Tuesday, August 19, 2014

a simple epiphany of sorts

In my last post, I talked about some frustrations I was having regarding simplifying and my serious lack of progress. While I still have a ways to go, I'm beginning to realize I've made more progress than I originally thought.

Only one stack of "I-no-longer-want-or-use-this" items has physically left my house (it ended up in my trunk...), but moving that pile out felt so good! I can't believe how much more open my little corner kitchen feels simply because I emptied a space next to the table. I actually want to eat there! Now if I could just get that donation pile out the door too.

My office remains decorated and organized, but not very simplified yet. I bought a bin to store my student data tracking folders (among other things, such as incentives or end-of-session questions) right next to my table so I don't have to cross the room to my filing cabinet. I also got a kidney table!! This will simplify my work style in that I will no longer have to ask students to move around the table so I can work with them...they'll be within arm's reach! I think I will be more efficient and effective with this one little change. It's the simple things, I tell you. I also picked up a teacher planner from the main office and am already filling it up with appointments and such. The excitement of the first day of school is building!

I'm continuing to work on my lifestyle simplification. I still haven't meditated. At all. I get frustrated when I realize this, but then I think that maybe I don't need to set aside specific meditation time. I tend to take nearly an hour to fall asleep, so I get a lot of relaxing/feeling/processing time at the end of my day and that seems to be enough. I've also continued to run every evening, which does a lot for my stress levels. I am loving my personal planner--it's cute and I'm staying on top of my commitments. I've given in to some activities I don't necessarily want to attend or participate in, but I feel that I need to support the people who are organizing them (I'm such a people pleaser). Plus, it's good for me to get pushed out of my comfort zone every once in a while.

Alright, I know I promised to elaborate on some tools I am using that help me succeed in accomplishing these goals. First and foremost is my bestie, Brooke. We keep in pretty much constant contact, despite the hundreds of miles between us. Even though we have very different goals for simplicity, I think we have been a good support to each other and provided motivation when needed. Also, our blog has helped tons! Even though I don't post every day, or even every other day, I know that I have committed to updating my progress regularly and that plays in my mind constantly. I also get these little reminders from an app called Lift (available in the app store), which allows users to set goals (either personal goals the user creates or form goals that multiple users are working on) and then sends reminders to follow up on those goals. You can set the notifications to come whenever you want and the frequency of the goal. For example, I want to unclutter four days per week. Lift tracks when I've marked that goal as "completed" for the day and then sends me notifications as I prefer. It also tracks your frequency and when you've hit milestones, such as ten times in a row. You even get to "high five" the phone sometimes! And, of course, I use my personal planner to remind myself of certain things too...like creating a post for the blog. I just love my pen and paper too much! Really, any reminder system will do!

Long story short, I'm getting there. Part of my hope for this simplicity focus was to get down to the nitty gritty and really figure out what matters to me. I feel like I am getting there. While meditation isn't as important as I thought it would be, staying on top of my commitments is and I've created  "to do" lists and planner systems to help me achieve that objective. For the rest of August, I'd like to really focus in on my organization and simplifying my thought processes. In September, I'd like to hit decluttering and simplifying my physical spaces big time. Any words of advice you have are welcome! And feel free to join us on our journey of Blossoming Intentionally!

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