Welcome to November! As I looked around my room and contemplated what to write about this month, I noticed two items that were basically screaming a theme at me.
The irony is not lost on me that both of these items do not actually simplify things at all. The decorative pillow serves no purpose at all except to look nice, and reminds me to ‘simplify’ things as I continue to complicate making my bed by taking it on and off my bed each day. The circle sign is part of a set of three signs that look really nice, but were in fact not ‘simple’ to put up in an aesthetically pleasing way.
However, they do inspire me regularly to consider ways to simplify my life. Here are three ways you can make a difference and simplify things right now.
1. Implement a new system
Is there something in your home that is causing you stress or chaos, that you could simplify by implementing a new system.? For example, do you regularly lose your keys? Is every morning stressful because nobody knows what to pack for school lunches? Do you dread coming home because you don’t know what to make for supper? Choose one thing and put in place a new system. Systems work when they are simple, easy to do and you make it part of routine every day. If you always lose your keys, start putting them in the same place every time. If you need to simplify lunches, start repeating things so you don’t have to keep thinking of new things, kids often don’t need as much variety as we think. If you never seem to know what to eat for the evening meal, start a ritual of planning the week’s meal on a meal planning template every Sunday. Whatever it is, pick one simple thing that causes you stress and simplify it.
2. Prepare for the next day the night before
It takes minimal time and effort to do a few things to prepare for the next day the night before, and can make a world of difference in the chaos of the morning. One thing I do is get out my whole outfit, right down to the shoes. This avoids situations such as trying to find the matching shoe when you are rushing to get out the door, or trying to figure out what would look good together while you are trying to find clean underpants for your child. Give it a go, you might be surprised by the impact such a simple change can have.
3. Help your kids do something new-without you!
There is nothing more efficient than having everyone in the family complete tasks at their level that contribute to a common goal, such as getting out the door in the morning. Usually it doesn’t come together quite as planned, but one step you can take to simplify your life, is to take something off of your plate, and put it on to your children’s plate. Often, we don’t notice that they are ready to do something independently and continue to do it for them long after we need to. So, consider something that your child might be able to do without your help, teach/guide them through how to do it, and then make it an expectation. Something we are working on right now is everyone unpacking their lunch kits and putting their backpacks away as soon as we get home. This avoids stinky lunch kits in the morning and a mountain of backpacks in the doorway for the next unsuspecting entrant at the door to trip over.
There you have it folks, three ways you might choose to simplify right now. I’d love to hear your ideas of how you simplify things, comment below or share with the community here.
Until next month, remember to be someone’s wing-person and to reach out to your own wing-people when you need them. Happy parenting.
The Mom Wing-Woman