A couple weeks ago we had a wonderful Enrichment activity where a lovely lady named Alice Fulton (the author of "It's Here... Somewhere") came and spoke to us about streamlining and organizing our homes. She had a lot of really good things to say, but one thing that really stuck out to me was how clutter is visually confusing to everyone (especially kids) and one reason we feel so calm and peaceful in the Temple is because there is no clutter and everything is simple and beautiful and clean. I spent the next week cleaning out our house and getting rid of all the extra STUFF that we don't like, want, use, need, or have space for.
Another thing she said that really stuck out to me was that on average, people will spend $200-500 a year on things they already own because they can't find them or forgot they had them! I've seen this myself (don't ask how many boxes of lightbulbs, extension cords, and new tubes of toothpaste I found in our closets when I cleaned them out).
One thing I was worried about was the whole "what if I need it later?" issue. But Sister Fulton pointed out that IF we did need something down the road then we would be blessed then for letting someone else who needed it today have it. Or a neighbor will have 5 of them in a closet somewhere in her house and would let us borrow one ;)
My closets have never looked so awesome. I even have EMPTY shelves. YAY! I honestly felt a huge relief and a ton of weight/stress lift off my shoulders as we carried all the extra stuff out to the car to donate it. It felt so nice that I decided that I needed to streamline and organize the rest of my life. And let me tell you, I really feel the difference in my life. I am so much more organized and I have more energy (most days, when Daniel sleeps well). I have more time to spend with Jonathan after the kids are in bed and I think our relationship is improving because of it.
Here is what I've done:
1. I deleted a ton of blogs from my Google reader list. Don't worry, none were friend's blogs, just the "other" miscellanious blogs that I've found over the years that I really don't have time to sit and read.
2. Likewise, I stopped "checking" websites everyday: ones like Mamabargains, Babysteals, Pinching Your Pennies, etc.
*These 2 things alone have saved me about an hour a day of sitting in front of the computer. I didn't always do it all at one time before, but sometimes I did and then I didn't have any time left during naps to clean or do things I needed to.
3. I stopped watching so much TV. I really like TV shows, so this was a little difficult. But I'm glad I narrowed my favorite shows down to three: Biggest Loser (Tues nights), America's Next Top Model (Wed nights), and Grey's Anatomy (Thurs nights). Three hours of TV a week is plenty- I still get that "escape" and "entertainment" but I also have more time to read, play Mario Kart Wii or Tetris with Jonathan, or clean the house after the kids are in bed.
4. I made my dinner menu much simpler. Jonathan teaches a class on Tues and Thu nights and usually doesn't get home until 6:30 or 7pm. Normally we eat dinner around 5:15 or 5:30 pm and I was making dinner for Benjamin and myself at 5 and then reheating or making dinner again for Jonathan at 6:30. Not anymore- Tues and Thu we are eating leftovers or frozen meals and Jonathan is fending for himself when he gets home. (sorry honey). The nights I do cook are easier too- spagetti sauce from a jar, hamburger helper, and now that it's warm enough we grill something on the BBQ usually 2-3 times a week.
5. I cancelled about 5 magazine subscriptions. Yes, I had that many, but I only paid for 2 (Real Simple and Parenting). There are so many other things I could spend my time reading. 'Nough said.
6. We play outside ALOT. I'm so glad we do because my house stays cleaner when we are not inside playing with toys and doing craft projects or eating snacks all day long. Benjamin loves to be outside and is really good about entertaining himself out there. So I just take a blanket, some water, and a couple toys for Daniel and we're ready for the great outdoors. Very little effort on my part except making sure Benjamin gets a drink of water every 20-30 minutes and Daniel keeps his hat on.
7. Sadly, I decided to stop my Project 365 and won't be uploading any more pictures to my Daily Snaps blog. I feel that I am way too busy with planning a cross-country move, 2 vacations before we leave, and caring for our 2 boys and their dad. It stopped being fun and started to become another thing on my to do list, so I cut it out. Maybe next year when we don't have such major changes going on in our lives.
8. I am going to ask all of you what you do to make your life simpler-- so tell me!! I'm dying to know!
5 comments:
Your family is so cute! And I really should not spend so much time watching TV, or the Internet. I've realized that I think I have an addiction to each.
And thanks for you comment on my blog! I hope you stop by again.
I need to simplify as well. I swear I check email, blogs, and facebook way too many times a day. It is pretty much an addiction. Maybe I should try and follow your lead and simplify my life. Less computer is #1. :)
great post! i should check out that book, it sounds great. i too just cleaned out and organized our closets and it felt so great. we only brought what we thought we needed, but i still filled a huge bag to take to a clothing/household drive.
great downsizing ideas. something that i have started doing again is making a to do list. i have had the worst memory lately of things i need to get done, and they, so it really helps if i make a list for myself every day. i have also been cutting back on the tv watching and blog reading and trying to read more. i have also been going to bed earlier, which helps me get through the day SO much better!
Okay, I have to backup the clutter=confusion comment. When we were romodeling and everything in our kitchen, bathroom, and closet was everywhere in our hose except our kitchen, bathroom, and closet, I LITERALLY felt like I was losing my mind (I even talked to the doctor about it). I would start walking across the room with the intention of doing something, and half way through some piece of clutter would remind me that I needed to do something else at which point I would completely forget what it was I was origionally doing, so I'd start doing the something else, but in the process of walking across the room to do that thing, another piece of clutter would remind me I needed to do something and the process would start over again. I would literally walk back and forth across the room for HOURS getting NOTHING done!!! I'm sure being pregnant didn't help, but I'm still pregnant, and now my house is significantly (I cannot emphasize that significantly enough) less cluttered and my mind seems to have returned. So I'm convinced it was the clutter.
What a great conference! I wish I could have been there. The biggest thing that has helped us is a giant filing cabinet and a paper shredder ... We just went through our closet and you're right ... it feels so good!
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