by CS Team
What is it you most WANT this summer? Do that.
“I am flying through the tops of the trees, held snugly by the padded bench and metal bar of the lift as it takes me up the mountainside. I inhale sweet high mountain air and look in awe at the majesty all around me. Wow, this is summer at it’s best. I am at the Sundance Resort in Utah only 50 minutes from my front door. And yet I have never done this!! Why did it take a dear friend’s visit to get me up here? Why have I never explored it on my own? I am opening to more adventure in my life this summer. And I am amazed at what is right around the corner.” Marla Dee
Jinny Ditzler of Best Year Yet wrote this lovely article titled “Want to Make This Summer the One You Finally Enjoy?” and we just had to share it with you.
…So here we are again in the first days of this blessed season. This year I’m determined to make the most of it. Here are last summer’s unkept promises, but this year these and more will happen because I’m going to stick my neck out and promise to give you a full report after it’s over.
- Sit in my favorite garden chair and read every day, even if only for a bit.
- Take a whole day to go for a hike in the mountains.
- Once a week make a big cup of coffee, go to the park, and gaze at the sky.
- Invite more people to enjoy simple meals by our pool.
But it’s not easy. Last Tuesday after a long weekend in Aspen to celebrate our 35th anniversary, I awoke filled with energy and happy to tackle my pile of tasks. Later feeling proud after a productive day, I found Tim swimming laps in the pool. I said, Well, somebody has the right idea ~ good for you! ~ but thought to myself, What’s wrong with this picture?
Instead of integrating the relaxation, blessings and love of the weekend into my first day back (as he had done) I spent most of the day at my desk, yet again intent on getting as much done as possible. In spite of the fact that one of my three Best Year Yet Guidelines this year is Enjoy life.
Summer is the most enlivening time, isn’t it? It’s so natural to want to slow down, contemplate, meditate, read, walk ~ and enjoy ourselves.
Let’s make the most of this time of renewal as the benefits are many:
- Greater sense of inner calm
- Increased fitness as we go outside and move
- More clarity as we expand our horizons in these warmer, longer days
- Time to read, think, learn and inspire
- Peace that comes from enjoying each moment
Next Steps
- Make a list of your summer promises.
- Choose someone you’ll be accountable to.
- Add one summer enjoyment action to your To Do List every day.
Above all I recommend that if you haven’t ever made a Best Year Yet® plan…
Marla Dee loving this summer in the mountains of Utah
Visit original blog post.
Love on summer. Love on your life.
Marla, Kate & Team
by CS Team
Keep it short. Keep it simple. Keep it sacred.
From a practical standpoint, we’ve written about choosing the 3 most important things for the day and letting the rest go. But when we read Melissa Camara Wilkins’ blog post, What is an Enough List? we fell in love with the depth she brings to this simple guideline. Imagine how it would FEEL to pick up a small notebook or index card tomorrow morning and write down the 3 things that are most important to YOU and let that be enough!
“I used to think there was never enough time.
At the end of every day, no matter how busy I’d been, there were always projects unfinished, emails unanswered, and household chores left undone. I hadn’t done it all, so I felt like I hadn’t done enough.
And it’s only a short leap in your heart from “I never do enough” to “I’m not enough.”
I tried making really thorough to-do lists, but that just gave me a super detailed record of all the things I wasn’t getting to. I would not call that helpful.
The real problem was, I could think of way more things to do than there were minutes in a day. (Oops.)
That’s when I decided to create an Enough List.
See, an Enough List isn’t a list of everything you could possibly do in a day.”
Read the entire beautiful post…
We are playing & practicing with this simple daily list for ourselves. So far we have noticed blocks, disbelief, freedom and a sense of openness and ease. We would love to hear from you about your experience…
Marla, Kate & Team
by CS Team
Give yourself permission to let it ALL go!
We just love and appreciate our systems that walk us through simply and joyfully getting things done. However, sometimes it is most supportive to just walk away from the lists, the projects, the events, the people, the decisions, ALL of it, and have no plan at all.
Lay around and do nothing. Have a TV marathon. Read an entire book. Take a drive into the mountains. Sit on the porch and
take in the loveliness around you. Sleep late. All the while releasing the guilt that typically creeps in and tells us we aren’t doing enough.
Courtney Carver of Be More with Less offers this dialogue to address those icky feelings…
“When guilt creeps in and tells you to do more, take a deep breath and say, ‘Guilt … I appreciate your input, but my heart wants what my heart wants, and it doesn’t want to clean, shop, catch up, or keep up. My heart wants a rest. My heart wants to smile.’ “
Read more in her blog post, Permission for a Guilt-free, Lazy Weekend.
Here’s to doing what makes our heart sing this weekend. – Marla, Kate & Team
by CS Team
Summer can be a time to slow down rather than speed up!
Summer is a sweet time. We often feel the tug to be a kid again on summer vacation, free from life’s responsibilities. And yet the summer can get crazy and even busier than the rest of the year. So how do we slow down and take in the sweetness of this summer?
Renee is a constant source of inspiration for us. Her blog below offers simple truth on how to slow down and love your summer, whatever stage of life you are.
One of my touchstones for gauging how fast–or slow–I’m living, is noticing if I have a vase of fresh herbs and flowers on my desk. When I’m living the life I desire, I create the time to meander in my garden and pick colorful, fragrant flowers and plants to enjoy in my office.
What’s your touchstone that lets you know you’re moving at a speed that feels just right for you? A signal that tells you you’re living joyfully and in alignment with what matters most?
For the last 16 years I’ve been self-employed. And it took me more than half of that time to figure out that I get to choose the speed at which I live, work and play.
When I finally “got this,” I realized … summer is an especially sacred time for me. It’s a time when I crave–and need–to slow way down. To embrace expanses of unscheduled time, to enjoy spontaneity, adventure, more time in nature and less time online. As delicious to me as homemade peach ice cream–I lap up spaciousness and big open creative windows where I get to sit with ideas, meditate on my life purpose and personal hopes and visions, integrate all I’ve learned from the past six months, explore new ways of being and reconnect with soulful friends for long hikes and late night swims in spring-fed waters. Summer is when I re-calibrate and am reminded of who I am and what I love.
Continue reading on her blog…
This is the 3rd year that we are really practicing slowing down during the summer. We hope you find the joy and peace in doing so yourself. – Marla, Kate & Team
by CS Team
Everything is more fun with a trusted friend – especially organizing!
Let’s face it – most things are more fun when done with a friend – shopping, movies, dining, hiking, travel, and hobbies. What is it about organizing that makes us think we have to suffer, have to force ourselves to get it done? It is always on the list but typically the last thing we want to do on the weekend, right? There seems to be shame around letting our friends see our chaos. And yet inviting someone to help is a powerful solution!
This is our best tip for making organizing fun & freeing! Invite a friend to do it with you. Let go of the fear and embarrassment of your friends seeing the chaos and open up to a transformative experience. We have seen hundreds of people be set free when they let themselves receive help from an organizer, a friend or family member.
From Marla – “I just experienced this in a POWERFUL WAY. I got to spend 8 days with a long time friend who had recently lost her husband. Together we got through the garage, project room, closets, finances and more. We told stories, laughed and cried, moved stuff, cleaned and cleared. In 8 days together, we freed her from the blockage and buildup so she could move forward with her life. Because we loved our time so much, we decided to do this every year for each other. This kind of teamwork is life changing.”
The important elements are:
- Pick someone safe who won’t judge you.
- Do the project in small pieces of 2-3 hours
- Make it fun by playing music or having snacks
- Try taking turns and helping each other
- Choose someone that supports you making a change
The last few weeks we have given your our Top Tips for Spring Organizing. By combining these tips with the support of a trusted partner, you WILL experience joy and wonderful results.
Even as professional organizers we often invite other organizers to support us with our projects. It’s very different to work with our own things (vs. someone else’s) since we have to face our own attachments, emotions and stories. Our Utah Professional Organizers Group even chose to buddy up this year for our service project and we were all sold on the power of getting support from a trusted person.
Find a friend and help each other. You deserve it! And don’t forget to use The Clear & SIMPLE Systems of SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT. & S.T.A.C.K.S. © to help with where to start, what to do and how to keep it up.
Set yourself free! Marla, Kate & Team
by CS Team
Harness the last of the spring energy before summer hits!
You know how contagious spring energy can be. It hits your body and you feel compelled to start clearing your space, go buy cool containers and somehow bring your space to life. You want to mirror what is happening outside and bring it inside. We believe that each season has it’s own energy and tapping into that makes organizing easier.
To help you really enjoy this Spring, we are sharing our top ten organizing tips throughout the month. Read our Pretty & Practical Tips, our Simple Spring Organizing Rituals, and get a printable version of all of our TOP TEN TIPS for Spring.
This week is about the Personal Touch:
2. You get to choose what stays and what goes!
This is your space, this is your life, this is your choice, and your responsibility. There is a gift if you claim your personal power and make your space what you really want. Start with one room and ask – how do you want it to look, feel and function? Take out everything that doesn’t align with YOU! Then have fun making changes like adding color, or a new plant, a sweet bookshelf, or soft rug. Create a room that you love being in!
The challenge here is that only YOU can make the decisions about your stuff. Don’t leave clutter clearing your home for your children, your friends or strangers to deal with. Get honest and ask the tough question – if you were gone from this life tomorrow, what would you be leaving behind for your loved ones? Start with one room again and bring it into alignment with your present time life.
Download our FREE eBook – The ART of Letting Go for help. ART stands for Acceptance, Release & Trust. This sweet book by Marla Dee also lists our favorite resources and experts to help you let go.
7. Refresh Your Clothes Closet
Spring is the best season for clearing out the clothes closet. Here are two personal tips for this personal area that gets a lot of use. First, we suggest getting real by trying EVERYTHING on your body and asking, “Is this me?” Be prepared to laugh and cry. Make it a party and do this with a friend. You will actually be able to release the clothes much easier than if you just look at them on the hanger. A great resource for radically simplifying your wardrobe is Project 333 by Courtney Carver.
Second, choose hanger heaven rather than hanger hell by simply getting the same color and material. This is the easiest and cheapest closet transformation. Choose one color and get the different types you need in that color. The body and brain go to color first. You will be amazed at the difference.
Get a printable version of all of Our TOP TEN TIPS for Spring.
We would love to hear your stories. Please share this with anyone in your life that would enjoy and benefit.
Marla, Kate & Team
