The Year to Simplify

This post is a nod to "helping myself help myself," So bear with me.

My life is kind of crazy.

I have a lot going on in my life right now and even MORE going on in this crazy head of mine.

When I get overwhelmed I get stuck in this paralized state and then NOTHING gets done. It's really rather pathetic. It's one of the things that I really dislike about myself. It gets on my nerves and it's GOT to stop.

This year instead of creating more problems for myself I'm going to SIMPLIFY. I don't think my nerves can handle another hectic year.

So what does it MEAN to simplify?

Well for me there are few things that I will strive to do in order to minimize stress and worry and maximize productivity and satisfaction.

1. Seek the Lord first.

It's simple really. Instead of finding my worth in worldly things I MUST continually find my worth and satisfaction in the Lord alone. He is my delight, my safe harbor, my identity. If I can remember that first, I won't be disappointed or discontent when other things in life don't go as I plan.

2. Pick up after myself.

To many of you this is a very simple concept. To me? It's my worst nightmare. My brain JUST DOESN'T work that way. But when things are put away where they are supposed to be, I will spend much less time stressing and rushing and more time being productive.

For example. THIS is what happens when I can't find the shirt I am looking for.

This is how the closet looks now. It's amazing. I can actually FIND what I'm looking for. It's looked like this for almost 2 weeks now and I need you all to hold me accountable for the rest of the year (and my life).

3. Menu Planning

I currently DO this, I just want to get better at it. More on this later.

4. Grocery shop with Matt over lunch or in the evenings.

HOLY COW! This has already CHANGED my life. I hate grocery shopping (if you've read my blog for awhile- you'll know this about me). I hate grocery shopping even more with a 9 month old in tow. Ruby is a good girl- it's not that she screams and throws fits- it's just that everything takes 4x's longer. AND it's physically taxing. So I met Matt over his lunch hour a the grocery store. We split up and conquered. I was completely done (2 stores mind you) in under an hour.

5. The IPhone

I was adamantly against the smart phone for a really long time. I liked the idea of being unreachable. But THEN my business grew beyond my wildest dreams and I REALLY needed to stay on top of client emails. NOW I can check emails and answer them in seconds. Plus, it's a tax write off:) The calendar functions perfectly too. It keeps me organized and on top of everything.

So there you have it. These are the ways that I'm gong to simplify this year. HOWEVER, I am open to suggestions. What are YOU doing to simplify your life in 2011?