My Happier 2017: January Resolutions

      Thoughts of decluttering and organizing turn me into the heart eye emoji. I've always preferred order and neatness. It began in second grade. Mrs. Nowell gave an award to the student with the most organized and tidy cubby each week. I got the award a few times, and I was hooked. I'm the kid who looked forward to going back to school because it meant new supplies. I enjoy cleaning out attics. Most people think I'm super weird because of it.

     I'm sad to report that simply appreciating clean and organized spaces doesn't mean I always have clean and organized spaces. I talked about how I read The Happiness Project  by Gretchen Rubin in June 2015 in my last post. (Read it here) This time around I am doing a full Happiness Project for 2017. Since it is my first month, I am following closely to the resolutions that Rubin offers in the book. She outlines the importance of getting enough sleep, working out, doing what you know you need to do, having an energetic attitude, and creating clean and comfortable spaces. I view it as a clean slate, get back to the basics type of thinking to prep for the rest of the months' resolutions.

      I thought through the list. I didn't need to change my sleeping habits. I am in bed by 10 and asleep by 10:30. I needed to be more consistent running. I was sporadic and not making solid progress because of it. The house is small, but there are still areas I have been reluctant to touch. In my thinking I discovered maybe it is not the house being unorganized. It might be that I do not stick to a plan that keeps it organized. Example- I have the plastic Tupperware all stacked up and easily accessible. Why do I just put it back in the cabinet all out of whack and barely stacked up? Or the pantry. I have it all separated and organized, but when I put things away after cooking I don't put it back where it goes. After weeks of tiny things like that, it starts to drive me nuts that I can't find things or the Tupperware falls on my head when I am trying to make my lunch. 

      I tell my kids that need help with study skills that organization is about routine and consistency. Find a way that works for you (routine) and do it like that every single time (consistency). It helps them with their lockers and backpacks, but I can't seem to implement in my own life.

         The next idea is taking care of tasks that you've been putting off. OMG I am the worst about this. I am not proud of that. I am so bad about putting something on a to do list and leaving it there. It it is not urgent, it is less likely to get done. Two weeks later it becomes urgent and I'm scrambling. I absolutely need to get a handle on that in January. The last one is to act with more energy. I felt like I had somewhat of a handle on this one. In my job, I have to get my energy up when a student needs help. I can't be in a bad mood during parent teacher conferences. I need to be approachable and warm. If I'm having an off day I either reboot by myself in my office, confide in a friend and keep going, or wait until I get home. My kids deserve my best, so I try to keep my energy consistent.

With all of that in mind I made my January resolutions! 

1. Make the "I've been putting this off too long" list and DO THEM ALL. 

2. Run at least three afternoons a week. 

3. Declutter and organize the entire house and my car. 

4. Tidy each night for no longer than 10 minutes. 

      Last week I worked on number 1. Close our account with a cable provider and send it all back. DONE. 2. Update paperwork for my student loan. DONE. 3. Mail things back to friends. DONE. 4. Close our account with the bank we used before we moved. DONE. 5. Switch our car tags- in the process. That one turned out to be a multi step item. There were a few more smaller things on that list, too. MAN DID IT FEEL GOOD to get that all completed. There are four more things I need to to do this week to throw the list away, but I don't even mind anymore because I know how great it will feel when it is all done!


      I've been working on number 3 this weekend. UAM (the college where my husband coaches) had an official high school recruiting visit this weekend. So Saturday he was gone all day for that. It was prime time clean and declutter time. I figured if Gretchen Rubin took a day to declutter then I could too without feeling like I was missing out on a Saturday. I was going off the energy I had leftover from helping my mom and dad clean out a side attack last weekend. I wanted my pantry, laundry, and kitchen to have that rejuvenating feeling that the attic had. It looks so good. I started early on Saturday morning and didn't stop until it was done. I cleared off the countertops and deep cleaned everything. I threw away the outdated food in the pantry and the fridge. I reorganized the cabinets. I categorized the items in the pantry and fridge. I made a "to buy" list for organizational items as I went. Once I was at a stopping point, I went to the store and got what I needed right away. I wanted to start the project and finish it in the same day. I'm so glad I did. Now my goal is to keep it like this!

I added these curtains so I could close off the laundry room if I needed to. They also add more color while hiding the appliances. 

I got creative with a paper towel rack. In a small home with little storage options, you have to get creative! I am also excited about that blue storage box you see on the shelf. I bake quite often. It's one of my favorite hobbies. I didn't like storing all of my baking ingredients on the pantry shelves because 1. they took up so much space and 2. I wanted them easily accessible. This little box has solved both of those problems. Just tonight my husband asked if I could bake up some goodies. I grabbed the box and whipped up some chocolate chip cookies. I am extremely thrilled with this organization hack. 

Dog food container. It keeps the food more fresh and it conveniently sits on the dryer.
Love it.
Cabinet basket. Snack holder now! Grab and go almonds and granola bars!
I never used the extra large cereal container, so I took the top off, and now that is where the aluminum foil, cling wrap, and wax paper will live.
I put all the breads and grains in the top right corner. The cooking basics like olive oil, garlic, cooking spray, balsamic vinegar, etc. in the bottom left. The sides and other random ingredients are on the rest of the bottom shelf. 





I hope you have been inspired to do some task or project you've been dreading. Once again, my four January resolutions are:
1. Make the "I've been putting this off too long" list and DO THEM ALL
2. Run at least three afternoons a week
3. Declutter and organize my entire house and car.
4. Tidy each night for no longer than 10 minutes.

I'm right in the middle of January's Happier 2017! I hope you have a happy moment this week! Until next time!

From the middle with love,

Mere 

The Realities of Poor Time Management and What I'm Doing About It

Ummmmm....HI EVERYONE. Yeah, it's been a hot minute. BUT in all my time off I've had some serious talks with myself and I can tell you why I haven't been blogging.

Reason #1- My husband's computer bit the dust. It's a little hard to blog when you don't have a computer. 

Reason #2- I've been extra restful and mindful since October. March through September finally caught up to me. The whirlwind of starting a new job, moving away from family, and the demands of football season blindsided me in a major way. Long story short, things got quiet in social world.

Reason #3. I'm busy. Everyone say a mental "UGH", and keep going.

Reason #4  Last but not least, and the reason this post is being written, I'm just NOT managing my time with purpose since I graduated from my Masters in May. I thought that when I graduated I would have so much more time and energy to use towards hobbies and activities that I enjoyed. I wasn't wrong about having more time. However, I was wrong about how hard it is to use my extra time with direction and intention. 

I wanted to do something with those hours! Write a song, cook a good dinner, Facetime with friends or family, try yoga, give myself a pedicure, read a new book, etc....You'd think I could just do those things, but many nights I put Netflix on and chilled a few hours away.

Now don't get me wrong on this chill thing. I am ALL for an occasional visit with my best friends Lorelai and Rory. And some nights there's nothing better than Sonic Cheddar Peppers. Occasional had become my typical, and that equals problem. I noticed that I was missing opportunities and moments during the week. I wasn't pushing myself to do the things I knew would make me happy. 

I'm a firm believer that many problems have solutions. (Shout out to SFBT!) My solution to not blogging for four months is to catch up on what my school counseling program has been up to. I may have been slow to start with hobbies and extra time, but my first semester as a school counselor was AMAZING and PRODUCTIVE. I have to write about it all. It's just a must. 

My solution to taking my time back from the chillax monster is outlining and implementing the changes I want to make in my life. I thought and thought of how I might organize that daunting task. It hit me over Christmas break what I needed to do. I'm rereading the book The Happiness Project by Gretchen Ruben. I read it in June 2015, but I didn't start my own project. I picked bits and pieces of the monthly concepts to try. But NOW I loooooovvveeee the idea of diving into a more detailed and intentional happiness project. Are you asking what a happiness project is? Check it out here. 

So that's what I'm up to! I'm in the middle of managing my time and energy in order to be more purposeful. 

What are you in the middle of right now? I'd love to hear from you! I've missed you guys. :) 

Until next time!

From the middle with love, 

Mere