you lucky duck

I'm supposed to be sharing One Year with you, soooo...
A WHOLE THREE WEEKS PACKED INTO ONE POST!

Week 2: Schedules & Routines

- Get a planner. Consult it often! Remember, it only works when you actually write stuff in it.
- Identify scenes in your life that play out again and again that suck up your time. Put a routine in place to eliminate those scenes. ex. Lost keys all the time. Get a key hook. Make it a Habit to always place your keys on it.
- Learn to say "no" when you need to, in order to create balance between all aspects of your life (including rest and me-time). This step has two sides.
1. You don't have to be responsible for everything, for everyone. If you need some rest, you will be surprised to see that other people can handle what you decide not to (aka moving your friend's couch or something).
2. You think you can do things better or faster than other people ("This project is my baby and no one else touches it!" OR "It'll be easier if I just do it"). Let it go, if necessary. Giving up one responsibility frees up room to learn something new. I just went through this at work. The one thing I totally love doing is putting together the weekly email blast for one of our clients. They recently told us they will soon be doing them in-house to save $. I was like "Damnit! My one joy, gone!" but then I remembered this advice from One Year and I can only look forward to what I will be learning next.

Week 3: Kitchen Questions

- What specifically do you like & dislike about your kitchen?
- How do you use it currently? How do you want to use it & how often?
- What changes can you make to fix the things you dislike?
- Do a speed elimination to get rid of junk and duplicates. Go through every space in the kitchen super fast & get all the crap out!
- Invest in kitchen organizing tools that make sense for your needs. ex. drawer and shelf dividers, stool to reach high areas, spice rack, food canisters, stacking totes, spice rack, caddy for cleaning supplies.

Week 4: Whip that Kitchen into Shape

- Divide your kitchen and its contents into Zones: Regina says: Prep/Cook, Bake, Clean-up/Store but I'd like to add Serve to the list, 'cause when I was organizing our kitchen I discovered placemats and serving dishes and they didn't really fit with anything else.
- So you've separated your kitchen tools into categories--now don't forget to tidy up the pantry/cupboards. Organize your food! ex. baking supplies, snacks, soups & chili, canned veggies, pasta & sauces, etc.
- When you clean the kitchen, don't forget the fridge--inside & out! Visual clutter causes mental clutter.
- Don't be a wimp! Tackle the whole room, even scary areas like under the sink. This goes for every project you take on. Don't do it half-assed!
- Keep a paper pad handy to serve as a shopping list. You should be able to find it and add to it easily.

I've been traveling through One Year like my name was Marty McFly. No worries--still making progress!