Archive for February, 2008

Friday’s challenge: Dust!

Published by Sarah Bray on February 29, 2008 in Weekly Challenge. 2 Comments

I don’t know why I feel like dusting today. Maybe because I’m already sneezing my head off every few minutes…a little more won’t hurt.

A friend of mine opened her own cleaning business a few years ago. I helped her out one summer, and she taught me several things about dusting (actually, she taught me everything I know about cleaning in general).

  1. Use microfiber cloths (to be environmentally friendly) or paper towels. Sorry to all of you duster fanatics, but I’m not big on them. Dusters do not do a very good job, and if your house is more than a tiny bit dusty, you have to shake them out very frequently. Dusters ARE good for one thing though — blinds. The little feathers reach down into the cracks quite nicely.
  2. Pledge makes the house smell really, really good. I used to wonder what “that smell” was when I walked into clean houses. It’s most likely Pledge or Endust. Remember this motto: Air Fresheners Do Not A Clean-Smelling House Make. Or AFDNACSHM for short.
  3. Start from the top and work your way down. Ceiling, fan, windows, shelves, tables, baseboards. Actually, the baseboards can be saved for when you do the vacuuming, if you have the right attachment.
  4. Vacuum or sweep afterward. I know. Technically, the challenge was to dust. But if you stirred up enough dirt, this really might be a necessity. Think of it as an upgrade.

That’s it…dusting’s really not that difficult, unless you have a lot of knick knack-y type things. I don’t, but I do have a lot of DVD cases in my den. The funny thing is, almost all of them say Blockbuster on them — I think we end up accidentally buying half of the movies we rent.

Anyway…dusting. You are going to feel like such a diva when you’re done. Or a…what’s a guy name for diva? That’s interesting. I don’t think there is one. Well, I know there are some guys who read this too, so you’re going to feel like…umm…a hottie? A guy any girl would kill to get her hands on? We should make a t-shirt for you. It would say “I clean.” That’s it. The ladies would flock to you, I promise.

Thursday’s challenge: Do one thing you’ve been procrastinating on

Published by Sarah Bray on February 28, 2008 in Weekly Challenge. 3 Comments

Procrastinate? What? Not you, right? Heh.

Today, I challenge you to get something done that you’ve been putting off for a while. I double dog dare you. It will feel so good to get that off your plate.

Oh, you want to know what I’m going to do? Well, I’m going to be submitting my marketing requests for some invitations and postcards that will be going out in April. Since I’m feeling under the weather, that shouldn’t be too taxing on me (it’s just an online form, after all). Everything else is kind of going down the tubes until I feel better.

Thanks for your well wishes yesterday. I am currently pouring on the fluids and becoming one with the couch.

Wednesday’s challenge: Perform some “self” maintenance

Published by Sarah Bray on February 27, 2008 in Weekly Challenge. 3 Comments

It must be flu season again or something because everyone I know is getting sick. And I think I’m getting it. I feel like a perpetual sneeze is coming on, and my head is stuffy. I’ve got a headache. I just have that feeling. The feeling before the feeling.

So today I’m drinking my water. I’m taking vitamins. I am washing my hands a whole lot more than usual. Maybe it’s too late for me (how morbid does THAT sound?!) but perhaps you can ward off this evil cold by being nice to yourself. Any ideas for gracefully enduring a cold?

Tuesday’s challenge: Think ahead for Easter ideas

Published by Sarah Bray on February 26, 2008 in Weekly Challenge. 2 Comments

During my daily blog rounds, I’ve noticed that more and more of my favorite bloggers are getting ready for Easter. And then it hit me (I know, not exactly quick on the uptake) — that’s the secret! That’s why they have all of this cute hand-made celebratory stuff going on…it’s not that they have some kind of super power that I don’t know about. It’s that they think about these things. Early.

Here are some of my favorite pieces of Easter inspiration. If you are even remotely the crafty/DIY type, let something about the season inspire you. Either make your house happy or make something for somebody you care about.

Alright, I’m going to stop now before I totally overwhelm you with possibilities. But be inspired. Do something fun for yourself. Because in the end, life is just a bunch of memories, you know? Let’s create good ones.

Monday’s challenge: Find five things to give away or throw away

Published by Sarah Bray on February 25, 2008 in Weekly Challenge. 3 Comments

One of the benefits of living a more purposeful, simple life is that there are less things to take care of. The goal is to only have things in your house that you love or that are useful. Today, we’re going to take a tiny step in that direction.

All you have to do is find five items that you want to part with. If you want to make it challenging, make it five things that you know that you don’t want or need, but you just haven’t been able to get rid of. For instance, that stunning puke-green lopsided scarf that was lovingly made for you. Or that thing that you paid way too much for but are never going to use. Anything that gives you negative feelings like guilt or anger or sadness probably needs a new home.

Here are my favorite ways to get rid of things:

  1. For the good stuff that I can’t just give away, I use craigslist. Always take a buddy with you when meeting a stranger for “the drop,” since there are a few rumors going around about safety issues. My personal experience has been extremely positive, however. The people I’ve dealt with have always been really friendly.
  2. For small, light, easy-to-ship items, I use eBay. Of course. I know there has been talk about recent price increases, so I’ll have to research it, but for the occasional seller, you can’t beat it.
  3. For specific items that aren’t worth selling but still have use in them, I use freecycle. I LOVE freecycle! I get one or two emails a day (since I’m in digest mode), and I get to peruse all of the great stuff that’s being given away in my community.
  4. For clothing, I donate to my local Salvation Army. It’s right around the corner, and all you have to do is drop it off on a shelf in the front by the register. They even can give you a receipt for tax purposes.
  5. The recycling bin or trash can is the last resort, of course. Some things just can’t be salvaged.

Giving/throwing away unneeded stuff is one of the most important things you can do to get (and stay) organized. Sure, you can organize all of your junk, but it’s eventually going to get back to the mess it was in before. By keeping only things that you love and need, you are releasing your commitment to take care of junk. Your time is much too valuable to be wasted on junk maintenance.

Sunday’s challenge: Lay out your clothes for tomorrow

Published by Sarah Bray on February 24, 2008 in Weekly Challenge. 2 Comments

Yayyyy…we’re back to our daily challenges! In case you’ve forgotten, 2008 is the year of small things that make a big difference. In keeping with that philosophy (and being that it’s Sunday…hallelujah), your challenge for today is only this:

On your Daily Activities list, make a new bullet point/checkbox/dash. Beside it, write “Lay out clothes for tomorrow.” If you’ve got kids, make that a commitment to lay theirs out, too.

I learned this years ago from flylady, and although I no longer use her system (Tried it five times. FIVE! You can’t say I give up easily.), there are certain things that just stick with you after reading the bazillion emails. That was one of them for me. Oh yes, and I go into a panic now if I can’t find my shoes.

Mornings have got to be the hardest, most dreadful things in my house. The first reason for this is that I am horrible in the mornings. When I was growing up and our house was messy, my dad used to say it looked like the wreck of the hesperus1. Well, in the mornings, I am the hesperus. That’s the only way I know how to explain it.

First, I’m tired. I don’t know why God made me so darn tired when I get up, no matter how much sleep I’ve gotten, but I am. You know how teenagers can sleep til noon or later, and you have to practically drag their behinds out of bed2? Well, I am the embodiment of that.

Second, I have a headache that could possibly kill smaller life forms. I don’t like coffee, so never mind that. I physically cannot smile before 10am. A modern marvel, I know.

So why get out of bed at all? Well, my two year old son and one year old daughter pretty much guarantee that I must. Sadly. Also, I have a business and a job and a life. But prior to the revelation of laying out my clothes the night before, most of my morning was spent in a semi-coherent cloud.

I would do the absolute necessary jobs (such as feed my children and change their diapers) and then just lay and stare into space until my body permitted me to function at full capacity. Sometimes that would take hours. I wouldn’t have the energy to search through the clean clothes for something presentable. And if I did, it probably wouldn’t have matched. So I would just sit and wait until my body and brain would work like a normal human being’s.

Compare this to what happens when I lay out my clothes the night before. My children wake up, and I hear them. I wait for a few minutes, hoping it’s a fluke. It isn’t. I get up, put my clothes on (I shower in the evening…it’s a must), and take care of their diapers. I fix them breakfast. I’m already dressed (with shoes on and everything!), so I go outside and get the paper. I read it and show them pictures — the good ones, of course — while we eat. When we’re done, I actually feel okay.

I feel like I should give myself a little piece of paper. It would say, “Congratulations, Sarah. You are officially a fully functional adult.” All because of laying my clothes out the night before. So that’s your challenge. And not to worry. You don’t have to be as dysfunctional as I am to reap the benefits.

  1. Oh my gosh! I never knew what he was referring to exactly until now. Thanks, wikipedia! [↩]
  2. I realize I sound about 72 right now, but I promise I’m still in my 20s. [↩]

Saturday favorites: Short and sweet

Published by Sarah Bray on February 23, 2008 in Favorite Things. 3 Comments

I haven’t done a lot of surfing this week, but I guess that’s a good thing! It means I’ve actually been productive…ha. So here are my top 5 (Aww…I know. But 5 is a great number. Really!) favorite finds of the week:

  • Fine Stationery.com - Personalized stationery…very cool. I’m thinking about ordering some for my web design studio. Who wouldn’t love to get something that cute?
  • America’s Quilting History - The history of America through quilts. Since quilting’s become the “Next Big Thing” in the crafting arena (don’t you love it?) I definitely think this is relevant right now. If I only had the patience!
  • 1000 Good Books - Someone from my homeschooling group recommended this to me…it is an amazing list of books to read, focused on the classical homeschooler. Delightful!
  • Renee & Jeremy - The singers/songwriters I wrote about earlier in the week. I LOVE them!
  • Chocolate Cupcake Lollipops - Yum! What a great idea!

Getting Things Done Wrap-Up

Published by Sarah Bray on February 22, 2008 in Cleaning and Organization. 1 Comment

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series on Getting Things Done. Here’s an overview of the entire process:

  1. Empty your brain - Write down every single thing that you want/need to do, whether it be daily, weekly, or a one-time project. When something new presents itself, write it down immediately.
  2. Make a new list called “Current Projects” and move everything that is a project1 over to this list.
  3. Make a new list called “Future Possibilities” and move everything that you are not currently focusing on to this list.
  4. Make a new list called “Next Actions” and, for each item on your “Current Projects” list, write down the very next thing that needs to be done. Optionally, you can organize your Next Actions list into separate lists based on where each thing needs to be done (things that need to be done on the computer, in your office, when you’re at home, when you’re away, etc.)
  5. Make a new list called “Daily Activities” and move all things that need to be done every day to this list (from the first list you made in step one.)
  6. Make a new list called “Weekly Activities” and move all things that need to be done every week to this list (again, from that first list you made.)
  7. Make a new list called “Monthly Activities” and move all things that need to be done every month to this list (yep, you guessed it…these are coming from that first list.)
  8. Add more lists as needed (grocery list, needs/want list, address/phone number list, etc.)
  9. Put all of these lists in a 3-ring binder.
  10. Get an inbox. Get some scrap paper. As new projects and commitments occur, write them down immediately on scrap paper and put them in your inbox.
  11. Get a calendar. Only write things on it that have a specific date or time attached to them.
  12. Process the things in your inbox each night.
  13. Review and update the lists in your binder each night.
  14. Review your calendar each night.
  15. Get a small notebook for writing down your daily plans. Write them down each night for the next day.
  16. Repeat steps 12-15 every night.
  17. Review your overall system once a month (write it on your “Monthly Activities” list).

Expect it to take about a month to tweak your system to where it works best for you. If a particular part of it is not fitting in well with your life, change it! Everyone has their own way. This is just a basic plan that is adaptable to any situation.

Questions? Comments? Email me at sarahjoy AT todayshomemaker DOT com or leave a comment! I’ve really enjoyed hearing what you have to say throughout this series.

  1. A “project” is something that has more than one step. [↩]

Renee & Jeremy’s Night Mantra

Published by Sarah Bray on February 21, 2008 in Everything Else. 2 Comments

Oooh, I love this music. Renee and Jeremy are so cool and funky. I love the stuff they do for kids. Oh I NEED it! Don’t you? [thanks, Eren!]

[Update: Check out the YouTube video here. I was trying to embed the video into this post, but WordPress decides to change around the tags to where it breaks the rest of the page. Not cool. (And I am using the “code” editor, by the way…not the WYSIWYG). And THEN my server went down for over half an hour! It’s either entirely a coincidence, or I broke the thing. You pick.]

Getting Things Done: Why it’s life-changing

Published by Sarah Bray on February 21, 2008 in Cleaning and Organization. 2 Comments

Well guys, we’re wrapping this thing up. I’ve got one more post re-capping everything for you, but other than that, onward! Tomorrow we’ll be back to our daily challenges and other fun stuff. Of course, I’ll continue offering ideas about how to implement Getting Things Done into your life. If you’ve just been dipping your toe in without jumping in, I’m going to take a minute to tell you why the splash is worth it.

  • You will get things done. You will have a plan for getting the things done that you want to get done. And not just the “urgent” stuff. Not just the “important” stuff. But everything that means anything to you.
  • It makes it easier to say no. When you’ve got all of the things in your head written down, it makes all of your commitments tangible. You don’t have to feel bad about saying no. You can honestly say that you do not have time for new commitments.
  • It frees you to do fun things without feeling guilty. Since you are writing down everything (even things you like to do), you can choose at any moment what is the best use of your time. You know that it will all get done with your plan. You don’t have to feel bad about taking a break.
  • It doesn’t take much time to keep current each day. The time you spend to set up your system in the beginning will reward you a hundred-fold. Even if you forget to make your daily plan, you still have lists to go by that make it easy to get things done WITHOUT a plan. You can’t fall off the wagon very easily, unless you ignore your binder altogether.
  • You will gain back hours of your life. Because you’re going to be focused in your work, you are going to have a lot more time to play. This system makes you more conscious of how you spend your time so that less of it falls through the cracks. That doesn’t mean you have to be “productive” all the time. It just means you are going to get the most out of your life, whether working or playing.
  • It doesn’t cost anything. Just paper and ink, really. Computers are great, but it just feels better to hold a list and cross things off. It feels like more of a commitment, since it’s less easy to delete it entirely. You wrote it down. You’ve changed a piece of the earth. Now you must go forth and do.
  • You will learn to relax. Finally. It will take time to create a habit of writing incoming “stuff” down and throwing it in your inbox, but it frees your brain so much. You become confident that you are on top of everything without even thinking about it. Your binder does the thinking for you. I’ve also found that I’m more creative since I don’t have all of these nagging thoughts of things I need to be doing. It’s a beautiful thing.

Getting Things Done Wrap-Up >>