I dream of getting up extremely early to get an amazing head start on my day.
I dream of waking up to a clean kitchen so that I can start my day with a smile.
I dream of waking up to a clean bathroom so that I can start my day with a sparkle.
I dream of waking up to the washing machine on with a full load of clothes in it.
Guess what?
Today my dream came true.
I was lucky enough to stumble on an ebook called "Secret Confessions of a Neat Freak" and ecourse - "Whole Life Overhaul" by Carole Pagan last week.
To be honest, I haven't even been following the course or read the entire ebook yet. But through skimming I have already found a few gold nuggets that have made a huge change in the way I've been doing things.
It even works beautifully with my BOOST Circuit, making it even easier.
The first nugget is to make having the dishes done/counters wipe a non negotiable every night by bedtime.
That seems to be the general concensus of every "clean freak" I have ever known, and it really does change things. The first few nights I found myself propping my eyelids open to finish up before I went to bed. Guess What? Now I make sure they are done after supper, or at least early evening. It's already becomong a habit.
She also spoke of wiping down the bathroom as well. I thought - no way - dishes at bedtime is enough for me. But Guess What? After I started getting the dishes finished earlier, I had time to give the bathroom a quick wipe. It takes less than 5 minutes. The bathroom looks great. And it gives me another BOOST so that when I am in there during my cleaning time, I can do other things like pick up clutter that seems to collect there.
And, for the first time I tried out the timer feature on my washing machine. If you are lucky enough to have one, I highly recommend it! What a great feeling to get up in the morning to the washer washing and I didn't have to groggily touch a thing!
And it's done in plenty of time to dry if the kids are out of something too.
It kind of makes you WANT to get up in the morning!
If you are tired of buying books that you don't use, check out either one, I recommend both of them.
They are full of practical information, written by a real, live, Clean Freak.
Now we can find out the real, inside secrets to how they do it, which I have personally always wondered about!
And Guess What. It really is as easy as they make it look.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Use The Time Change to Your BIG Advantage
Do you want to know an easy way to get a whole extra hour of quality work time every morning?
Tonight when it is time to set the clock back, leave your alarm clock as it is.
Prepare by finishing your evening chores a little early, maybe allow for a nap tomorrow.
Use that time for your most pressing and results oriented project and watch the results pour in after using this bonus hour for a week.
Try it! You'll like it!
You can read more about in my WAHM Time Tips Ezine
Don't forget to subscribe for even more WAHM Time Tips.
Tonight when it is time to set the clock back, leave your alarm clock as it is.
Prepare by finishing your evening chores a little early, maybe allow for a nap tomorrow.
Use that time for your most pressing and results oriented project and watch the results pour in after using this bonus hour for a week.
Try it! You'll like it!
You can read more about in my WAHM Time Tips Ezine
Don't forget to subscribe for even more WAHM Time Tips.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
What About Sunday?
In the last post, I mentioned Saturday and how fresh I feel on Mondays - but I didn't mention Sundays. Sunday also has an important place in the "grand scheme of things".
Sunday is for meal planning and kitchen organization - cupboards, fridge etc if they need it. Sometimes is for make ahead mixes, freezer stuff - that kind of thing.
Sunday is my true 'Set Myself Up" for the week day. Saturday is catch up, Sunday is LEAP Ahead day.
This is a true gift when Monday comes along. If I don't do this on the weekend -not only do I feel that there wasn't a weekend - but I often have to spend Monday doing the catch up and then the rest of the week running because I had no LEAP day to keep me ahead of things like meals for the week.
There is nothing like thinking ahead (and doing) to Set Yourself Up for Success! And this is fun and allows you to spend time doing good things for your family, and being a family.
Speaking of, another thing that Sundays are good for are family meetings.
They can go a long way in getting the help you need to do your own thing!
Sunday is for meal planning and kitchen organization - cupboards, fridge etc if they need it. Sometimes is for make ahead mixes, freezer stuff - that kind of thing.
Sunday is my true 'Set Myself Up" for the week day. Saturday is catch up, Sunday is LEAP Ahead day.
This is a true gift when Monday comes along. If I don't do this on the weekend -not only do I feel that there wasn't a weekend - but I often have to spend Monday doing the catch up and then the rest of the week running because I had no LEAP day to keep me ahead of things like meals for the week.
There is nothing like thinking ahead (and doing) to Set Yourself Up for Success! And this is fun and allows you to spend time doing good things for your family, and being a family.
Speaking of, another thing that Sundays are good for are family meetings.
They can go a long way in getting the help you need to do your own thing!
It's Saturday, Another Homey Day
I like to breathe on Saturdays and dedicate the day to puttering around the house. It's the day that I focus on catching up on anything that's gotten out of hand or jobs that I just can't get to through the week.
Not to say that every Saturday is a blank slate, there are still lots of distractions and many times obligations that take much of the day. But in the time that I do have, I don't try to spend time on the computer, pack orders or think about work.
I like to set myself for the week ahead by organizing and spending the day concentrating on the "Home Base" (that seems to be a missing equation in the term "Home Based Business", or home truly is our work base and it needs attention to!)
Do you have a day that you can set aside just to be "homey"? It does wonders for stress relief as well, it's a day that I truly feel "at home". Be in the moment, one moment at a time.
Try it! You'll like the fresh feeling you'll have on Monday!
Not to say that every Saturday is a blank slate, there are still lots of distractions and many times obligations that take much of the day. But in the time that I do have, I don't try to spend time on the computer, pack orders or think about work.
I like to set myself for the week ahead by organizing and spending the day concentrating on the "Home Base" (that seems to be a missing equation in the term "Home Based Business", or home truly is our work base and it needs attention to!)
Do you have a day that you can set aside just to be "homey"? It does wonders for stress relief as well, it's a day that I truly feel "at home". Be in the moment, one moment at a time.
Try it! You'll like the fresh feeling you'll have on Monday!
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Strange Euphoria
I ask myself some mornings what is the best way to get motivated to do my daily BOOST Circuit instead of hopping right to the fun stuff at work.
What it comes down to is connecting with the deep feeling of gratitude for everything that I have, and the knowing that if I take care of it, it is even better, by a long shot. Remembering just what I am doing everything else for.
So when the kids go out the door for school, a feeling of deep peace comes over me. Not just because of the obvious!
I look around me and really see everything that I have to be grateful for. I have a home to clean. I have kids to look after. I have lots of things that I enjoy and admire, like a dishwasher (the best investment I have ever made)
I reflect on the fact that this won't always be so. So I want to enjoy it to the fullest today.
And that starts by taking the time to keep it nice.
So I'm off to do my BOOST Circuit - along with an MP3 audio, a timer and a smile. It really does give me a boost for the whole day!
What it comes down to is connecting with the deep feeling of gratitude for everything that I have, and the knowing that if I take care of it, it is even better, by a long shot. Remembering just what I am doing everything else for.
So when the kids go out the door for school, a feeling of deep peace comes over me. Not just because of the obvious!
I look around me and really see everything that I have to be grateful for. I have a home to clean. I have kids to look after. I have lots of things that I enjoy and admire, like a dishwasher (the best investment I have ever made)
I reflect on the fact that this won't always be so. So I want to enjoy it to the fullest today.
And that starts by taking the time to keep it nice.
So I'm off to do my BOOST Circuit - along with an MP3 audio, a timer and a smile. It really does give me a boost for the whole day!
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Take a Day To Be a Mom - it's not as easy as it looks!
Upon looking around and feeling stressed because things around the house and some paperwork was getting out of hand, I decided to take the day to "just be a mom".
It took me back to the days when that was "all" I was, the days before my home business took over most of my days and competed relentlessly for my time and attention.
Hectic as they where, I look back on those days as the best of my life, at no time has my life ever been so full of love and adoration, both for my kids... and from my kids. There is no better feeling.
So... Having made the great decision to tie up a few loose ends and spend the rest of the day basking in hominess, enjoying my circuit and getting up to speed on a few things that where lagging, I immediately, before I even had time to write this post, received an email that I had been waiting for.
I deliberated on putting it to the side, but find myself working on it! I can't seem to help myself.
The clock is ticking and I am once again wondering if I am going to get "the day" or not.
Hmmm.... the life of a work at home mom... nothing is cut and dried.
Work/Home, Work/Home, the saga continues :0)
post script: The Good News - The good news is that either way I am having a great day! Hope you are too. The important thing is to do what is important, be it work or home. What's nagging you today? Is there a niggling chore that you have been putting off in favour of checking your email or surfing the web? If so, get to it. You'll feel great! And don't stop there! Use that euphoric feeling to keep you "up" for the next one!
It took me back to the days when that was "all" I was, the days before my home business took over most of my days and competed relentlessly for my time and attention.
Hectic as they where, I look back on those days as the best of my life, at no time has my life ever been so full of love and adoration, both for my kids... and from my kids. There is no better feeling.
So... Having made the great decision to tie up a few loose ends and spend the rest of the day basking in hominess, enjoying my circuit and getting up to speed on a few things that where lagging, I immediately, before I even had time to write this post, received an email that I had been waiting for.
I deliberated on putting it to the side, but find myself working on it! I can't seem to help myself.
The clock is ticking and I am once again wondering if I am going to get "the day" or not.
Hmmm.... the life of a work at home mom... nothing is cut and dried.
Work/Home, Work/Home, the saga continues :0)
post script: The Good News - The good news is that either way I am having a great day! Hope you are too. The important thing is to do what is important, be it work or home. What's nagging you today? Is there a niggling chore that you have been putting off in favour of checking your email or surfing the web? If so, get to it. You'll feel great! And don't stop there! Use that euphoric feeling to keep you "up" for the next one!
Friday, October 13, 2006
Help Me
This morning the kids are home because the roads are icy. Usually I feed my daughter's puppy in the morning. Since she was home we where looking throught the Regal catalogue for Christmas ideas and I said, when we are finished looking at this, you can help me feed the puppy.
Then it occured to me that it is as easy as that.
Including the kids as a natural step while you are doing something is very powerful. It not only increases your manpower, although while they are young it isn't necessarily faster, it teaches them how so that they will be conditioned and able to do it themselves. And enjoy it, it is a time to spend true quality time. The trick is to do the task with them, they love to have the time and attention from you as well, that in itself will pay dividends in their future, and yours.
This concept is huge. What ever their age, if you are not doing it now, make it a point to "do it with them instead of for them".
Action Tip: Focus and try it this week and see what happens. Write it down on a sticky note and put it where you will see it often to remind yourself.
Then it occured to me that it is as easy as that.
Including the kids as a natural step while you are doing something is very powerful. It not only increases your manpower, although while they are young it isn't necessarily faster, it teaches them how so that they will be conditioned and able to do it themselves. And enjoy it, it is a time to spend true quality time. The trick is to do the task with them, they love to have the time and attention from you as well, that in itself will pay dividends in their future, and yours.
This concept is huge. What ever their age, if you are not doing it now, make it a point to "do it with them instead of for them".
Action Tip: Focus and try it this week and see what happens. Write it down on a sticky note and put it where you will see it often to remind yourself.
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