Enough – my word of the year for 2019

Enough - my guiding word for 2019

One thing I’ve learnt from letting myself slow down is that it’s easier when you have boundaries that force you to prioritise. With this in mind, I’ve chosen “enough” as my guiding word of the year.

I’ll ask myself, “What is enough?” to help me frame what’s in and what’s out in all areas of my life.

Last year, I started using enough lists to simplify tasks and projects. I find them to be a tangible and practical tool for intentional living. I want to apply the same principle to all aspects of my life.

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For me, right now: December 2018

What I've been doing, reading, listening to, making and thinking about in December #slowliving
December – such a contradiction – hectic pre-Christmas and then super chilled out post-Christmas. This is all clearly post-Christmas! Pictures are mostly in and around my parents property.

Looking back, 2018 turned out a lot differently than I expected. This time last year, I had just completed my first freelance project. From there, the work snowballed and I’ve had as much work as I’ve wanted. Sometimes more.

It’s been a great test for my slow-not-lazy approach. I went from working 10 hours per week to 30 and the wheels didn’t fall off. All year, I was nervous about taking on too much, scared I’d end up back on the hamster wheel – endless rushing, getting nowhere. There were occasional blips of busyness, but, for the most part, I remained calm and had time to enjoy life.

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For me, right now: November 2018

For new, right now: November 2018 - What I've been doing, reading, listening to, making and thinking about
It’s the season for everything to happen at once – even rainbows

Wow, we’ve reached the end of November. I can’t say this is my favourite time of the year. As we move into December, everything happens at once, plus I do a lot more shopping than usual.

A year or two ago, we simplified our household finances. We now have two joint bank accounts – one for day-to-day transactions and one for savings. We have debit cards hooked up to the transaction account. It works well, but theee’s one downside to this simple set-up that comes into focus at this time of year – it’s hard to buy a present and keep it a surprise, especially if you buy online!

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Three steps to simplify any activity

Three steps to simplify any activity

My not-so-little-any-more boy recently turned six. We had a party to celebrate. He wanted a big party, if he’d had his way he’d have invited every kid he knows. We compromised on 22.

I’m not going to lie, the prospect of hosting 22 three- to eight-year-olds was daunting! Plus, the timing was fairly awful. Both my husband and I were going to be away (separately) in the lead up to the party and I had a massive work deadline the day before. It could have been a perfect storm of my own making. The kind of thing you avoid if your goal is to banish busyness from your life .

What was I thinking?

I was thinking, “I’ve got this”. Because I knew I did. Over the years of adopting a slow not lazy approach to life , I’ve learnt tips and tricks that help me to cut through the chaos and avoid feeling overwhelmed. I marshalled them all into action to enjoy the birthday party.

Essentially, it comes down to an easy, three step process that you can use to simplify any activity.

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For me, right now: October 2018

Looking back over October, the first half of the month was all about the school holidays.

By a stroke of luck, work schedules aligned so I was able to give myself most of the two weeks off. My days together with Mr 6 reflected my slow not lazy approach.

There was a lot of hanging about at home …

Lots of fun hanging about at home in the October school holidays
Lots of fun hanging about at home in the October school holidays

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Three easy ways to kick-start your decluttering

3 easy ways to kickstart your decluttering

Have you got too much stuff? Do you want to free up some much-needed space and create a sense of calm, but have trouble getting started?

You’re not alone. The thought of sorting through all your junk can be pretty overwhelming. It’s hard to decide where to begin and it’s easy to put it off.

To help get you started, here are three easy ways to overcome common barriers to decluttering.

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For me, right now: September 2018

Summer is on the way. I can tell because I want to scratch my eyes out from all the pollen around at the moment. I’m pretty excited that the days are getting longer and I’m looking forward to getting back into regular evening walks.

For me, right now: September 2018. A round-up of what I've been doing, reading, listening to, making and thinking about this month.
Climbing up to get a first glimpse of your birthday cake

September marks one year since my son started school. The time’s flown by, well apart from the first day. That first day seemed like the longest day of my life. Waiting and waiting to pick him up and find out how it went. I climbed up a bank so I could sneak a peek through his classroom window. I still love it when I arrive early for pick up and get to watch him doing his thing when he doesn’t know I’m there.

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