Welcome to my first newsletter for 2017. I hope you had a wonderful relaxing break and that you’re looking forward to the year.
We have a bright new year with new possibilities in front of us and I always find that exciting. I think about what I can create this year in all parts of my life. For example, I want to put more focus on ‘creativity’ this year and to kick start it I went out today and bought one of those gorgeous adult colouring books and some bright coloured pencils. There are numerous other ideas that are coming to me that I want to play around with, and I’m looking forward to exploring those. None of this is about ‘shoulds’ or ‘musts’ as those are negative feelings that aren’t going to leave us feeling great.
What have you got planned for this year? You might like to jot down in a journal, or on a beautiful sheet of paper that you can stick on the fridge, a few things that you’d love to do and experience this year. I suggest it be more of a ‘bucket list’ rather than a list of ‘resolutions’. Resolutions can often end up in that ‘should have done’ or ‘didn’t stick to’ basket which can leave us feeling guilty or hopeless.
Have you thought about creating a theme for the year? Your theme becomes a focus for the year and it’s always interesting to see how this plays out, after all what you focus on expands. Ideas for themes may be around health, wealth creation, creativity, expanding your social life, new adventures. Obviously the list is endless.
If decluttering and re-organising your home is on your list, try thinking of it as a journey of exploration with a beautiful outcome. It may seem odd to think of decluttering as a positive and even fun experience but it really can be. Here are some suggestions on how you can get started, and how you can make it interesting rather than overwhelming.
– Create your vision for how you would like your home to look and feel. Sit down, close your eyes and really think about it: the pleasure you get when you walk in the front door and see a lovely home that feels welcoming and calm. Picture a kitchen that works well and has plenty of space to prepare and cook delicious meals. Your bedroom is a lovely relaxing haven that you enjoy retiring to at the end of the day. The kids’ room is bright and colourful and there’s a place for everything. Storage space is working and you can find things easily because the space is organised.
– Go through this visioning process for each room and then write down the specifics for each room as you saw it, this will effectively be the start of your work plan. You then add your itemised action list for each room which makes it nice and easy to select maybe one or two actions to tackle at a time.
– Once you have your plan on paper for each room, you can make a decision as to what room to start on and when you’re going to do it. You can get a lot done in an hour or two so don’t think you have to do an entire room in one go. Bit by bit you’ll get it done, with no panic or overwhelm, and do tick off each job as you complete it so you can experience that sense of accomplishment. And don’t forget to reward yourself after each session, even if it was just a half hour, it’s always a step closer to your vision.
– I’ve mentioned in previous newsletters the free report that you can download from the home page of my website “Five Tips to Declutter Fast” – if you haven’t done this yet you might find the tips useful to add to your work plan.
– You’re probably wondering where the ‘fun’ part comes in here… well, hopefully you are feeling energised and enthusiastic once you have done the visioning process. You might also like to put on some of your favourite music to keep you company as you work. Once you get into the flow of decluttering and organising a room you build momentum and it becomes a pleasurable activity rather than a chore.
I hope you find this newsletter useful, and that it gives you some ideas to work with. Believe me, decluttering and organising your home and work environment really does make an enormous difference in your day to day living and enjoyment.
I wish you a wonderful month ahead, with joy and blessings.
In Joy!
Angella Gilbert
P: 09 410 4166
M: 027 224 8937
E: angella.gilbert@xtra.co.nz
W: www.gioia.net.nz
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