We are now deep into spring. My family is started to venture outside more often for evening walks and weekend hikes. And I'm sure you can agree... there's nothing quite like being out in the middle of nature on a beautiful spring day!
It's so nice to sit in nature because nature just is. We allow it to be and that’s how we come to appreciate its beauty.
Think of a tree that has fallen to the ground. Just because it appears to be dead, it doesn't mean there's no life in it. It just means that growth is happening in a new direction and in a different way. Maybe there's moss growing on its trunk, maybe the roots are tethering themselves in new grass. There is still beauty in that tree.
We need to try to look at our own life in the same way. Sometimes when life is challenging, you may feel like you've fallen to the ground and stopped growing, but that’s simply not true. Realize that your discovering new directions, viewing life from another perspective. Sometimes, it's time to plant your roots in new grass. Sometimes, you need to allow life to happen.
I recently stumbled across a quote that I wanted to share with you from Ram Dass, who is an American spiritual teacher and the author of the book Be Here Now.
This is what he says. "When you go out into the woods and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You appreciate it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree.
The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. And you are constantly saying “You’re too this, or I’m too this.” That judging mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are."
Do you find yourself in a constant battle of judgment with yourself or with the circumstance of your life? Or do you ever find yourself in a constant battle of judgment toward others? We all do to some extent.
Next time you find that judgmental voice creeping up to steal your happiness, remember what Ram Dass suggests and turn people into trees. Try to appreciate them, despite their flaws and imperfections, despite what direction they are going, despite how fast they are growing. Allow others and yourself to just be. And find the beauty in that.
Links Mentioned in this Show:
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Free Guide: "9 Ways to Simplify Your Life"
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Website: CarlaRaeArneson.com
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I want to help you simplify your life. I am here to give you strategies, tips, and action plans on how to organize your home. BUT... not only do I want to help get you organized, I want to help you to STAY organized, as well.
Getting organized is only half the battle. Maintaining an organized home is just as important, and sometimes just as challenging.
There are a handful of valid reasons as to why people can't seem to maintain an organized space. One reason is that bad habits are hard to break and good habits are hard to form. Another is that picking up and maintaining a clean home simply takes time that some people aren't willing to commit to on a daily basis.
But then there's another reason why it can be so hard to keep your home organized. It's the fact that chaos can be contagious! Chaos and clutter can easily spread. And if you're not careful, no matter how well you organize one room, the chaos from another room can easily re-infect it again.
Have you ever experienced what I'm talking about? You organize your dining table; you clear it off and it's nice and clean, so you move onto the next space. But then, by the following week, a whole new species of clutter has returned to the cleared table.
Clutter moves from room to room to room. It just rotates around the house. And no matter how good your de-cluttering efforts may seem, your simply chasing your tail in an endless loop!
Like I've said in previous episodes, success is dependent on about 20% strategy and 80% psychology. So today, I want to give you one mindset for success to help you keep your house clean, clutter free, and organized. It's a very unique technique that you may not have ever heard of before. And it's one that I insist that all my clients learn.
Links Mentioned in this Show:
Share this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode71
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Simplicity University: SimplicityU.com
Free Download: "5 Steps to Organizing Your Home"
Or send a text to 44222 with the word ORGANIZE
Free Guide: "9 Ways to Simplify Your Life"
Or send a text to 44222 with the word 9SIMPLIFY
Website: CarlaRaeArneson.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/CarlaRaeArneson
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Are you an over-thinker? I sure am! My brain loves to work over-time. Especially when I'm trying to sleep... or worse yet, when I'm trying not to think or worry about something.
The human mind loves to think... which of course is a good thing. But sometimes it never seems to want to stop. Over-thinking can become a toxic habit that causes more damage than many of us realize. In fact, most of us over-think so much that many people consider it a worldwide epidemic.
If you ever suffer from over-thinking, here are 10 quotes for you to keep in mind:
You will never be free until you free yourself from the prison of your own false thoughts.
Before you talk, listen. Before you react, think. Before you criticize, wait. Before you pray, forgive. Before you quit, try!
Stop worrying about what can go wrong, and get excited about what can go right.
Overthinking – the art of creating problems that weren’t even there. Ouch, so true it hurts.
Worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere.
Stop overthinking. You can’t control everything, just let it be.
Dear mind, please stop thinking so much at night. I need sleep.
Overthinking is one of the biggest causes of unhappiness.
Don’t ruin a new day by thinking about yesterday. Let it go.
A quiet mind is able to hear intuition over fear.
So, if you ever find yourself over-thinking, try to quiet your mind. Maybe try and remember some these quotes Hopefully they'll help you to keep things in perspective.
Simplicity University will be open for registration this spring! If you want to get on our mailing list to get info about our new courses and workshops that will soon be offered through Simplicity University, just send a text to 44222 with the word "SIMPLICITYU". Or you can just go to Simplicityu.com for more information.
Links Mentioned in this Show:
Share this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode70
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Simplicity University: SimplicityU.com
Free Guide: "9 Ways to Simplify Your Life"
Or send a text to 44222 with the word 9SIMPLIFY
Website: CarlaRaeArneson.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/CarlaRaeArneson
Submit Questions: CarlaRaeArneson.com/AskCarlaRae
Last's week's episode of Life Made Simple, Episode #67 was titled "Good Night, Sleep Tight!" During that PART 1 of our two part series, we dove headfirst into one of the most important factors regarding your health: sleep.
In that episode I gave you a bunch of tips on how to refresh your bedtime routine, I gave you strategies on how to banish some of your bad bed habits, and I gave you some ideas on how to set the stage in your bedroom for a good night's sleep.
If you haven't listened to PART 1, push pause on this episode and go back and push play on that one, again, that was episode #67. You really don't want to miss it!
So while last week we looked how to fall asleep and stay asleep, on today's Part 2 episode of our Sleep Habit Series, we're going to look at how to wake up in the morning and get out of bed... because sometimes, it's kinda rough waking up!
We've all been there. Even though you might get a full night's sleep, you still somehow wake up feeling exhausted and unenthusiastic to face the world. You don't have one bit of excitement about starting your day. It takes you twice as long as it should to get ready and dressed... and you can never seem to find a thing when you need it. Can you relate?
If you have a hard time waking up in the morning, even after a good night sleep, then tune in to today's episode. In an effort to relieve and remedy my own morning misery, I came across some really great articles and ideas that I wanted to share with you. On today's Part 2 episode titled "Wake Up, Sleepy Head!", we look at some tips and strategies to freshen up your morning routine to help you wake up feeling well rested and recharged.
Don't forget, Simplicity University will be open for registration this spring! If you want to get on our mailing list to get info about our new courses and workshops that will soon be offered through Simplicity University, just send a text to 44222 with the word "SIMPLICITYU". Or you can just go to Simplicityu.com for more information.
Links Mentioned in this Show:
PART 1 Episode #67: "Good Night, Sleep Tight!"
Share this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode69
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Admiral William McRaven's Book: "Make Your Bed"
Simplicity University: SimplicityU.com
Free Guide: "9 Ways to Simplify Your Life"
Or send a text to 44222 with the word 9SIMPLIFY
Free Download: "5 Steps to Organizing Your Home"
Or send a text to 44222 with the word ORGANIZE
Website: CarlaRaeArneson.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/CarlaRaeArneson
Submit Questions: CarlaRaeArneson.com/AskCarlaRae
Last week, I came up with a new tool that I want to start using in my own life to help me get more stuff done every day. And I have to say I'm kind of excited about it! So I figured I'd share my idea with you for today's episode.
It's no secret that the number one best strategy to accomplish important daily tasks is to keep track of them with a to-do list. I love to do lists! And I can honestly talk for hours about how to make and maintain your to do lists... but we'll save that for another day.
One type of to-do list that you might be familiar with is a "Focus List". Everyone has a long to-do list of things that they intend to do and want to do, but we all know NO ONE has enough time to do everything on their list... at least I sure don't!
Instead of trying to tackle your entire to-do list in any given day, first thing in the morning you should write a focus list. That's when you pull only a few important tasks from your big master to-do list that you can feasibly do that day. That way, you can FOCUS only on those few to-dos. Which means when you write your focus list, you have to be honest with yourself and realistic about how much time you really do have to get things done. It also means that you need to have your priorities in order (which of course is another topic I can talk for hours about).
When I figure out my focus list every morning, I sit at my desk, I glance at my schedule for the day and I then take a look at my master to-do lists. I figure out what really needs to be done, what I really have time for, and then I write it on a little piece of paper or sometimes even a little post-it note. I then keep that piece of paper front-and-center on my desk all day long while I'm working so I can focus on those specific to-do's. Which is why it's called a 'focus' list.
Sometimes I make a focus list for things that need to get done around the house and I leave it on the kitchen counter.
Last week I had an idea. Instead of writing my focus list on any random little scrap of paper or post-it note, what if I were to write it on a focus frame?
Now I'm sure you've seen something similar before on Pinterest of Facebook. It's really quite simple. Tune in for today's episode and I'll explain exactly how to make one.
Links Mentioned in this Show:
Share this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode68
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Simplicity University: SimplicityU.com
Free Guide: "9 Ways to Simplify Your Life"
Or send a text to 44222 with the word 9SIMPLIFY
Free Download: "5 Steps to Organizing Your Home"
Or send a text to 44222 with the word ORGANIZE
Website: CarlaRaeArneson.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/CarlaRaeArneson
Submit Questions: CarlaRaeArneson.com/AskCarlaRae
Today we're going to dive headfirst into one of the most important factors regarding your health: sleep.
We all know that sleep is important. A good night's sleep plays a crucial role in your health. It also plays a huge role in your energy levels and everyday functioning.
It's not only physically important, but it's also cognitively important to get a good night sleep. Did you know that when we’re sleeping, neurons in the brain fire nearly as much as they do during waking hours? So it should come as no surprise that what happens during our resting hours is extremely important to a number of brain and cognitive functions.
Sleep deprivation impairs your judgment, makes the body retain fat, your body is unable to heal or repair properly, can cause depression, and you can even increase the chances of early Alzheimer’s.
If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, you're not alone. I actually have a love-hate relationship with sleep. For many years, I've struggled with insomnia issues... I've gotten much better, but I still have trouble every once in awhile.
On today's episode I give you a bunch of tips on how to refresh your bedtime routine, I give you strategies on how to banish some of your bad bed habits, and I help you set the stage in your bedroom for a good night's sleep. And even if you're already sleeping soundly, these tips can help!
Then for next week's, Part 2 episode, we're going to look at why it's hard to wake up and get out of bed sometimes. I'll then give you some ideas to freshen up your morning routine to help you wake up feeling well rested and recharged.
Don't forget, Simplicity University will be open for registration this spring! If you want to get on our mailing list to get info about our new courses and workshops that will soon be offered through Simplicity University, just send a text to 44222 with the word SIMPLICITYU.
Or you can just go to SimplicityU.com for more information.
Links Mentioned in this Show:
Sleep Schedule Website: sleepyti.me
Episode #63: You Need More Margin Time! (CarlaRae Confesses)
Share this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode67
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Simplicity University: SimplicityU.com
Free Guide: "9 Ways to Simplify Your Life"
Or send a text to 44222 with the word 9SIMPLIFY
Website: CarlaRaeArneson.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/CarlaRaeArneson
Submit Questions: CarlaRaeArneson.com/AskCarlaRae
I have a question for you: Do you ever let fear stop you? I know I sure do.
Everyone has fears in life. But if your fears prevent you from doing things that you truly want to do or should do, then it can become a real problem.
On today's quick and brief episode I talk a little about what you can do about those pesky fears you face in life and hot not let them stop you.
Links Mentioned in this Show:
Original Versions of "Do It Anyway"
Share this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode66
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Simplicity University: SimplicityU.com
Free Guide: "9 Ways to Simplify Your Life"
Or send a text to 44222 with the word 9SIMPLIFY
Website: CarlaRaeArneson.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/CarlaRaeArneson
Submit Questions: CarlaRaeArneson.com/AskCarlaRae
As I mentioned last week, one of our most popular episodes of all time on Life Made Simple, is episode #5: Top Organizing Strategies and Secrets Revealed. Not only is it one of the most downloaded episodes that we have, but it's also an episode that I continue to get numerous messages about from our listeners.
In that episode I go into detail about my 5 Steps to Organizing Your Home. Here's a quick review...
- Consolidate all like items.
- Sort them by category.
- Purge and let go of anything you don't need or want.
- Find the best home for the items.
- Containerize by finding the best bins or containers, if needed.
Consolidate, sort, purge, find a home, and then containerize. Seems pretty straight forward right? Well, if it's that easy, then why do so many people get stuck, overwhelmed, and then end up needing help? If it were really that easy, I'd be out of a job!
There are so many reasons why most people have a hard time organizing their home. There are many reasons why people get stuck. But there is one very common reason as to why many people get stuck and overwhelmed and then need to hire a professional organizer to help them finish the project .
It's one of the main explanations as to why the end result of many organize efforts ends up being hard to successfully maintain.
It's because they organize backwards. And you just might be one of the many people who, without knowing it, organizes backwards.
In today's episode I explain what it means to organize backwards, the many reasons WHY many people organize backwards, and 3 things you can do to prevent yourself from falling into that common trap.
Don't forget, Simplicity University will be open for registration this spring! If you want to get on our mailing list to get info about our new courses and workshops that will soon be offered through Simplicity University, just send a text to 44222 with the word SIMPLICITYU.
Or you can just go to SimplicityU.com for more information.
Links Mentioned in this Show:
Episode #5: Top Organizing Strategies & Tips Revealed!
Share this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode65
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Simplicity University: SimplicityU.com
Free Download: "5 Steps to Organizing Your Home"
Or send a text to 44222 with the word ORGANIZE
Website: CarlaRaeArneson.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/CarlaRaeArneson
Submit Questions: CarlaRaeArneson.com/AskCarlaRae
