31 Days to a Happier Life - Day 4

I'm kinda impressed that I have make it to Day 4 (a little late, but I made it none-the-less)! Woot!! Okay, a little bit premature, I guess, for any celebration. Or not!!

By celebrating small victories we boost our confidence to be able to tackle the bigger challenges.

I have finally finished painting my closet. My hands are barely functioning. My back is permanently bent. I'm so tired (I also have two sick kids, and an anxiety-ridden husband, but that's all for a different post) but I did it! And it looks AWESOME!

Next up is the floor, then the dreaded clothing declutter, aka dump, aka less stuff more quality, aka get-it-out-of-the-bedroom!! I am not good at decluttering my closet - too sentimental. I'm okay at getting rid of the items I don't wear, outdated stuff, etc, but then my closet is full of sentimental items that I never wear but cannot get rid of! And I still have nothing to wear!!! So I need a better solution - a smarter storage answer for this dilemma. I also want more room in my closet so it doesn't look like I have crammed everything-and-my-grandma in there. I want it where you can go in there and breathe and relax AND find something to wear. Sounds doable, right? It.is.just.a.closet. OK :) I can breathe now.

Closet Makeover Before and After

So when I am in the middle of a project like this everything else pretty much flies out the proverbial mind window. I'm so lucky I remembered to put something out for dinner this morning, otherwise it would have been toast for us. And by toast, I mean actual toast! So how can I control my head, my days, my house and my life? With LISTS!

We have already established our long-term and short-term goal lists, now we need to implement them and all our everyday chores into a Daily Goal List. At the beginning of the week print out 5, or 7 pages and keep them all together. Each night you will write out your list for the next day - listing three daily goals - the main important things you need to accomplish that next day. Get a clipboard, hang it up where it is easy to see and access. Refer to it all day, everyday.

Being organized and not missing anything makes me happy!

P.S. I'm going to try to figure out a good program to use to do a Daily Goal Schedule printable - this may take me awhile!! Or I may just freehand it and scan it in...mmmm...stay tuned :)

 
Solutions - great tips for closet storage solutions.

Art - I'm so excited - I ordered this beautiful print for my closet.

Goal Chart - found this lovely goal chart/daily planner - worth starting with until I figure out my perfect solution.

31 Days to a Happier Life - Day 3

31 Days to a Happier Life is already having an impact on me!

Yesterday I wrote about goal setting and how it is helpful to have a series of plans or goals to work towards, whether it be short-term goals or long-term goals. Having a direction to travel in is like having a map for our life. Without one, we aimlessly move through life's obstacles never achieving our full potential.

 (JunkArtGypsyz - Etsy)

One way to start your goal-list is to look at areas of your environment or your life and identify things that bug you, or things that need improvement. Some things may be beyond our control, but I bet there are a million little things that can be changed, that would make a huge impact on your daily existence.

Some time ago I found a little social study called Tiny Habits by Dr BJ Fogg. My husband actually saw Dr BJ Fogg talk at SXSW in Austin, thought what he said was awesome, and mentioned it to me as something I might like to look into further. Basically, you sign up and follow his plan to achieve 3 goals by making them a daily habit. Each habit needs a trigger in order for you to remember to do it. For example, one of the habits I picked (I joined up for one week - the duration of one course) was to open my blinds in the morning. I picked this because it is something I normally forget to do, then lament the fact by about lunch time, wishing I had opened them earlier to let in the beautiful sunlight. My trigger to do this habit is letting our puppy out for potty first thing in the morning. So, when I get up in the morning, I let the puppy out, and while she is out I open my blinds. Done! And that makes me happy. One tiny habit is now implanted into my daily routine, and is one that has increased my happy factor. It is definitely worth checking out - Tiny Habits.

I also think that little things can tend to annoy us in more unconscious ways, showing up as anger or frustration on other areas of our life. The perfect example of this is from Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

The dripping tap is a consistent annoyance in the background, which makes it harder to pinpoint (because sometimes the everyday things are harder to see). However, it comes out in other areas (like yelling at our kids). Find these everyday annoyances and fix them! See how you life improves, how your mood becomes lighter, and how problems are more manageable.

One of my annoyances has been my closet. Actually, it both mine and my husband's closets that annoy me. The door to his closet fell off one day (while I was home alone, and it it one of those really heavy mirror doors - one screw "fell" out so I had to hold the door whilst trying to get the other screw out, and then move it out into the garage - VERY annoying!). But, back to my closet - it has always looked so unfinished and old. So with a lovely evening where both bathrooms in our house flooded from a block in our sewer line (oh the fun we had that night!!) it was the perfect excuse to fix my closet (which also flooded - yep, you're jealous. I know!! LOL!). But instead of prolonging the pain, and over-thinking the remodel, yesterday I just got in there and did it. Carpet up - check, closet cleared out - check, new trim up - check, caulking done - check, painting started (first coat) - done! I FEEL SO AWESOME!! So happy with how it looks, but most importantly, SO happy with my progress and effort. I actually got off my bum and fixed something that was bugging me. 

Now this will help bigger goals, like doing the laundry, being more organized, spending less time cleaning and more time with the kids/crafting/reading/etc. I will have a beautiful organized space that is easy to keep clean. Why? Because I know I have put the effort into making it prettier, therefore, making it a space I will like, and want to keep tidy, so it will continue to be pretty. (I have done this with my laundry room - and it works! I love my laundry room now.)

So today, in summary, is all about goal setting and how to achieve them - check out Tiny Habits, think about those little pesky things that annoy you (that may be just a really easy fix), and start to think about things you can do on a daily basis that will become a habit, making your life more enjoyable.

Now, I must get back to finishing off that closet - I will post pics soon :)


Links for closet organization and pretty inspiration:

Organization - Check out Edie's blog LifeinGrace for awesome closet organization tips

Pretty Inspiration - have a look at my pinterest board for lots of lovely inspiration.

Art - decorate your newly organized space with beautiful Art via Etsy.

Motivation

Just because we all need a little extra motivation on a Wednesday...to get over the hump!

 No more excuses!

 

Just Do It!

 

Drink More Water.

Get out and run.

And a link to a great blog I found, for some inspiration:

This post from Unconventional Kitchen - figure out WHY you want to do this, and WRITE IT DOWN.

Here are my top 5 WHYs:

1. To help stop the pain in my hip and back
2. To fit my clothes better
3. To feel better about myself
4. So I can take my kids to the pool/beach/lake AND swim with them
5. To get healthy 

Also, make a PLAN. Write down the plan you have for this week - workouts and meals. Make it easy to reference - this will make is easier to stick to!

Here is my exercise plan for this week:

Monday - Yoga (check)
Tuesday - rest day :)
Wednesday - Run, Abs
Thursday - Exercise DVD, Yoga
Friday - Walk, Legs, Exercise DVD
Saturday - Exercise DVD, Arms
Sunday - Walk, Yoga

We will see how I go. Ahhh....positive thoughts, positive projection!

Good Luck!!