THREE MAGICAL TOOLS TO ORGANIZE YOUR LIFE
Well, I can't believe it but it's been just a little over two years since I started this crazy blog. In the spirit of this two year anniversary, I thought I'd share my top three resources for organizing my scattered brain/life:
THE CLUTTER:
Salvation in the quest to remove clutter arrived early this year with the eye opening read:
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
I did a previous blog post about this and if you have not yet read the book--READ IT! I'm telling you, this one was a game changer for me. I gave away truckloads of stuff and it's made managing the daily cleaning around this joint tons easier. The book does have a little bit of a quirky perspective (I'm not so sure my pantyhose need a rest from their labors each day) but the method is a winner in my book. Is my house all bare and tidy all the time? No--but I no longer have 4 identical gray cardigans and 7 matching paint rollers. We have a whole lot less stuff and what we do have cleans up much more quickly. The biggest thing to come out of it? My tub is clothes free!
MY SCATTERED BRAIN:
Several months ago I referenced a new organization system I was using. It's called "Mind Organization for Moms" and info can be found here:
This system is based on the book:
"Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity" by David Allen
Fantastic read. My mind was a scattered mess people! My inbox had THOUSANDS of emails that needed to be sorted/dealt with, I had stacks of papers, notes, and folders, and I couldn't keep it all straight. There's a lot of good stuff in this book but if I had to pick two things that have made the biggest different it's this:
1. Getting everything that is "in" my brain "out" of my brain
2. Conducting a "weekly review"
Ever had that sneaking suspicion that you were missing something important but you just didn't know what? I was feeling like that EVERY day! I went to bed feeling behind and woke up feeling behind. If Dave would suggest that I relax or take a nap I'd tell him, "I can't--I have so much to do!' But when he'd ask what I had to do I never knew. I just knew it was a lot! By implementing just the two strategies listed above I feel loads better and am more productive than I've ever been.
LEARNING TO SAY NO:
Do you have a hard time saying no? Do you look at situations and say, "I can help!" Do you feel the responsibility to pitch in--all the time? And then do you find yourself overwhelmed--a jack of all trades, but master of none? Welcome to my world, people. Welcome.To.My.World.
Until I stumbled on this little gem:
"Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less" by Greg McKeown
If you only have time to read one of these books, this is the one. It's caused me to look at the things I'm involved in and view them through a different lens. In the process of doing that I find that I can focus more easily on my strengths and be more productive over all. In a society that is always telling us to get more, do more, be more, it's easy to get overwhelmed. This book puts life in perspective and has allowed me to begin to really concentrate on what matters most. Just because I can do something, doesn't mean I should do something.
So if you're feeling overwhelmed and scatter brained, welcome to motherhood! In the meantime, maybe my personal magical tools can help.
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