Top Three...Wardrobe Staples

I have a tendency to buy multiples of things that I like. That means I have duplicates of a lot of stuff. To be honest, I would wear nearly the same thing every day if I could. Some days I like to mix it up, but if left to my own devices...yep- I'd have the "Lulu Uniform". So, today's Top Three are my three favorite items I would wear every day if I could (and oftentimes do).

One of the dozen denim shirts I own (and not the same one as from yesterday's post either).

#1. Denim shirt. When I did the KonMari purge in April and May, I forced myself to get rid of the denim shirts that didn't float my boat 100%. I got rid of several and still had three left over. Since then I've purchased two more. I can't help it. White button down shirts look open up a whole other door of inconveniences (keeping it looking clean, different opacities which requires special attention to "underthings" that I prefer not to use my brain space for. It's the same idea, but less ease! Denim shirts are my go-to and probably always will. I even rock the "Canadian Tuxedo" at least twice a week (denim on denim).

#2. Red lipstick. It's been my staple since I was fifteen. I only wear one shade (Revival Red, Maybelline). I'm sure there are multitudes of other shades, but that one is the perfect orangey-pink. I can customize the intensity so I don't come off as a rabid vampire. If I'm not wearing that color, it's au natural with a swipe of lip balm (I can't be bothered, honestly- I'll pony up to my laziness). But I seriously rock the red at least four days a week. 

Black...yes even at the beach (and at my heaviest- hello Paleo!).

#3. Black. Black and oh yeah- more black. Ask anyone who's known me for more than five minutes and they'll tell you I wear a lot of black. It looks good on me and it's a blank canvas for whatever mood I may be in. Simple and chic? Black. Bohemian and exotic? Black. All-American? Black and denim. Night out on the town? Black. It's my ultimate go-to.

So there's my Top Three Staples. What are yours? I'd love to know!!

Thoughts on Time (Part 2)

Through the Looking Glass

Happy Monday, y'all! I hope your weekend has been wonderful! Hopefully you didn't have to go to work today (I've been told it's a holiday), but if you did- you have my sincerest sympathy and understanding!)

Well last week, I wrote this post about the more "bigger picture" aspects of time management. Today, I'm breaking down a few organizational aspects of time management. Some of these ideas are super simple, some are common sense and others are maybe not fun, but they pay off. Here we go!

Keep it simple, Sister!

#1. Write it all down & Utilize a calendar.

Contrary to popular belief (particularly in the world of "time management" research), one does not need anything fancy or expensive to do this (even that stuff seen above). It's fine if that's what helps you feel more productive, but it doesn't work for me and in reality is so completely unnecessary. To me, it is a way to distract from the real tasks at hand by occupying my mind with the project that has to occur before being able to do the real work of organizing. 

To rephrase: I can't organize my time better because I don't have a $300 Filofax organizational system. I'll spend two weeks compiling everything I need to be organized then I'll really get started."

Ugh. Just write it down. Write down all the things you need to do. Write down your daily stuff, write down your short term goals, write down your long term goals. Write down important bill dates etc. project/event/appointment dates too. Stop avoiding it. Get out a calendar and a steno pad and just do it. After you get it all down, you can organize it however you want. First things first, though. 

Also, you must remember that to manage your time better, you have to tend to it regularly. You have to sit down five minutes a day or a half hour a week (whatever works with your headspace) and update, change, move around, rearrange and re-prioritize your goals and tasks etc. Which brings me to the next point.

Dr. Evil loves air quotes just as much as I do.

#2. Determine what is urgent (versus personal priority).

Sure it will be scandalously gratifying to spend three hours tending to a project on your to-do list. Crossing it off the list feels so good! But if you did that and didn't go to the grocery store before a busy week ahead, you are setting yourself up for time management failure. Balance is paramount.

Determining what is urgent (sitting down and doing your taxes, making sure your car is cared for before a road trip, getting the week's groceries purchased and prepped for that long week ahead, getting your kid's school play costume started (instead of binge-watching House), getting a just rough draft of your Great American Novel completed etc.

Those are bigger picture items that get you to a better place so that you have the time to work on other things like: making your bathroom cabinets look Pinterest-worthy, learning how to do a perfect fishtail braid, watching the latest episode of Downton, or spending a few hours delving into the backstory of a character you're workshopping for that Great American Novel. You get my point? No? Let me put it another way:

Party on, Wayne!

#3. Get the no-fun stuff out of the way first and earliest in the day.

Otherwise said by no lesser a sage than Wayne Campbell from Wayne's World (paraphrased of course): "It's like rushing home on Friday after school and getting all your homework done early so the rest of the weekend, you're free to party."

Simply stated: You'll feel buttloads better getting the no-fun stuff done early which makes the rest of your day feel so conquerable! It is a positivity snowball that gives you piles and piles of more time at the end of the day for the things you want to do; the things that make you happiest and bring you the most satisfaction and joy! 

That's what we're all after in the end, isn't it?!

Yep.

#4. Plan. Plan for tomorrow, then have a contingency plan (or two).

I can tell you hardly no other thing about time management that helps more than this simple idea. And yes, I'm familiar with the colloquial saying "the surest way to make God laugh is to tell Him your plans".

However, planning has gotten a bad rep. It seems to be associated with mouse-eyed Type-A's that can't seem to remove the stick from their ass no matter how badly they need to. Real life planning isn't like that.

This is what planning is:
*Making a meal plan for your week, allowing for wiggle room in case a last-minute celebratory outing with friends, family or kids pops up. This kind of planning frees up major money so more fun life stuff is possible.

*Planning is keeping a bag in the trunk of the car that has bottles of water, granola bars and a change of clothes in case there is an emergency or your car breaks down in July and AAA is delayed due to a bizarro pickle truck flipping over on the opposite side of the interstate.

*Planning is keeping a spare box of pasta noodles and spaghetti sauce in the pantry in case one week you have an unexpected bill and can't afford your typical fare. Or a friend is sick and you want to do something for her family while she's stuck in bed. Boom. No extra money needed and you've done a nice deed for someone you love.

Planning isn't filling every single moment of every day and evening with some task, project, event, sport, hobby, etc. The goal of planning is to simplify- to quiet. Not to occupy or busy oneself.

 And that's another thing! Planning is just taking the time to anticipate what can't be anticipated so when life happens (AND IT ALWAYS DOES, Y'ALL!), you aren't derailed. You aren't standing on the side of the interstate waiting for AAA in 100 degree weather, ready to pass out from dehydration (I use this example because I've had that happen and thank goodness I had water in the car)!

If you plan properly, you can be super flexible and enjoy all (or at least more) of life's little curveballs. Sometimes curveballs are the best thing ever, but only if you can manage your stuff enough to be able to glean the positive from each situation!

Alright, okay. That's enough of a lesson for today. I do have a lot left to say on the topic though, so stay tuned for Wednesday's update. Time management doesn't have to be daunting if you approach it with good headspace. Seriously. A little goes a long way toward having the life you want. I know because I'm doing it myself after years and years of struggling.

Check ya later, pals! I hope you have a truly wonderful day!

Thoughts on waste...

Cornucopia

I don't know about y'all, but I seriously had a few moments over the past week where I was a little stunned at the amount of food I had to throw out because of surplus and it going bad. I can't stand the idea of wasting food. It makes me mad, not only because I've been in a "can't afford to waste it" place before and never want to go there again. I feel, quite honestly, that there should be no reason, without planning and vigilance, that one could not save a tremendous amount of money on not wasting food.

I spring for the organic, free-range products. It's important to me and after sacrificing that value out of sheer necessity in years past, I celebrate that privilege whenever I can. Some people place value on quantity, some on brands, some on gourmet items etc. Whatever is right for you and your family is what is right for you and yours. I'm already spending the dough though, so there is no reason why I should throw anything away without consuming it. There is no reason that its happening other than laziness and disorganization! Humbling admission, y'all.

Do you have any tricks to preventing food waste? It just hurt my heart and my conscience knowing that I was not only wasting money and food, but I was wasting it while there are people in my own town that would have loved that food (or the equivalent in money- SERIOUSLY!), you know? Ugh.

Anyway, I found a few resources I wanted to share with you guys. I already do some of the things on this list, like plan meals and have even done the pantry surprise aka "use it up" nights every now and then. I still feel like I could do better. Could you? I feel that with a little diligence a lot could be spared. Check out these links and see for yourself!

*6 habits to prevent food waste.

*How to store leafy greens (so they don't turn into that icky green slimy cess pool by the end of the week *shudder*).

*12 ways to prevent food waste at home.

*How to maximize your freezer's potential and prevent freezer burn/food waste.

*34 ways to waste less food (did you know breaking apart your bananas increases their life exponentially? I sure didn't!)


Have a truly wonderful  (and non-wasteful) day! P.S. I'm a total nerd.

Here we go!

Rabbit Rabbit wishes you good luck for the whole month if you say it on the first day! Bunny in a hat.

Rabbit Rabbit! It's the first day of the month. Can you believe the year is almost over? It seems like it flew by- like January was three weeks ago or something. Anyway, I like to treat the first of each month like a little New Year. I make little goals for myself and my hopes for the end of December/end of 2014 is to be more organized. We've been doing great on the house, but we could still be doing better (especially since we're looking for a new, smaller place). So here is my list for the month:

*Donate two more boxes of "stuff" by the end of the month. We've steadily been taking at least a box a month all year. I'm thrilled with how much unnecessary stuff we've gotten out of the house. I can breathe better.

*Stick to the meal plan. It's there for a reason. I usually stick to it pretty well half of the month and the other half I'm derailed and ordering pizza I don't even like because I don't feel like cooking. It's the meal plan + a few fun nights = staying in the 2015 debt reduction plan!

*Finish my jewelry holders from this post. We're at 80%, and I can't wait to get them hung and to arrange then rearrange my jewelry ten times!

*Get all my holiday shopping done before the 15th, that includes shipping off the stuff that needs to be shipped off.

*Stay on top of my recycling. We don't have a service here at my apartment so we save it up and walk it over to the industrial recycling bin- in theory. We get kinda lazy about it. I'd like to remedy that so my kitchen can look pretty and doesn't look like the room where legends die.

Have you started thinking about your new year? Is getting organized on your list? I think it's always been on mine, but this year we made some major impact and I'm crazy motivated to keep that up. I'd love to hear what's on your mind today, friends!

I hope you have a truly wonderful day!