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Photo by Ella Mullins

What I hear most often from clients and friends is a desire for a less hectic life. It doesn’t seem to matter what your income level or what type of work you do or where you live—we all want things to be simplier and easier.

There are a lot of people out there who make a living helping other people simplify—coaches, professional organizers, time management specialists, and more. In my experience, though, it all boils down to 5 basic steps anyone can take to simplfy their life.

1. Reduce clutter. We all have too much stuff. I know I do… and it multiplies on horizontal surfaces like magic. Spend just 15 minutes a day clearing away the clutter and in a short time you’ll be breathing easier. I know…you look at the mess and it seems overwhelming. Pick a room; get a trashbag and a timer. Set the timer for 15 minutes and start picking up things in the room. Bag the trash and pile everything that doesn’t belong in that room by the doorway. When the timer goes off, stop. Take the pile of stuff by the doorway and put each item in the room where it belongs. Throw the trash away. Then tomorrow, do it again. You’ll be amazed at how much you can get done in just 15 minutes of concentrated effort.

2. Get rid of things you’re tolerating. We all have a list of things that bug us. The stuck kitchen drawer; the missing button on our favorite pants; the broken lamp that’s sitting unused on the table. Make a list and commit to fixing one of these things a week. Don’t spend too long at it, and be ruthless. Be honest…are you really going to get the parts to fix that lamp, or should it just go in the trash?

3. Clean your list of errands and “have-to’s”. Are you running all over town, getting stressed out over your list of things that “have” to get done? Take a long, hard look at that list and do a little planning. See where you can combine trips and take advantage of anything you can do online. For example, if I run out of time for returning library books I know I can always renew them online and buy myself another two or three weeks.

4. Assemble a support team. No matter who you are, you’re always going to need certain people in your life; doctor, dentist, auto mechanic, insurance agent, financial advisor, plumber, real estate agent, and other trustworthy experts you can call on. Take the time now to update your old address book entries or your cell phone list. Delete all the outdated info and add new contact numbers and email addresses for everyone. Make sure you have a good support team assembled and that you can reach them easily and at a moment’s notice. The time to be combing through the yellow pages for a plumber is not when your dishwasher is blowing soapy water all over the kitchen.

5. Practice saying “No”. Look over your list of upcoming events and decide on at least two things you can say “no” to. Give yourself the gift of time. Commit to not adding anything new to your schedule for at least 30 days. Sure, you might miss the party of the century, but it’s more likely that you’ll be thankful for the opportunity to have some quiet, down time. And remember that you don’t owe other people an explanation. Practice saying (with a regretful smile), “I’m sorry, I won’t able to make it. I have other plans.” No need to mention that your other plans involve curling up in your most comfortable robe, with a novel you’ve been waiting to read, and your cat on your lap.

While you’re doing all of the above, add in a little bonus just for you. Carve 10 minutes a day out of your busy schedule—whether you get up a little earlier, or miss a part of the evening news, or sit out and watch the sunset with a cup of tea—let peace and quiet time into your life on a regular basis. You deserve it, and you’ll be amazed at how much 10 minutes a day can mean to you.

Everyone has tips for simplifying their life. What’s your favorite? Take a minute and share!

Photo by James Jordan

Ever had one of those experiences where you know you need to do, or not do, something?

Did you listen?

I had an experience recently where I ignored my intuition and talked myself out of what I knew was wrong.

Thinking vs knowing

We had some behavioral issues with Napoleon, one of our Great Danes, and needed to get him into training. I found out a friend of a friend was a dog trainer, so we suited him up and toddled off to class.

The first class, I went by myself. I liked the trainer immediately, but found myself growing more and more uncomfortable with some of her training methods. Nothing abusive or bad, but I had a growing sense that this wasn’t the place for me or my dog.

I ignored my intuition, got into my head and reminded myself of all the reasons why this was the “right” choice.

The next week, I took my husband to class with me to get his reaction. He was totally fine with the class, yet I still couldn’t shake my feeling that this was not where I belonged. And Napoleon seemed seemed to be getting more and more stubborn about refusing to do the exercises.

So, I talked myself out of it again. Told myself I had no reason to feel uncomfortable; no one else seemed uncomfortable; I must be over-reacting; the trainer is the expert, who am I to question what’s going on?

The third class rolled around and I forced myself to go. I was so uncomfortable, I ended up in tears in the car on the way home. And at that point, I decided that I didn’t care what other people thought—I wasn’t going to continue in something that made me acutely uncomfortable, whether it made sense or not.

Reasoning

When I tried to explain my reasoning to my husband, he couldn’t understand it. What did I mean, I felt uncomfortable? What was uncomfortable? Didn’t I think I was over-reacting? What were we going to do instead?

I felt put on the defensive. After all, I couldn’t really explain my feelings—they were “just” feelings. And I almost started second-guessing my intuition again—getting into my head instead of listening to my heart.

The truth is, if you’re following your intuition and acting out of “knowing”, often you can’t explain your actions. I certainly couldn’t set down in concrete reasons why I wasn’t comfortable in this training class; I just knew it wasn’t the right place for me to be. It doesn’t mean the trainer was wrong, or the other people in the class were wrong, it just means I need to be someplace else.

Where are you on the intuitive scale? Is there a time when you acted on your intuition and were glad you listened to your gut? Or a time when you didn’t act, and regretted it afterwards? I’d love to hear your story.

Get Sourced. Get Quoted. Get Famous: www.helpareporter.com - Putting Journalists and Sources together, one quote at a time.

For a little tongue-in-cheek fun, check out Jane’s list of the hottest male bloggers —a completely unscientific review of who’s hot (and who’s not) in the blogosphere.

Since my husband doesn’t have a blog, and my coach wasn’t nominated, my vote goes to Peter Shankman—he’s smart, funny as hell, and jumps out of airplanes for fun. How can you beat that?

Enjoy!

UPDATE: The results are in, and guess who won?!

Photo by L_Dan

I read a lot of blogs, I’m on several different listservs, and I can state, unequivocally, there are a lot of terrible writers out there.

There are bloggers, and other writers, who seem to have only a passing knowledge of the English language—and I’m not talking about writers whose first language is something other than English.

You know…people who write “there” instead of “their”, or vice versa. Or who write (and this is an actual sentence from a blog), “I now what your going threw.” (Translation: “I know what you’re going through.”) Or, “compliment” instead of “complement”. (Hint: a “compliment” is “You’re very pretty”, so when your copy says “We have several different assessments to compliment your learning experience”, the word use is wrong.)

To help us out, Dean Hunt provides some chuckles and some food for thought with “Bloggers are Terrible Writers“.

Some of the rules he lists are stylistic—using parentheses, for example—or not using sentence fragments.

In my blog and newsletter writing, and in my e-courses, I sometimes use sentence fragments or start sentences with “and” or do other things that a strict adherence to the rules of proper writing wouldn’t allow. I try to write as myself, to put my voice down on paper and let my readers know me through my writing. It’s a style that suits me and, I think, reads very much the way I talk.

I know I use too many dashes and probably commit other writing sins that would make my high school English teacher weep in despair. But I think learning to write “proper” English gave me the foundation to know when it’s all right (or necessary, even) to break the rules.

When I go to a blog or website, or brick and mortar store, and come face-to-face with bad writing, it makes me stop and think “Do I really want to spend my money with someone who is so careless about word use?” I know everyone makes typos occasionally, but when I see consistent poor grammar on a website I tend to assume that the owner is going to be just as slipshod in other areas of their work and I click away.

How do you think bad writing on the web, or elsewhere, affects you? Have any groan-inducing examples of bad wordsmithing? Please share!

Photo by Jorge-11

The year’s half over. Or, as Jay Leno says, you’ve now moved from being the last person on the block to take your Christmas lights down to being the first person to put them up.

How far have you come in this half-year? Are you half-way to a better life? Do you even know what a better life would look like for you?

It’s not too late. Starting now, do something (no matter how small) every day to start living the life you want and you’ll be pleasantly surprised and proud on December 31st when you look back on this year.

Here are my suggestions for steps you can take to create and live the life you want.

1. Be alive to the possibilities.  Don’t narrow your vision to the point where you overlook alternatives. If you keep your eyes right down the middle of the road, your view will never change. Look around and see what you’ve been missing.

2. Accentuate the positive. Start looking for things going right in your life. They’re there, I promise. Often, we focus so strongly on what’s going wrong that we overlook what’s going right. Ok, maybe you overcooked the meatloaf last night. But the scalloped potatoes were perfect! Have a second helping of potatoes, and laugh about the meatloaf.

3. Unclutter your environment. You can’t do your best work if you have to shift through piles of papers or other debris just to find your desk. Take just 15 minutes a day to clear up some clutter and give yourself the gift of a more restful environment.

4. Read every day. It’s free and easy—and how many things can you say that about? If you spend 20 minutes a day with a book that excites, motivates, or educates you, it is time very well spent.

5. Keep learning. You know all that time you spend in your car listening to the same news and talking heads over and over? Pop in an educational or motivational tape or CD and give your brain something good to chew on.

6. Play! Add some fun to your life. Teach the dog a new trick; challenge your teenager to Guitar Hero; learn to salsa dance; or, just go for a walk with someone you love and laugh about silly, nonsensical things.

7. Practice gratitude. Before you go to bed each night, spend a few minutes thinking about the day. Write down five things you’re grateful for and give thanks to the universe for bringing these joys into your life.

8. Appreciate your loved one. Every day, think “What can I do today to show my spouse/partner/loved one what he/she means to me?Then do it.

9. Get enough sleep. It’s time to stop getting more done at the expense of your rest. Numerous studies show that adults need 7 – 9 hours of sleep a night. Make a point of getting to bed a little earlier and see how much more energy you have and how clearer your thinking is.

10. Accept responsibility. Harry Truman had a sign on his desk that said, “The buck stops here. If it’s good enough for Harry, it’s good enough for you. Stop blaming other people or circumstances for what’s going on in your life. You have the power to create a life that supports you and lifts you up. Go get it.

What are your suggestions for creating a life you deserve? I’d love to hear your best ideas!