How to Plan NOTHING & Get Stuff Done.

This week I was on vacation from my day job. I had my choice of what I wanted to do: work on my Thirty-One Business; work on my Organizing Business or plan NOTHING.

I opted for the latter.

My, how daunting and freeing it is to plan NOTHING. I could choose to work on either business. Or not. I could choose to blog. Or not.

My week of PLANNING nothing doesn’t mean I DO NOTHING. It just means I had a lot of free time to do the important stuff.

Stuff like writing this blog post on a sidewalk outside my local coffee shop.

Reading The Tao of Pooh (because yes, I recently saw the new Christopher Robin movie and have been moved by it

And doing Tai-Chi. Because it’s an amazing moving meditative practice and because I am also on track to being a Taijifit Instructor.

Here’s My Instructor:

Oh, and COLORING! What a wonderfully meditative practice it is. Read more about it HERE.

I am currently coloring this beauty by Zondervan:

Gorgeous, right?

In the end, when I plan nothing, regular stuff like laundry, dishes, vacuuming, etc. gets done. BUT what happens in the between time is being caught up in the beauty of things.

 

What do you do when you plan nothing? Tell us in the comments below 🙂

Truthful Living

“What is Truth?”

–Pontius Pilate

I’d be lying if I said I knew exactly what I was going to write next. I feel like I don’t need to write anymore–you will all just know what I’m writing about and you will nod “yes.”

But.

It just seems so absolutely necessary to say something about the truth right now.  And the truth is, I just don’t know what to say that hasn’t already been said by countless others. Maybe all I can do is ask one simple question:

How can we live the truth?

Maybe the answer is: just do it. Just look at my life as it is right now, in this moment and ask myself: “Am I living in an honest way?” Or  “Am I being true to myself?” “Do my actions support the vision I have of my life?”  If I can say yes to any or all of these, then I think I’m doing pretty good.

If we live truthfully and honestly, then it’s easier to recognize the truth in others. And it’s easier to recognize inauthenticity as well.  And there’s a LOT of inauthenticity going around these days. So much so it can be depressing. I cannot control others–I cannot control what they say or what they do, but I can control what I say and what I do. And as I am writing this, I realize the only way I can combat the malaise of half-truths and whole lies is by living an authentic life. And therein lies the abundance.

 

Something to Do While You’re Waiting

Problem No. 1

My husband likes to spring surprises on me. And they’re not always the good kind–you know, like flowers when he comes home (he does do that). The surprises I’m referring to are things like having to make an unexpected stop at the store when I am ridiculously tired. The more I think about it, the more I realize this really is the ONLY negative surprise he springs on me. But it happens ALOT. And it’s always frustrating.

So, how does this normally play out?

Well, I would usually get my way and we get to go home. But honestly, that’s not always fair. I know I can’t make him remember things he needs according to my schedule (I’ve tried. It doesn’t work) and there is no way he could somehow make me untired, so something has to give. And that “something” has got to be me.

Problem No. 2

With a job, a blog and TWO side gigs (Thirty-One Independent Consultant & Professional Organizer )finding time to read a monumental task. Parting the Red Sea was probably easier. In fact, finding a conventional solution, like scheduling reading time in the morning has not worked for me because my sleep patterns have been interrupted.  Scheduling it at night is out of the question as well (See Problem No.1)

But as a Professional Organizer, it’s my job/vocation to come up with unconventional solutions to common problems.

Enter My Perfect Solution: Have Kindle, Will Travel

It makes perfect sense: packing my kindle (or using the Kindle App) solves two problems: my husband gets to go to the store when he needs to and  I can score some much-needed reading time. Even though I may be exceptionally tired, I can still fit five minutes of reading in. My attentions span will hold for that long.

Is this my ideal? No. My ideal reading time is in the morning, during coffee.  But waiting for my ideal time to manifest has led to almost zero reading. Perfection is the enemy of done. Every time.

Why This Works, No Matter What You Can’t Find Time For.

Maybe reading time isn’t your problem.Maybe it’s answering emails or texts. Or perhaps it’s going through snail mail. Whatever the problem is, if it’s portable, it’s do-able. Bring the mail with you (and a plastic bag for discarded paper), delete messages in your Inbox. Work on this stuff while you are waiting–either in line at the supermarket, or in the waiting room of the doctors office.

Try this the next time you have to wait. I guarantee you will have a better sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

And yes, this title was inspired by the beautiful Mister Rogers:

 

A Woman Named Jesus

She was dirty.

She was homeless.

My friend saw her in the parking lot. She wanted to reach out to this ragged woman, but groceries got in the way.

“Hold on a sec,” my friend said.  But when she turned around the woman was already talking to someone else.

When she was done talking, the dirty, ragged woman returned to my friend. My friend reached for her wallet, but, instead the woman asked for a hug.

My friend hesitated, but obliged.

What happened, next, my friend said, changed her completely.

The woman prayed a quiet quick prayer for my friend.  Moved by the experience, my friend asked her newfound friend her name.

“Jesus,” she said.

“Is your name really Jesus?” my friend asked.

“That’s what they tell me.”

 

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This is one of those small moments in life, that, if we aren’t paying attention, can escape us. Or maybe they don’t so much escape as much as we don’t really understand their depth.  But really, it’s these small, deep moments that can radically change us.

We think we are in a particular place or moment for a particular reason. Then God does a whammy on us and gives us a gift  we didn’t even ask for.

What was my friends gift in this situation? I couldn’t even begin to imagine. But I can tell you the gift I got in her recounting it: that when I think I am the one doing the giving, I am the one who is actually doing the receiving.

What I also learned is that things are not always what they seem; that people are put in our lives for a few minutes, or for a few decades. And that one is not more important than the other. I suppose what’s important is what we do with that that encounter.

What encounters have had a profound effect on your life?

 

Travel Tip: Never Forget Your Toiletries Again!

See video below for how I use my toiletries bag.

Travelling? Not travelling? Doesn’t matter.

Yep, we are in the middle of travel season. Are you planning a trip for the second half, last-minute travel surge before Labor Day?

Or are you the type who takes a lot of short, weekend trips?

Maybe you are like me and travel rarely? Don’t worry, this tip works for you, too.

The Tip:

I keep all of my “go to” toiletries in a clear, plastic bag. This way, I can easily see what I have and it’s all in one place. This works great when I switch my bags. I know then that I am not forgetting anything important.

Drilling Down: Organizing that bag!

So, being the organized person that I am, I also keep the stuff in that bag in smaller, ziploc bags. For example, I keep all of my lip products in one baggie, and my sunscreen in another. It just makes my life a whole lot easier when I can find quickly what I need.

LOL…the preview is upside down, but the video is NOT!

Can you spot the hidden in plain site kitchen tip? Hint: You’ll want it handy when using knives. 🙂

Buy the Pocket-A-Tote Here!