Stop multi-tasking, and Declutter our Lives and Homes

From the works of Henry David Thoreau, "Simplify, simplify, simplify!" is the motto I will now strive to follow. Many times I have found myself up until odd hours of the morning only to meet myself going and realize that I have accomplished NOTHING but making myself worthlessly TIRED the next day. Or I work away from the home for most of the day, then come home tired and look around at the mess in my house I have lazily created by being too tired to do anything about it.

No more!! I recently reduced my workload to concentrate on more important and productive things. Now I have decided that this house is going to be (as I like to call) "lived-in clean" (not spotless, mind you). After all, I don't want to convey the stiff front that would make visitors afraid to touch anything, but I also don't want to be considered for the next episode of "HOARDERS" either. So "lived-in clean" is good enough for me.

I am going to learn to say "no" when I know I do not have the time to do a good enough job for someone else. Often I am asked by a friend or family member to do something (even small things) that would take away from my family's time and needs to accomplish. I am going to step back and look over my scheduled time and then remember that it IS okay to say "no" at times. This act will help me to declutter my daily life.

I used to be a list maker (and still am to a degree). But I have discovered that by becoming a "multi-tasker" I have found myself getting sidetracked from my main objectives and not accomplishing as much of my list as I would have if I had stayed focused on the items intended for the day. Now, I don't mean you can't stop something long enough to go changed out your laundry. You just can't get so sidetracked in doing this that you never return to the original task. Multi-tasking can do more harm than good if it is not managed properly.

Now, here is my challenge for readers:

I have a few empty boxes that I consider to be medium to large sized. I am going to challenge myself (and anyone who would like to do the same themselves) to fill those boxes with items from the home that are no longer used or needed. These filled boxes will then either be donated to a local charity or put into the next yard sale. I am going to begin decluttering my home by deciding if an item is necessary or not and then not be afraid to get rid of it. (I was a "military brat" growing up, so every few years we moved and with each move came the GIANT sale that got rid of a lot of childhood memories. I attribute this to the reason I have trouble "letting go" of EVERYTHING."

(I have some "before" pictures of my home, but I will not be sharing them until I have the "after" shots.)

By getting rid of the things that clutter my home as well as getting rid of the things that clutter my daily life, I feel I will relieve many of the stressors that I have allowed to slip in and hang on me like excess baggage. I do not want to be weighed down by the things that are unnecessary any longer. I WILL BE FREE!!!

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