Loving the Chaos

This month’s 10 in 2010 challenge is to Manage Clutter.

Here’s the simple change to make:

manage clutter in one small area of your life

We started with decluttering one drawer or closet. Then last week we tackled the bedroom. That challenge seemed to resonate with many of you who sent me emails or posted comments.

This week take a look around your office. Just like the bedroom, your office can hold the energy of too many commitments or unfinished projects.

I know some of you will say, “I work just fine in a cluttered office space – it’s my style.” I want to challenge you on that idea. At the very least a cluttered office wastes time as you look for things you need. At the worst it undermines your confidence and creativity.

I’m not advocating Martha Stewart perfection unless that appeals to you. Instead simply take on the challenge of clearing your desk. Keep only what you are currently working on in sight. Before you leave at the end of the day, tidy and organize your desk for the next day.

Home offices can become the magnet for all kinds of things that don’t belong there. Consider moving them back to their rightful place.

Remember one small step at a time.

Please take a minute to post a comment  and share what you are doing with the Manage Clutter challenge.

And…

You can find all of the previous 10 in 2010 tips posted  in the 10 in 2010 category on the right hand side.

This month’s 10 in 2010 challenge is to Manage Clutter.

Here’s the simple change to make:

manage clutter in one small area of your life

Last week you tackled decluttering one drawer or closet.

What was that like?

Sometimes if you have a lot of decluttering to do, you can feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. Remember all change occurs with small steps taken consistently. You also might have felt a sense of relief or satisfaction or a little extra get-up-and-go as you completed the task. That’s just the increased energy flow you’ve created. And you might have let your inner critic grumble a bit about how you got yourself into this mess.

Managing clutter can seem like a daunting task, but the benefits are so rewarding!

This week look around your bedroom and see how much clutter there is there. Your bedroom should be a sanctuary in which you feel restored. It’s the space where you go to sleep which is a necessary activity for your physical and mental well-being.

For many people, their bedrooms are a reflection of all of their undone tasks:

laundry to be done

laundry to be put away

books waiting to be read

health and beauty products unused

exercise equipment ignored

clothing that does not fit

All of those things drain the energy in your bedroom. You also drag all of these undone things into your sleep.

This week manage the clutter in your bedroom. Focus on one thing if there are many to take care of. Then when you climb into bed, you can look around the room with a greater sense of accomplishment.

Please take a minute to post a comment  and share your clutter free journey.

Remember you can always find all of the previous 10 in 2010 tips posted in the 10 in 2010 category on the right hand side.

This month’s 10 in 2010 challenge is to Move More.

Here’s the simple change to make:

incorporate 15 minutes of physical activity into your day

Why would you want to move more?

First it improves your quality of life – it reduces stress, improves your mood and helps you sleep better.

Exercise reduces your risk for certain diseases including high blood pressure, cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Many of the physical complaints have as they grow older have little to do with aging and more to do with lack of exercise. If you don’t keep your body moving, you lose flexibility, balance, stamina, strength and quite likely gain weight.

You probably fall into one of 2 categories:

• you already have a regular and consistent exercise program
• you don’t and you have excuses that include too busy/not enough time/no motivation

For anyone who is a regular exerciser, consider how you could incorporate additional fitness elements into your routine – add a little strength training or stretching.

For those of you who don’t have a regular and consistent exercise program, now’s the time to start!

The easiest way to move more?

Go for a walk.

Simply put on your running shoes and walk for 15 minutes.

Take a walk around the block and see what’s happening in your neighbourhood.

Walk your dog.

Go for a stroll after dinner.

Get some co-workers to walk during lunch hour.

Mix it up and try each of the above by doing a different walk each day.

If you are too busy to commit to a 15 minute walk each day, it’s time to re-evaluate your commitment to your health. Remember the choices you make now directly impact the quality of your life today and especially as you get older. If you don’t want to be a crotchety senior citizen, get moving now!

Of course if you have been a couch potato for a while, or are unsure about your fitness level, start slowly and consult your doctor.

AND

Congrats to Shelley Gosse of Edmonton AB who is the May 10 in 2010 draw winner. We’ll be sending Shelley some positive thinking goodies.

Remember you can always find all of the previous 10 in 2010 tips located in the 10 in 2010 category on the right hand side.

This month’s 10 in 2010 challenge is to Think Positive.

Your challenge for the month is to do one positive thinking activity each day.

You might try something like:

• keeping a daily gratitude journal
• practicing affirmations
• choosing an inspiring quote or thought of the day

The key is to make a conscious choice about your attitude or outlook on life. One way that you can do this is to retrain some of your default thinking.

All of us are confronted with challenging circumstances, or things that don’t go the way we want them to. How you approach these situations reflects how much optimism you have.

Many people tend to complain, worry or feel that the world is out to get them when things go a little sideways.

Optimists on the other hand, think about the opportunities that exist in the situation. They look for the silver lining. They believe that there is a lesson to be learned, or some insight to be gained when things don’t go their way.

If your default thinking tends to be more pessimistic, begin to retrain yourself by stopping and asking:

What is available in this situation for me to learn?

How can I make these circumstances work for me?

With a little practice you will find that you can approach any situation more positively.

Please take a moment to post a comment and share your positive thinking ideas with others.

Remember you can always find all of the previous 10 in 2010 tips located in the 10 in 2010 category on the right hand side.

Most people tell me they don’t have as much life balance as they would like. So when I spoke recently at a women’s wellness conference, I asked the ladies to share their best life balance tips – the recharge and re-energize advice they would give a friend when life seems out of whack.

Here’s some of the simple life balance tips that they came up with. Like any tips, these ones only work if you do them!

Learn to say no.

Ask yourself about a decision or purchase: what it? need it? like it? use it? afford it?

Have fun.

Get a sense of humour.

Spend time only with the people you really want to.

Give yourself permission to take a break.

Go for a walk and pay attention to your surroundings.

Stand still, be quiet and drink a glass of water.

Live up to your own expectations, not other people’s.

You can be aware of a need without feeling that you must fix it.

Sleep, eat, exercise, play & pray.

Exercise with passion.

Ignore things that don’t matter.

Take one day to do something you enjoy.

Give back  responsibilities to the person who owns them.

Take a long bath.

Read a book.

Step back & take a breath.

Schedule me-time along with your other commitments.

Smile.

Celebrate your milestones.

Declutter.

Be clear on your goals.

Have patience with yourself.

Eliminate should and have to from your vocabulary.

Prioritize.

Stay focused & positive.

Ask for help.

Listen to relaxing music.

Use positive self talk.

What’s your best life balance tip?

This month’s 10 in 2010 challenge is to Eat Well.

Your challenge for the month is to make at least one healthy substitution in your current diet.

Next week we’ll add in a new challenge.

Remember last month’s challenge to unplug during meal times?

This is a great habit that can actually help you to eat well.

When you bring your full attention to meals, rather than being distracted by some sort of technology, you may make better choices in terms of food and portion sizes.

So if you’ve backslid a bit and are plugged back in during meals, now is a great time to recommit to this simple change.

Let’s keep the momentum going by continuing to:

Unplug More

Eat Well.

Please post a comment & share how your 10 in 2010 journey is going so far.

What’s working?

Where do you get stuck?

What simple suggestions do you have to share?

Remember you can always find all of the previous 10 in 2010 tips located in the 10 in 2010 category on the right hand side.

This month’s 10 in 2010 challenge is to Eat Well.

Your challenge for the month is to make at least one healthy substitution in your current diet.

I know simple substitutions may not seem like they can make much of a difference.

Remember your mantra for this year:

Simple steps taken consistently create change.

Here’s the thing – most people give up when they try to overhaul their entire way of eating. They feel deprived or overwhelmed at taking on so much change all at once. Eating well is about making changes that you can stick with – forever.

How much difference can simple substitutions make?

A lot. Making a substitution that saves 100 calories can result in a 10 pound weight loss in one year – even if you change nothing else. If weight loss is not your goal, substitutions can also be healthier choices for your body, particularly your heart.

Here are some other substitutions to try:

• substitute egg whites for whole eggs
• substitute olive or canola oil for butter or partially hydrogenated fats
• substitute nonfat or low fat dairy for full fat dairy

Post a comment  & let us know what substitution you are trying.

PS – Remember you can always find all of the previous 10 in 2010 tips located in the 10 in 2010 category on the right hand side.

Wealth is the number of things you can do without.

Dostoyevsky

Sometimes we get caught up in the collection of material possessions and lose sight of the richness in the simplest of things.

Take some time to consider what you really can’t do without. Chances are it doesn’t come from a big box store or with a fancy label.

Ask yourself what you might gain from downsizing, decluttering or simplifying. You likely are far wealthier than you think.

Leave a comment:

In what ways are you wealthy?

Never mistake motion for action.

Ernest Hemmingway

Are you constantly in motion?

Perpetually busy?

Just because you don’t have a spare minute doesn’t mean that you are engaged in purposeful activity. If you find yourself with a lack of energy or enthusiasm, take inventory of how you are spending your time.

Chances are there are lots of tasks that keep you busy but don’t help move you closer to your goals. Giving up some of your busy work makes more time and energy for activities that are fun, meaningful and satisfying.

Leave a comment:

What keeps you way too busy?