I just got news from the doctor this morning that this baby could come any time now. My response? Actually…it was…NOOOOOOOOOO…not ready yet! Despite the heat and the discomfort, I still have some loose ends to tie up before I feel like I can give in and have a baby. Not that it’s really up to me…but…you know what I mean.
The thing is, though…I am not enjoying the chaos this puts my life into at the moment. Not knowing whether I have days or weeks to go puts things in an awkward place. I am feeling patient to wait for the baby right now, but I’m sure that will change at some point.
This all got me to thinking…do you remember what it was like to wait for something highly anticipated when you were a child? How NOTHING could drag it from your mind and your focus as you spend lots of energy looking forward to this event or thing occurring? Has it become easier for you to wait for highly anticipated events as you’ve aged? Have you discovered any tricks to playing the waiting game? I have! The principle tool? DISTRACTION!
- Place your focus elsewhere and get busy!
- Make a list of things you want to accomplish before the anticipated event
- If you don’t have a full to-do list, get busy on ignored projects and make some headway
- Start a new project if you don’t have anything to finish up
Have you noticed that our society seems to be obsessed with being “busy?” You cannot be too busy, it seems…and people even enjoy topping each other to see who gets the title of “Busiest.” BUSY is the new status symbol that gives people an instant lift of self-esteem. They are SOMEone if they do not have enough hours in the day.
Well…the bad news (you knew there was some) is that this hyper speed will inevitably lead to burn-out. The elevated stress may lead to sleep problems, headaches, digestive problems and even serious health issues over time.
So…time to take stock. Is it possible you are TOO busy for optimal productivity and happiness?
Are you constantly multitasking?
Do you lose items often?
Are you missing important family events?
Are you becoming increasingly short tempered?
Do you use caffeine to fight fatigue often?
Do you get frequent headaches or other physical signs of stress?
Do you skip exercise because you are too busy?
Are you phasing out hobbies you used to enjoy because you don’t have time?
Yes answers to these questions may indicate your life is moving too fast.
Being too busy has to cut somewhere…and this is often found in a key area of your life. Family, health, career, spirituality, home…do you see this evident in your life?
If this seems to fit for you, come back next time and we will begin to explore how to rebalance a life that is TOO busy.
How well do you say “No”? When your schedule is already crammed and you’re already stressed…do you say a reluctant “Yes” or do you simply say…”Sorry…no cigar…”
We are human…can only do so much. There are only so many minutes in the day and there comes a time when you just have to accept that you are fully committed and give a reluctant but firm “No.”
It can be exhilarating to accept your limitations and give a no instead of a yes that you feel obligated to say. I encourage you to try it!
I was on the hunt the other day. My three-year-old son has outgrown his church suit and I was sure that I had one packed away that his older brothers had worn when they were his size. So…I located the correct bin and sure enough, there was the great-looking suit all folded nicely and there waiting for my little guy. I pulled it out of the bin, shook it out, and…SIGHED. It had set in stains on the lapels and various other places on the front of the suit. I am not one to give up easily, but I did not think the suit was salvageable.
I tucked it under my arm and headed to my arsenal of stain lifters and stain fighters. As I scanned my options, my eyes set on a box of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers that I had just purchased the day before. I figured I had nothing to lose, and decided to try it. I cut a little square off and dampened it slightly. Deciding to just try it on one inconspicuous stain, I lightly rubbed the damped eraser over the stain. My pressure was enough to dampen the fabric of the suit slightly, but not much. I stopped after about 30 seconds of rubbing, set the suit coat down to dry, and went away for about 30 minutes.
Can you predict what I found when I came back? NOTHING. NO STAIN. It was completely and absolutely GONE! As if it never existed. I excitedly worked on the rest of the stains in the same fashion and the coat now looks like it has never been worn.
So…I’m excited. I knew these little eraser guys were good at getting out surface stains around the house, but this opens up a whole new area of stain-fighting opportunities.
Here are some other uses for Mr. Clean Magic Erasers that I have recently discovered:
- Remove food stains from the insides of plastic containers
- Remove stains on leather
- Remove mildew from fabrics
- Clean doll faces
- Remove hairspray build up from floors, walls and counters
- Clean oven doors
- Clean up old shoes
- Remove hard water build up from surfaces
Any more you know of?
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How’s that for something you didn’t expect? Yes…that’s actually what I am telling you. In this age of everyone running around frantically trying to squeeze as much as is humanly possible into every second of the day…I am asking you to slow down and actually be LESS productive. Sound scary? Sound…interesting? Read on!
Many people have lost the ability to enjoy life with the fast-paced speed they keep as they rush through their days. Why are people feeling the need to be constantly “getting more done?” If you fall into the category of people who live like this out of actual ENJOYMENT, then more power to you. I submit that you are in the minority, however. My thought is that people would be happier if they were in the “getting less done” camp.
Simple relaxation tends to make people happier in the long run. Allowing yourself the treat of taking a nap when you are tired or sitting down with a magazine you love will energize not only your mind and body, but your spirit as well.
Some suggestions for incorporating relaxation into your days:
- Go outside. This is especially important if you tend to spend most of your time inside. Make yourself go outside and breathe fresh air, look up at the sky, see birds, notice flowers, etc.
- Play with a kid. If not your own, then find a friend’s kids and play with them. It will make you feel younger.
- Take a day off – completely and entirely. Do something memorable and fun.
- Sit down to eat lunch. Don’t eat on the go.
- When the evening comes, shift gears and relax instead of working right up until bed time.
Take baby steps to try to incorporate a slower, relaxed pace into your days to inject a sense of peace and serenity.
Moving…it’s exciting but also so stressful. If you’re thinking about purchasing a new or different home, make sure you consider these things before you call the cross country movers.
1. First and foremost…any realtor will tell you that the location of a home is the one thing you cannot change. Even if you love a home, if it is located in a neighborhood or on a street you don’t like, skip the house.
2. Make sure you like the layout of the home. Stairs, garage, yard…everything. You probably won’t find perfection, but aim to love all of the big things.
3. The neighborhood should fit you and your lifestyle. Quiet and sedated or lively and full of kids…make sure that you and the neighborhood are a good fit.
4. The size of the house needs to fit your needs. Not too big and not too small. Make sure the floor plan fits your lifestyle also.
5. The kitchen is an important room. Make sure you like the layout and the style because remodeling is expensive.
6. Storage is also paramount. Make sure there is adequate storage and closet space for your needs.
7. Make sure the number of bedrooms and bathrooms fits your needs also. Not enough bathrooms would be a nightmare. An extra bedroom would be lovely.
8. Windows and natural lighting are something you might not automatically think about…but if you love to sit in a sunny room, make sure you have south-eastern exposures.
My garden is starting to gear up into full swing here and I am finding that I am harvesting or picking something nearly every day now. This brings me to an important topic for this time of year when fellow gardeners are dealing with an abundance of fresh produce that must be kept fresh. What is the best way to do this?
Here are some guidelines.
Asparagus - keeps 2 – 3 days in the refrigerator (don’t wash before refrigerating and keep in the crisper)
Broccoli – keeps 3-5 days in the refrigerator (wrap and keep in the crisper)
Celery – keeps 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator (Keep in crisper)
Cauliflower and Snap Beans – keeps 1 week in the refrigerator (wrap and keep in crisper)
Carrots, Parsnips, Beets, Radishes & Turnips – keeps 2 weeks in refrigerator (remove tops, wrap and keep in crisper)
Green Peas – keeps 3-5 days in refrigerator (leave in pods and keep in crisper)
Lettuce and Salad Greens – keeps 1 week in refrigerator (wash, drain well, wrap keep in crisper)
Green onions – keeps 3-5 days in refrigerator (wrap and keep in crisper)
Peppers and Cucumbers – keeps 1 week in refrigerator (wrap and keep in crisper)
Fresh vegetables stay the freshest when in a moist environment. They should usually be stored in vegetable crispers. If there is a crisper setting, set it to the “vegetable” setting. If space in crispers is limited, store them in plastic bags to reduce moisture loss. Store most vegetables in the refrigerator to preserve freshness. Do not refrigerate potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, hard-rind squashes, eggplants and rutabagas. Tomatoes may be refrigerated only after they are ripe and then only for a limited time.
Transportation, that is…
Yup…how is this for a diet pill that works. I’m talking about walking and biking to get us where we need to go. Instead of cars how hard would it be for us to start choosing human power to get us to at least some of our destinations? I am striving to use human power more this summer. When I have errands around town, I now put a backpack on my back and take off on my brand new bike. The bike was a way of motivating myself to use it more and it’s working. besides…I realized I hadn’t had a new bike for 18 years so I was due for a new one.
Anyway, the benefits are many. Calories burned, exercise, save money on gas, reduce your carbon output….plus it will just plain make you feel good. I promise!
You know what you need to do and you know why it has to be done. You might even know how to do it and how long it will take. The problem? You just can’t seem to get started. It happens to most of us at one time or another. Perhaps you are a regular procrastinator or maybe this is a special situation that is overwhelming for some reason. Whatever the reason, letting the days go by without activity will only compound the problem. Here are some suggestions for getting started.
Five Minute Focus: Make yourself work on the job for only five minutes. Sometimes just getting started is all it takes.
Decide What to do Next: Don’t be intimidated by the job. Map it out and break it down into small jobs.
Tackle the hard ones first: Almost everyone has more energy and attention at the beginning of their workday than at the end, unless you’re taking diet pills perhaps.
Get Help: Tell someone what you’re going to accomplish, mention a date, and ask them to check in on you.
Make a Deal: Bribe yourself to get going. Make a promise to yourself that when you get busy on the action, you get a reward.
Because of the nature of my family’s circumstances, both my husband and I find ourselves receiving offers for a variety of home basesd business opportunities several times each week. It can be difficult to wade through the offers to see if there are legitimate ones that merit a closer look. My husband is in the middle of a transition right now and so he is actively seeking a change that he will be able to make profitable. Care and caution must be exercised to make sure that any business opportunities you decide to investigate are legitimate, safe, and honorable.
