Tag: a simplified life

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Fun Ways to Organize

Goal Setting

Hey guys! Happy Wednesday.

As we make our way through September, I always feel a sense of nostalgia of back to school and being back in the classroom. As much as I love my job, I sometimes do miss being in the classroom and being a student, but it’s all a part about growing up.

I’m a big believer in setting goals and to-do lists. Even as I write this post, I have a to list of things I want to get done while I’m in work. 

I found it helpful to write out things I want to accomplish whether they are big or small. Plus, there’s always a sense of satisfaction when it comes to marking things off a list and seeing hard work pay off. 

Here’s my tips on how to accomplish goals (big and small):

  • Write it down

I find it helpful to write down daily, weekly and monthly goals. In my planner, I always write down my goals for each day and because I have a weekly layout, I can see what things I want to accomplish across the seven days. I always use Emily Ley’s Simplified planner. This helps me stay on track for the days, but in case I don’t get something done on a Monday, I have the next day to get it done. As far as big plans goes, writing down big plans or goals on a post-it note or in a journal where you will see it, keeps it in front of your mind always. 

A look at my planner
  • Set realistic goals

I’m all about following your dreams and having the world be your oyster, but I also know that you need to work hard to get there. Here’s an example: if you want to be a performer, that can’t happen overnight. But if you take lessons, practice, perform at small venues, share your music online and on social media and network, then the dreams of being a performer could become a reality.  Dreams are possible if you set goals to get from one step to another. Dreams take years to accomplish, but if you get goals to get there then it’s possible. I love seeing how accomplishing small goals can lead to big changes. 

  • Allow your Goals to Change

It’s great to have a plan, but don’t be afraid to be flexible if your plan changes. I filled out a journal/book after I graduated college and it was called “In Five Years”, it was all about where you wanted to see yourself in 5 years. It was exciting to see what dreams and plans I had and where I saw myself in the future, but I also know that life happens and plans change. I think it’s important to set those big goals but also be open to the future and the possibilities it could hold.

I’m a very Type A, OCD person, so I’m all about staying on top of to-do list and goals. I think setting and accomplishing goals is a great way to achieve your dreams while also being realistic. 

What are your tips of accomplishing your goals?

Categories
Fabulous living

Book and Planner Review: When Less Becomes More and the 2020 Simplified Planner

Happy Wednesday! I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite ways to unwind after a busy day at work or a great way to start my day is with a good book. I am looking to make more time for reading in my day to day life. I always start my day by reading a devotional and journaling. Now, I want to start incorporating reading a bit every night to wind down. 

Last November, Emily Ley launched her third book, “When Less Becomes More”, If you have been following for a while, you know that I love Emily Ley, her planners, books, and her mission. I have really made an effort to bring simplicity into my life and it has ultimately made me more balanced, calmer, and I lead a more purposeful life with it. 

My new favorite heading into 2020

Now, onto the book review. I remember Emily sharing with her followers the process of writing her new book and I couldn’t wait to dive in. 

The whole book is about how sometimes less is more and we can be happier in life when we aren’t distracted all the time and pulled in different directions. She breaks the book down in 10 areas where we can make the choice to live simpler lives and not be stretched so thin that we aren’t living fulfilling lives. 

I started reading the book right when it came out, which coincided with my upcoming college graduation. I was at a time in my life where I was balancing classes, being very involved with school and campus, working, applying and interviewing for jobs and ultimately being spread too thin. Emily’s words about being overcommitted and not overwhelmed resonated with me. Like me, she loved everything that she was doing but felt burnt out. As I made my way through her book, I came to the realization that we have the power to make changes in our lives to lead happier and purposeful lives and that’s something I’m working on in this new stage of my life. Making time for things that matter to me and cultivating friendships and relationships that bring me only joy and allow me to grow. 

Without fearing of being too dramatic, reading Emily’s new book came at the perfect time for me and it changed my life. I strongly recommend reading this book and Emily’s other books as well. You can see my reviews of A Simplified Life here or what I learned about Grace Not Perfection here.

This year, I also decided to buy one of Emily’s signature simplified planners. I purchased this one here. When I started a new job, I wanted to start on the right foot with getting organized. What I love about the Simplified planner is that you can use it however you want, for classes, meetings, to do lists, meal planning. There are so many ways to use it. 

New 2020 Planner

I’m going to break it down for how I use I best for my schedule and life. 

I first use the month calendar for when I work, have appointments, events. I have it colored coordinated for work and personal, the same colors for the calendar on my phone. 

Full month calendar

For the day to day set up, I have what days I work, the times I work, and what things I worked on each day, then I have a to-list for each day. My days off is when I have longer to-do lists but I still like to see what I need to do every day. 

Day to day calendar

I like having all my information in one area that I always have with me and not in several different spots. 

Having a planner saves me time and makes my life run smoother, two things that Emily Ley is a big advocate for. 

That’s just a quick look into how I am starting off the new year and the mentality for the upcoming year.

Categories
Fun Ways to Organize

Simplicity Challenge 2019

Hello All and Happy Tuesday and an even Happier February.

I love the month of February! Not only is January over…it’s such a long month, but I love Valentine’s Day and all the red, white, and pink that goes along with it. Not to mention the chocolate and just the good feelings that come along with it.  It’s the perfect month in the middle of a long winter.

For those of you who follow me on instagram, you may have noticed for the month of January, I participated in the Simplicity Challenge through Emily Ley’s company, Simplified. I love everything Emily Ley does from her books, to planners, and simplified ways. If you aren’t familiar with her already, check her out here.For the past few years she has done a simplicity challenge for the new year and this year I knew I wanted to participate in it. 

Every day for the month of January she will assign a task around your home that takes 15 minutes or less to accomplish, it can be anything from cleaning out your car, making a grocery list of easy meals, taking a trash bag and getting rid of stuff through your house, and setting goals for the new year. You can see the full list of challenges on Emily Ley’s Instagram page here.I posted myself doing the challenges every day and saved them to my highlights reel on instagram.Not only did this old me accountable for doing the challenge but it also showed you all how easy the tasks can be. Here are a few examples of my favorite tasks. 

I loved starting the challenge by going through my room and getting rid of all the clutter
My car can always get so cluttered so I loved being able to get it cleaned out
I use my notes app all the time and I loved that I was able to get it organized with all the important things
With the new year just beginning I took the time to clean my camera roll and save my photos and delete random ones
It felt so good to organize my purse and get it all prepped for a new semester and replenish things that were out
I cleaned out my emailed and unsubscribed from a bunch of stores that I don’t shop at. Nothing better than an updated inbox
Last but not least, I made sure to set some time aside for myself. We all need self care in order to take care of others

These are just a few examples of my favorite tasks. I was so happy I was able to accomplish the challenge, if you didn’t get around to it, no worries. You can always start now. It doesn’t have to be at the beginning of the month or even the year. This challenge really helped get me in the right mind set for the new year. This year I want to be more intentional and only focus on the important things and this challenge really helped declutter my home and my mind. There are some tasks that I know I am going to continue to incorporate in my life every day especially when it comes to lists and organizing and there are others that I know were helpful in the moment, but I may not continue to use them in my life.

Have you tried the simplicity challenge?

What ways do you want to get simplified for the upcoming year?

Categories
Fabulous living

Book Review: A Simplified Life

Hello All!

Happy Tuesday! I am wrapping up fall break this week. It has been so nice to be home for a long weekend. The extra rest and relaxation was well deserved. It’s crazy to think that the fall semester is almost halfway through! This year is moving very fast.

Getting some reading in

One of my favorite hobbies is reading, I have always loved to read a child and I still try to read as much as I can as a young adult. However, being a college student, I don’t have a lot of time to read the things I want to read. Right now, my amazon cart/list is full of books I want to buy or read. I am serious book worm. This summer I was able to read a lot. You can check out my book reviews here. Throughout the semester I have been able to read one book in my free time and I’m so glad I did. I am a huge fan of Emily Ley, she is an author, planner maker, and lives her life to the simplest. If you haven’t heard of her, please check her out, she is such an inspiration and a girl boss!

Grace Not Perfection

I read her first book, Grace Not Perfection, last year and absolutely loved it. I wrote what I learned about it here. When she came out with her second book, The Simplified Life, I knew I had to read it. I am so glad I did. She breaks down ways to simplify your life chapter by chapter. She talks about simplifying your home, your faith, your finances, you family, and so many more areas. Her book is interactive, so you journal as you read. I learned so much from reading and it really encouraged me to simplify more areas of my life, not just with material things but also commitments.  I would recommend this book to anyone, the busy mom, the single gal, the college student, or the grandmother. I think everyone can learn something from it and make a few changes in their lives whether it is big or small. I read the book over the course of a month but it can be easily read in a sitting or two. Once I finished her book, I felt refreshed and ready to tackle areas of my life. I felt inspired and empowered.

A Simplified Life

If you are looking for a good book that will make you want to make changes in your life, this is it. Overall, I would give this book an A-. Have you heard of Emily Ley? What changes would you want to make in your life to make it more simplified?