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Thursday, February 4, 2010
This stubborn cold!!!
This morning I sit at my desk, preparing
for a major full home organization project in the next 3 days. To be able to pull these marathon-organizing sessions it takes
some preparation on my part. I must be focused but I am feeling very distracted at the moment. I have been battling a cold
along with a son home from school the first of the week with strep-throat and a ruptured ear drum. I still feel horrible today
but just cannot let it take over. Which has brought me to an interesting discovery…the more I move, the better I feel. The
more I do in preparation for leaving my husband and boys alone for 4 days I realize quite a bit about the methods I put into
place on any organizing job. While fighting the natural tendency to feel bad and go to bed I insisted on
coloring my hair, putting on a face mask, getting the luggage out, making my lists of what to pack, picking out music for
the 4 hours on the road. Going ahead and preparing for the Junior Achievement class at the high school I will teach tomorrow
before I leave instead of postponing it until tonight when I should be sleeping. See, during this project I am also attending
a family baby shower on Sunday while I am close to home…multiple things going on here. Doing what I know how to do,
consistent in small steps, throughout the day I might just get myself prepared in spite of this nagging illness. For the new year, I am working on my own Gretchen Rubin
“Happiness-Project” and putting into motion tasks set forth in her monthly agenda of becoming happier. In January
we were suppose to get more sleep, observe the “one-minute” rule, organize and purge along with other tasks to
give us more energy. Thus, keeping us organized will increase our potential. So, in short, I have been trying to build my
own momentum here. It seems to be working! For
this weekend, I will have to be somewhat like an athlete, although, I am in no way suggesting I am an athlete. I will have
to be “amped up” I will have to have a game face on. My energy will transfer into my client’s behavior and
totally affect the overall project if I am off.Certain triggers can occur preventing
us from going further in the process and I cannot operate off that frequency. It is also 3 days, approximately 24-30 working
hours for this entire process. At the end, I will emerge with a busted up tailbone, broken back and brain but it will happen.
I’ve been doing this long enough to trust in myself and my own abilities. I recognize
the speed at which I can work, and I know my endurance levels. BUT, there is always the unknown, I can’t control my
clients, if they prevent the process then I can’t force them. And sometimes for a few of the folks I work with, a hair
of force is enough to call the whole thing off. Change is incredibly tough to fathom. Still that nagging cold, I have to pack, I have to prepare the family to be without me. Not because
I’m impossible to live without, only because I re-arrange like twice a week!Speaking
about my clients, a lot of them have already purchased the books I would recommend they read, they have all the organizing
tools on hand, have the ability to understand the system that should be put into place, but lack the extra nudge to put that
in a realistic day to day application. I KNOW how to lose weight and train my dog not to jump on my friends, it is in the
DOING where I get lost. I also have lots of fashion magazines, sadly that doesn’t mean I’m fashionable. So, now it is the afternoon and I am spending the rest
of the day picking out things that will help me get inspired to pull the long haul this weekend. Trying to stay upbeat, get
my energy flowing, focus my thoughts to those of “solutions”. Even with this cold all day, I have forced myself
to keep it moving, keep trying to pack, keep swapping out the laundry. I know that by keeping it moving, a little at the time,
that cold won’t stop me. I just have to keep up a good pace. No going back to bed for me! That is until I get home Monday
and sleep for 12 straight hours!!!
2:17 pm cst
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Time Management – two words I keep coming
back to week after week. I have throughout the years been notoriously late. I am impressed daily when the kids get to school
on time, dressed and nothing is left out of their lunch boxes because I am NOT a morning person. In a New Years resolution
induced state I proposed to my husband this year that we start getting up early in the morning to spend some time together
quietly before our children got up. He asked me this week, “You were just saying that, right?”
I had to
admit I never meant it. Anything before 6:30 am is just not fair.
In recent years I have realized that it isn’t
about controlling the clock, or logging my daily chores and responsibilities on a chart to see where I am wasting my time
from day to day. I KNOW where I waste my time, with folding and refolding laundry, searching for keys, checking to make sure
appliances are turned off before leaving (I know, tad OCD, come by it honest) not to mention all the daily distractions.
Here’s where I feel there has to be a better way and after doing some research on the subject I have found this…it
isn’t about managing time it is about managing prep time!
When I take the time to think forward and make preparations
say for example prepping for meals during the week all on Sunday, laying out clothes and lunches the night before, preparing
a basket that is to go in the truck of the supplies I will need in advance, I find my day runs smoother. Being able to multitask
is an awesome ability but multitasking without good results just leaves one frazzled. But to be truly effective we must learn
to gain ground. Each day we should strive to get ahead of the game. For the last couple of weeks we have been diligent about
cooking a meal and freezing the other half of it for later. It has truly come in handy.
This week we are deep in the
trenches with teaching my oldest how to study. Trying to impress upon him that if he studies a little bit each night he won’t
have to spend the whole evening doing so. As we all try to track our health on this new Wii Fit Plus we got for Christmas
it comes back again to doing a little bit every day.
On that note, I feel healthier when I run as scheduled. When I
take my own advise “it only takes 30 seconds to put that pair of scissors back in the same place” or keeping a
load of laundry going all the time, I can make the most of my time so I am not bogged down in the evening when everyone is
home. Preparation…isn’t there a saying “an ounce of preparation…” oh well maybe it is prevention.
Anyway, a lot can be said for thinking ahead. As I go into this New Year I am not going to look at the clock and manage my
time, I am going to focus on being better prepared!
After reading in a magazine this week the secrets of really motivated
people it seems they make their beds everyday, they don’t leave dishes in the sink overnight, they put their keys in
the same location every time. I strive for this. Do I hit the mark all the time? Of course not, but when I get 3 or so days
going at a good pace it’s alright to just enjoy that little ground gained.
This morning I am getting ready to
drive an hour or more to tape segments for a local channel. I got up at 5:30 (hate it) am and managed to get lunches made,
backpacks ready and have a few moments to myself. It is kinda nice….but then I like my sleep too.
Maybe next
week’s blog should be about discipline! Happy Organizing
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Happy 2010! Family time and Technology
Ahh! Christmas
break has been a wonderful two week period for me and family. We spent within our budget for the holidays, I prepared enough
“really good” food for my family single handedly and kept goodies coming to keep them all happy. We spent many
a night playing together on the Wii and Wii fit plus we got on Christmas, the many board games our children got or just Hot
Wheels on the living room floor. It was what they call a stay-cation I guess!
My husband normally takes two weeks
off but because of a still strugging come- back economy he opted to save one week for later this spring and focus on his month
end. Having this last week, between Christmas and New Year’s, to see how much we really enjoy each other has been quite
a new experience. We no longer have children under 3 and this season we got to experience a whole new way for us to relax
together we haven’t known before. We had Fun!!!
And…my husband and I actually found out we enjoy
cooking together in the kitchen and preparing our week of dishes and snacks. After a decade of marriage I dare say we have
always had one saucepan that I knew of until my mother in-law took pity on us along with my mom this year and bought us cookware.
When Monday morning after Christmas rolled around both our phones began beeping at 8am. Email messages were dinging
on both our desktops and kids were climbing into our bed in their little voices saying “can we play now, you said you
would”.
We made a promise to each right there that we would disconnect for that week. No email, no texts,
no Facebook, no Twitter, no Youtube. It almost worked too! I did slip in some Facebook time from here to there, I found myself
on Youtube once or twice. Texts were kept down but that was really hard too!
It is so hard for us to disconnect
ourselves from the virtual world. It is so hard to process all the information firing at us rapidly with the same brain that
processes each piece of information one issue at a time. So among all the distractions in my life, seems I am now unable to
walk past my desk without checking to see what RHOA’s Kim Zolziak is doing on her Twitter update?
Dave Ramsey
says that we should pay attention to the effects our attitude about money has on our children. They are very aware if money
is most often a topic in their homes and it influences them at a very young age. We should also be aware of the attitudes
we are passing down to them about technology. How many of us have told our children, “in a minute” when we are
really doing nothing…but maybe checking out Perez Hilton updates or texting a friend? Guilty!
Bayne and
I have talked extensively in our marriage about wanting to subscribe to the simpler life. That is what Lulagrace is all about.
Named after my grandmother Lula, the company seeks to make life easier to find for all my clients. And I find that I do that
best for myself when I focus on God and my family. When I allow outside distractions into my life they give way to negative
thoughts. Peer groups can be just as harsh in your middle age as they were in 7th grade! When I focus on my family, like making
them a plate of homemade fudge and hot chocolate for by the fire, I feel such great warmth inside, a peace and calm that is
just nice. All these distracting gadgets and even people can really take us away from our responsibilities. Like planning
and preparing for our home. Saving money, keeping a stocked pantry, preparing for college and living on what we make.
So this year, try not to get caught up in all this new technology being thrown our way.Put your eyes back on your
kids instead of on ___________( enter whatever device is your weakness).Keep it simple, prepare for a rainy day, and take
at least one weekend out of the month to arrange a complete disconnect. A stay-cation to check in with each and see what’s
going on with everyone…and have fun!!!
Happy 2010!!!
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