Simplify Your Life: Get Organized and Stay That Way (Simplify Series) - Softcover

Ramsland, Marcia

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0849944422 ISBN 13: 9780849944420

Verlag: Thomas Nelson, 2003

Inhaltsangabe

Is it really possible to simplify your life? The answer is a resounding "yes," if you  know the necessary steps to unclutter your life and lifestyle. Get the inside scoop from professional organizer Marcia Ramsland and begin to solve your life management issues like a pro. With fast-paced, step-by-step instructions, Marcia walks you through refreshing new ways to manage your daily schedule, your life at home and at work, and special seasons of your life such as parenting, the holidays, and transitions.

Simplify Your Life reveals do-able tips and practical systems using Marcia's trademark "PuSH" Sequence?an acronym for Project, you (the key component), System, Habit?which not only gets you organized but help you stay that way. Tips include how to:

• Create the illusion of a clean home in just minutes each day
• Predict a pending time crunch . . . and sail through it
• Dissolve any paper pile by answering three key questions
• Power through projects you never get around to
• Learn how to put things back together when everything falls apart

Offering practical solutions designed to change your life immediately, this simplified style of living gives you and your loved ones more time to do the things you really enjoy?starting today.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Marcia Ramsland, well known as The Organizing Pro for her practical skills and tips to manage busy lives, has been a professional organizer since 1985. She is a highly sought-after speaker and personal consultant, appears on TV and radio, and has tips in national magazines. The author of Simplify Your Lifeand Simplify Your Time, Marcia just recently reorganized the spaces in her home by relocating from San Diego to Dallas.

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Simplify your life

Get Organized and Stay That Way!By MARCIA RAMSLAND

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2007 Marcia Ramsland
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-8499-4442-0

Contents

Foreword.................................................................ixIntroduction.............................................................xi1. Simplifying Is a Personal Journey.....................................1section one: Simplify Your Time2. Simplify Your Weekly Calendar.........................................153. Simplify Your Daily Schedule..........................................274. Simplify Your Personal Organizing Center..............................405. Simply Have a Great Day!..............................................52section two: Simplify Your Systems6. The First System: Maximize Mealtimes..................................697. The Second System: Lighten Up Laundry and Closets.....................818. The Third System: Conquer Cleaning and Clutter........................939. The Fourth System: Power Through Projects.............................106section three: Simplify Special Seasons of Life10. Simplify Your Worklife...............................................12111. Simplify Your Parenting..............................................13612. Simplify the Holidays................................................14813. Simplify Your Transitions............................................16314. Simply Put-You Can Do This!..........................................179About the Author.........................................................183Acknowledgments..........................................................185Resources................................................................187Reference Terms..........................................................189

Chapter One

Simplifying Is a Personal Journey Most people spend more time planning their vacation, a remodeling project, or their wedding than they spend planning their lives. -DR. Denis Waitley author and motivational speaker

Ah, I hear the sound of waves gently rolling onto the shore. The sun warms my face, and my toes wiggle in the sand. For now my novel lies on my lap. And all I have to do is occupy myself until dinner is served. I can do whatever I want. I am living the simplified life ... I'm on vacation.

Is vacation the only place to enjoy a simplified life? Yes and no. To simplify life the rest of the year is to create that same vacation feeling-relaxation, enjoyment, and ease.

But not every vacation turns out to be that relaxing, as you know. It takes dreaming, planning, and action. And so does simplifying your life.

Simplifying your life is a journey you choose to take. To do things you enjoy, you must find the time to do them. To make your life easier, you must find better ways of doing things. To spend time with people you value, you must say good-bye to a jam-packed schedule.

Simplified living includes everything about you and welcomes your personal style of getting things done. Like a vacation, this journey is shaped by who you are and what you like to do. It recognizes personal habits you practice, such as how much time it takes to get dressed in the morning, when you read the mail, and if and how you relax in the evenings. It is all about you and what you do every day.

Can You Simplify Your Life?

There are two very good questions to ask yourself if you want to simplify your life any more than it is. The first one is this: "How much of my life do I actually control?" If you recognize what you can control, you have opportunities to modify it for a better life.

The second question to ask is, "Am I willing to make any changes in my life?" Put quite simply, if you are willing to change, you can. If you don't want to change, you won't. It's all up to you.

Where Are We Going?

This book is meant to help you on your journey of life. Instead of being a how-to resource pointing you toward your destination, it is a journey with a chauffeur to keep you company on the way. As your chauffeur, I will drive you from complex to simple, from busy to calm. As a professional organizer who learned things the hard way before developing a track record of helping thousands of clients and audience participants across the country, I will share tips on how to do things differently. (And if you missed my story in the introduction, you might be interested in reading it now.)

Any day is a great day to begin simplifying your life. Let's get started.

A Desire to Conquer the World

One summer when my three children were home from school, I determined to simplify my life by getting the house back into shape. With great resolve, I wrote a detailed to-do list that would conquer the world-or at least every basket of laundry, home improvement project, and cluttered nook and cranny in the house. Then the phone rang. My neighbor was on the line. "We're going over to our country club to swim for the day," she said. "Would you and your kids like to join us?"

Invitations like this didn't come very often. I drooled over the thought of sipping cold ice tea poolside and enjoying some meaningful adult conversation while my children splashed in a beautiful pool. But how would I ever get my house in shape?

On this particular day, I decided to go with the flow and take the kids swimming. I recognized that balancing people and tasks wasn't going to be an easy job, no matter how determined I was on a given day. But I also discovered there were ways to get things done ahead of time, leaving me a greater opportunity to develop rich relationships and do enjoyable activities along the way.

What Is Getting Organized and Simplifying Your Life?

Women know that "getting organized" is a great way to save time and avoid stress. But a desire to get there is often hindered by pressing duties and deadlines. Who really has time to get organized? After all, if we stopped everything we're doing to get organized, wouldn't that put us further behind? Not if you include simplifying your life as part of your plans.

Getting organized is like swatting mosquitoes on a summer day. You know the little creatures are bothering you, but their buzzing around never gets so bad that you have to stop what you are doing. When I hear someone say, "I've got to get organized," however, I know she is stressed and serious about changing. It's like a swarm of annoying mosquitoes has finally gotten to her, and she is ready to do something about it.

If too many bugs are buzzing around your ears, you can get organized in one of two ways:

Organize and simplify "as you go" each day. For instance, straighten up the kitchen each night plus clean out one refrigerator shelf. In less than a week the whole refrigerator will be done.

Set aside time to accomplish a bigger project. When something like reorganizing a closet means you have to pull things apart, schedule a half day to get the whole project done.

Simplifying your life is all about recognizing your problem areas and deciding which organizing system to use. Organizing is one of the things you do to simplify. Simplifying is the way to enjoy the manageable lifestyle you have organized at a reasonable pace. Do it as you go, or focus your efforts on one project at a time.

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Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Thomas Nelson
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2003
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0849944422
• ISBN 13: 9780849944420
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 208
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: gpsr@libri.de; gpsr@libri.de; ; Friedensallee 273; Hamburg; 22763; Deutschland