What do Comfort zones, Butterflies and Clutter have in common?

My sister and I were talking the other day about comfort zones. Our conclusion, you have to be comfortable to actually be in a comfort zone.  If you are dreaming of change, then technically you are not in a comfort zone!!  Think of clutter as an uncomfortable and muddling comfort zone.  A butterfly stuck in a cocoon.

Have you ever watched a caterpillar turn into a butterfly?  My Aunt Velma was a scientist at heart. Her back yard was one big science experiment. When I would visit, she would bring me to the back yard and show me butterfly cocoons.  We would check on the cocoons everyday watching caterpillars become butterflies. 

 The purpose of clutter clearing isn't just reducing your stuff. Hardly!  Clutter clearing is the uplift of your life.  The exploration of your spirit.  It's pulling weeds and pruning branches. It's making space to plant.  It's unsticking your brain from its ruts. It is spreading your wings and transforming. It's the discovery of what kind of butterfly you are.

 Clutter clearing is a metamorphosis of mind, body and spirit.

  Transformation is getting out of your comfort zone, your cocoon.  

Why go to the trouble of clearing clutter and changing your life?  

Because the payoff is... you get to fly, wear beautiful colors and children squeal with delight when they see you.  That's why.

Intentionally transformation

 Percolate your curiosity

"... caterpillars are short, stubby and have no wings at all. Within the chrysalis the old body parts of the caterpillar are undergoing a remarkable transformation,called 'metamorphosis,' to become the beautiful parts that make up the butterfly that will emerge."  

                                                 The Butterfly Site

Autumn begins a season change.
We know we need to clean out from summer and prepare ourselves for winter.
 Leaves are falling.  The season is shifting.
Expand your wings

     Take 1 hour this week and unclutter a pile that needs un-cocooned!
          I'll be with you all the way,
                Denise

Prune your chores = Increased Happiness

Cooking, cleaning, shopping, errands etc... our chores will expand in our lives until we start pruning. Without a bit of clutter clearing our freedom is squished and smashed.  Our chores and habits are closely related they silently and quietly move into our lives talking up our time and energy until we are exhausted and bogged down by life..

    The laws of money say your expenses will match and exceed your income unless you create intentional boundaries and awareness to stop the over spending.    The same is true of our chores.  Our in boxes, to do lists and daily chores can become time clutter.   Our lists of daily, weekly  and seasonal responsibilities needs periodic pruning.  Before the holidays appear, downsize your chores, giving yourself breathing room to play and celebrate.

Downsizing- deleting-delegating chores = Increased happiness

This week I came across a study... How buying time promotes happiness  The study tested the hypothesis of how spending money on material goods would compare to spending money on activities that saved time on our chores.  It turns our we are significantly happier spending money on saving time on our chores than on new stuff.

5 tips to Pruning your Autumn Chores

 Start slashing, cutting and simplifying your chores- get your knife sharp and mind clear 

    1)  Become aware...Pay attention to what you are doing each day- how much time and energy you spend on chores??

    2)  Unclutter your self imposed work!  How have your chores expanded over time?

            How many grocery stores do you go to each week?

            Do you have more stuff to dust around.

            Can your meals be simplified?  Can you use fewer dishes?

    3)  Delegate!  Hire! Buy!  Sometimes all you have to do is ask for help.

             Other times you might want to hire out.  A housecleaner, an decluttering coach, dinner out

                Help to the rescue!!  Get help!!!!!  Lighten your load!!

     4)  Simplify! Simplify! Simplify!
              Cook less but bigger batches,  Eat simply, enjoy left overs

              Downsize your possessions- less is more free time

              Shop less, shop fewer places, shop with a clear list

     5)  Just do it- Decide to reduce!   Open up your creative juices to see how many "required" chores can be simplified, downsized, reduced and deleted!

  This last quarter of 2019 sets the stage for next year.  Start by following our seasonal cues.  Let go of your leaves, let plants die away, harvest and prune your chores.  Less is more in our lives.  We don't need to go on vacation for freedom.  Freedom can be found everyday of our lives.  Breathing space is a gift it is the best gift you can ever give yourself and those you love.  Chores are there to support us in our lives...we were not created to mark off our daily chore lists

As always, I wish you great joy in your daily travels,

              Denise Frakes
    Personal and home coach... at your service

When in doubt...sit

Today, I was faced with a decision.  I couldn't come up with a clear answer and it was making my stomach turn.  I laid down for a 20 minute nap and when I woke up I had my answer: be still.

We have many opportunities and options in our great country.  We are blessed with abundance and with abundance comes choices. More is not always better. There is an ease to having fewer options.  Your mind can relax.  It becomes more creative with less.

This is our Penny kitty.  She understands stillness. 

I help people let go of the "too much" world.  I am not immune to this world.  Maybe I don't collect things but it is easy to collect ideas, tasks, opportunities, possibilities.
Tonight before I toddle off to bed I wanted to share my thoughts with you.

If you can't decide- don't.  Become very still and listen
Before going forward clean
      clean out your projects, your procrastinations, your unfinished beginnings
By going back and cleaning up, you gain insights into where you want to go.
By becoming still, you ground yourself, your breath deepens as does your internal wisdom

These are my thoughts before I sleep.  July is a good month to clean out and breathe.
          Denise

Best Storage Idea for 2018

Is there such a season as storage season?  In the new year, most every store is promoting their storage containers sales. After the holidays we have lots more stuff.  We also have a natural instinct to rebalance and create space for the new year.   The simple solutions are to improve our organization and buy more storage containers right??  hmmmm

It is time to reconsider this holiday storage season and instead turn it in to the as the season to unclutter, downsize and simplify our lives season.

The easiest way to organize your home is to downsize its belongings.  Reducing instead of storing will make your new year lighter, clearer, freer and happier.  Organization is a snap when you are only organizing a few things.  The things you use, you love and that supports your life.

Think about it... do you want 2018 to be the year you improve your storage containers or the year you let go, simplify and set yourself free?  Tough choice right?

The beginning of the year brings hopes and dreams to the surface.  Don't stuff them into a box, a bin or a tub!

Wishing you happiness and freedom in 2018,
            Denise

Sorting books- refreshing your spirit

One of my favorite ways to refresh my life is to sort my books.  Overtime my bookcases will fill with ideas and authors.  At some point, I will need to reboot.  I woke up Sunday morning and as I passed my bookcase I had huge desire to play with my books.  Not to read them but to sort them.  My bookshelf had become stagnate and over flowing.  Time to unmuddle and reboot.

Sunday afternoon I pulled all my books out and set them on the bed.  Organizing into categories.  My brain started seeing trends.  I took care to notice how I was feeling.  Was this idea/subject current?  Was I holding onto someone else's thoughts?  Did I feel excited to dive in or obligated to read?  How long have I traveled with this book?  Was it this an old idea that I have fully integrated and moved beyond?  Did I like the title, the color and the size of the book?  Questions and emotions flowed.

I moved my books from pile to pile.  Some got moved into my hubby's bookcase.  They were his thoughts- no need to hold onto someone else's thoughts.
A pile of books to sell or donate started to pile up.  Books I used to love but.. stacked up. Books I think I "should" read but I know myself.  Books I want to explore got stacked. Books I want to pop into to and randomly read a passage or chapter stacked up.  Books I want to read to improve my skills piled up.... And on it went. questions and movement.

Thoughts sorted and refreshed

In the end, I had gathered up 21 books.  21 books varied in topic, size, age, color and author.  A little pile of books I can draw from.  Other books got sorted by subject, type and look and thoughtfully placed into my other book cases.  Many books are going to be taken to 1/2 price books.

This sorting process is what I call sorting my thoughts.  By sorting my books I get to refresh my thoughts, discovered ideas that are not as important as they once were. I discovered old books I wanted to revisit and new ideas I wanted to dive into.  By narrowing down my books I gave myself space to explore.  Now I have a little pile of inspired and energized books.

Uncluttering your books is an effective way of uncluttering your thoughts, discovering your passions and letting go of what no longer supports your life, your spirit, your mind and your health.

Books are personal.  My aunt used to say they were like having friends around.  I agree.  This emotional connection is also one of the reasons they are hard to let go of.  Sort your thoughts, let go of old thoughts. Let your life breathe and create space for new ideas and thoughts to flow your way.

If you are feeling stagnate, uncertain, over whelmed - sort your books.  If your bookcases are over stuffed and spilling out at the seams - sort your books.  If you have held onto your college books, books from 10 years ago - sort your books.  If the title, size and color or a book makes you cringe - sort your books.

Sorting books and uncluttering is not work it is a spiritual practice of discovery.
         Wishing you a clear mind, breathing space and passions ignited.
                                Denise

A tip on cookbooks:
      When looking at the recipes ask yourself do I want to eat this custard or actually cook it.  A trip to a restaurant with a friend to sample and dine is better than old dusty cookbooks taking up space in your life.

The gift of clutter clearing

    If I had to pick one word I hear most often associated with clutter it would be the word "overwhelm".  Too much stuff in your living space will feel like...overwhelm.  That's the bad news.  The good news is what you get when you start letting go of life's weight.  You get to discover, create and uncover your true authentic shining self.

    When you have lots of stuff and that feeling of overwhelm seeps into your life, you probably dream it would all magically disappear.  Poof- end of problem!!!  Yeah!!  Except one little thing...you missed the journey of discovery.

   It is in this journey of letting go and freeing yourself that you find yourself.

 Cleaning out or clutter clearing has two guiding themes....

    1.  Discovering what you love, what you actually use, what gives you energy, what lights you up, what makes your eyes sparkle

    2.  Discovering what depletes you, holds you back, diminishes you, what sits on your shoulders and weighs heavily on your heart.

    As you you clean out, these two themes get asked over and over... How do you really feel about this lamp your great aunt Matilda gave you?  Do you actually use the treadmill sitting unused covered with clothes?  Or does it haunt you and make you feel less than?  Would you rather go outside for a walk in the fresh air instead?  Will you ever read this book covered in dust or would you rather read a new book on a new subject?  Or maybe you would be happier painting or having tea with friends or hiking?   Hum....

     Questions, questions, questions you ask again and again.  As you ask and clean out you get a gift.  That little authentic voice within, you thought was buried, starts getting stronger.  Your instincts and intuition of what you truly love start getting clearer.  You start to breathe deeper and you feel lighter.  You start to feel again.  Your heart opens up.  You get to discover who you are today.  Being lost in the past or fearful of the future become less powerful than this present moment.

    Cleaning out is more than the removal of stuff, it is the discover of your authentic self.

It is a journey of discover that truly is magical.
   Wishing you great ease and joy on your journey,
        Denise

Don't wobble

Focus:

Cleaning has many lessons. There is a saying that goes something like: " If you are going to stand then stand. If you are going to sit then sit. Don't wobble".

This am, as I cleaned our home - I wobbled. I got lost in my bookcases. To me there is something so relaxing about organizing and looking through my books. By end of the morning I had sorted, reorganized and cleaned all of my bookcases -so relaxing almost meditative.

The morning slipped away without a care- well except I was suppose to be cleaning our home. Before I knew it it was 11:06am. My cleaning time had been devoted to organizing and sorting.

My lesson for the day: When you are going to clean -clean, when you are going to organize -organize, don't wobble.

Happy cleaning,
Denise