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Spring Cleaning Your Home, Life & Tech

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Vanessa Topic: Spring Cleaning Your Home and Life

Spring cleaning is all about de-cluttering, deep cleaning, and prepping for the summer!  

• ceiling and floor vents

• ceiling fans and baseboards

• gutters

• washing the windows and window sills

• clearing out and wiping down the inside of drawers

• de-funkifying the inside of your oven and degreasing the stove vents

• sweeping and moping under appliances, couches, beds, etc.

• decalcifying your water fixtures

Spring cleaning can also include other things like:

• switching out seasonal clothing and home decor

•  testing fire alarms and replacing batteries Fire alarms

• checking fire extinguishers for their expiration date

• service your lawn and gardening equipment How to prep lawn equipment for Spring

• service your vehicle and stock up on vehicle emergency supplies before a summer road trip.

• get your  AC unit serviced too

I also like to include a little  planning and prepping for summer and fall:

• Sign your kids up for summer camps Summer Fun Activities for the Kiddos

• Plan out your trips and vacations (Vacation Travel Preparation)…you can use Travel Checklists to keep you organized.

• Enroll your kids for school; get their records, immunizations and physical taken care of now! Or at least have it on your radar. Back to School Tips

Sounds like a lot of stuff right? Your Spring Cleaning List is manageable if you keep these things in mind:

• You don’t have to do it all at once! You can do a little bit at a time everyday

• First: Identifying ALL TASKS you need or would like to do in priority order

• Second: Assign a reasonable amount of time to complete each task

• And finally….make a date and don’t break it!!!  That means schedule it on your calendar.   Remember…A TO DO item is actionless unless you attach a date to it!

• Book your priority tasks first.  Save big tasks for days that you have more time to dedicate to them.  Smaller/easier tasks can be listed on a daily basis.

• Now, if your list is still looking too long then consider spreading your tasks out throughout the year instead of just at springtime!

• And don’t forget about delegating tasks to family or other members of the household…

• Or even hire someone else to do it for you!   Sometimes it’s worth outsourcing help!!!!

I mentioned getting others involved…but what if others in the family aren’t “into it”? Well, here are some tips to help get Spring Cleaning “buy in” from others:

• Communication is key. Explain why certain tasks are important to get done and that you really need their help.

• Start with a small task.  Then move to a team oriented task.  Keep it fair too…everyone should be involved not just the oldest child.

• Give them ample notice of a cleaning project…don’t just drop it on them at the last minute!

• When all else fails bribe them or threaten them!  That’s what I do!  Just kidding. 

Let’s talk about some popular spring cleaning projects around the home (Note: I’m just going to mention the more unique tasks)

• Kitchen: clean out ovens and vent hoods; edit and organize your pantry tossing all expired items; clean out the inside or your fridge as well as sweep and mop under it; may need to defrost your freezer and wine fridge too; and decalcify your coffee maker

• Living Rooms: clean sofas and chairs; wipe down remotes; edit and organize media like DVDs, CDs and video games; edit magazines and newspaper collections

• Bathrooms: wash shower curtains and shower mats; dust vents; throw away old and expired jams n jellies and medications; srub away lime deposits on your water fixtures.

• Garage: service lawn mowers, move winter supplies, bring out sport equipment; you may want to check out:  17 Secrets to Organizing Your Garage and 7 Steps to Organize Your Garage

• Closets: switch seasonal clothing, edit old, unused clothing, rearrange, organize How to Store Seasonal Clothing and Closet TuneUp and  How to Edit Your Clothes Quick Tip and  SLT Episode 20 How to Organize Your Closet

• Kid’s rooms: clear out old toys, clothes and even papers. Be ruthless!  Switch out seasonal clothes and bedding.

• Home Office and Papers: great time to edit papers, especially after Tax Season Simplify Your Taxes. Clean out old files and spruce up current ones with nice file folders and labels.  Consider using an action file to keep up with daily influx of mail and papers. Maybe even think about going paperless like we’ve talked about numerous times here on the show (Episode 06).

• Outdoors: windows, gutters, power wash siding and sidewalks/driveway, check faucets and hoses, mulch, weed and fertilize. How to prep lawn equipment for Spring. Clean your BBQ grill.

Dan’s Topic: Spring Cleaning Your Tech

Take a few moments to go through your RSS reader and pare down some of those feeds you’re no longer interested in or add some that you’ve been meaning to

• When it comes to feeds, digital simplicity is about having the RIGHT feeds, not just FEWER feeds.

The same thing goes for your podcast subscriptions

• Look through the podcasts you subscribe to and consider which ones you really listen to.

• With nearly 50% of podcast listeners listening on smartphones, keeping your subscription list well pruned is more important than ever.

• Even if you’re streaming versus downloading, stick to your favorites and check out the others on an individual basis

Speaking of podcasts, here’s something I did just yesterday:

• I realized that some of my workflows hadn’t kept up with technology.

• Specifically, my old workflow for listening to podcasts was like this: subscribe in iTunes, download episodes to my laptop, sync my iPod to my laptop, and once or twice a year I’d go through the shows in my iTunes and delete old episodes.

• Well I realized that workflow was outdated because I no longer use my iPod, I listen to 90% of podcasts on my phone, and about 5% each on my iPad and Apple TV.

• With streaming, there is no need to download them.

• I was taking up tons of unnecessary space because I never adapted my workflow to my habits or technology changes.

The same goes for my music in iTunes

• It was taking up huge amounts of disc space yet…

• I  paid for iTunes Match, so my music was in the Cloud and ready to stream or download any time.

• Knowing I have my music library safely backed up on an external drive, I deleted all my music in iTunes that was already matched in iTunes Match.

• I did have about 300 songs or sound files that weren’t available in iTunes match that I kept in iTunes on my laptop, but that’s a lot better than many thousands of files!

Inbox cleaning: Back in Episode 12 of the show, we did an episode on The Art of Inbox Warfare to help you battle your email Inbox

• I covered lots of tips there but one thing I’ll mention is making good use of your “unsubscribe” button for mailing lists you’re no longer interested in, and maxing out the use of filters if you’re a Gmail user.

• A little time spent “spring cleaning” your Inbox can help you throughout the year!

Take some time to go through your Evernote Notebooks and Tags

• In tags view, see if you have duplicates that you can delete or combine with other tags.

• Often you’ll have singulars and plurals of the same Tags. Pare those down.

• Same goes for Notebooks. If you can combine notes into one Notebook from similar Notebooks, give that a shot.

• If you haven’t tried Stacked Notebooks, that, too, can help you organize your Evernote database visually.

• If you’re new to Evernote and need some help getting started, go back and check out Evernote Simplified Part 1 in Episode 17 and Evernote Simplified Part 2 in Episode 18.

If you spend a lot of time on the computer, it’s just as important to have a clear digital space as it is to have an organized and clean home.

• Edit your desktop, apps, and menu bar items down to those you use the most.

• If others that you don’t use tend to get in the way, they’re probably not helping your productivity much.

• I covered the ones I use most (and why) back in Episode 21.

• You might recall that two menu bar apps I use quite heavily are PopClip and ScreenFloat.

• Since then, Vanessa finally tried both of those (PopClip and Screenfloat) and has now become quite addicted.

Take some time to go through your Contacts list.

• First, do you have a system for updating them?

• Are the ones you have current?

• How about those old numbers and addresses…is it time to edit those?

• Personally, I use Contacts in Gmail and love it. Your mileage may vary.

• Remember “back in the day” when you got a new phone and had to re-enter all your Contacts? If that’s still you, maybe it’s time you hopped on the technology bandwagon.

And Spring Cleaning time might be the perfect time to review your digital backup plan, too. Way back in Episode 3 I talked about backing up your digital information

• Follow the 3 S’s…Make your backup Simple, Seamless and Solid.  

• Simple…so you don’t have to think about it, it just happens in the background. If you do have to think about it, set reminders in your calendar. Remember, it needs to be simple but complete…

• On site backup to an external drive.

• Cloud backup off site.

• Seamless…if you have regular backups to an external drive, make sure that drive is also backed up off site.  Initial backup to the Cloud can take up to a couple weeks, depending on your connection speed and how much data you have, of course.

• Solid…evaluate that your system works. Try to download files from your backup system and see if there are bottlenecks or barriers to your system. How easy would it be to do a complete system restore if you lost your hard drive?

Thing Segment

• Dan’s Thing: Asana, a task management tool

• Vanessa’s Thing: Prepping for her Certified Professional Organizer Board and Decision Making with a little help from Parkinson’s Law

Links

Real Simple Spring Cleaning Shortcuts

How to Clean Floors Walls Mrs. Meyers Clean Day

Green Cleaning Supplies by Green Cleaning/Goodhousekeeping

How to Store Seasonal Clothing

How To Organize Your Pantry

Organizing your Home Office

17 Secrets to Organizing Your Garage

7 Steps to Organize Your Garage

Like With Like

Closet TuneUp

How to Edit Your Clothes Quick Tip

Travel Checklists

Fire alarms

Back to School Tips

Summer Fun Activities for the Kiddos

Vacation Travel Preparation

Simplify Your Taxes

How to prep lawn equipment for Spring

Asana Project Management

Would you like to help us help Charity Water? If you make purchases on Amazon.com through this link it will be applied to  Vanessa’s Charity Water Campaign

Give directly to Charity Water Through Vanessa’s Campaign

To Create An Action File Quick Tip

Paper Piles, Paper Piles…Here’s An Easy Way To Control The Clutter

Working with Hanging Files and File Folders

Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and leave a review in the iTunes store! It helps others find the show!  Thanks!

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Simplicity Can Be Complicated & Tackling Piles of Files with Smiles

Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and leave a review in the iTunes store! It helps others find the show!  Thanks!

Dan’s Topic: Sometimes Simplicity Can Be Pretty Complicated

One of the major topics people talk to us about is how it seems that a good portion of society has given up or lost their way when it comes to choices they make and and even seems like they’ve given up on taking responsibility for shaping their lives.

• On last week’s show I mentioned Stephen Covey’s classic The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
• Covey addresses at the beginning of his book that responsibility is our “ability to respond.”
• When it comes to living out our decision to pursue a more simple life, we exercise our ability to respond in the choices we make.
  • Choices on what to let into our lives, and choices on what to let go of.
  • In doing that, we exercise that responsibility at many levels..first in our choice to live simply and then with each decision we make to support that choice.

Simplicity is a completely personal choice. No one, including us, has all the right answers on how to make your life simple. Like most things in life that are truly important, there is no:

• magic pill
• definitive blueprint
• roadmap
• or treasure map to find the simple life that perfectly suits you.

The answer can only be found by truly contemplating your desires, formulating your life plan and tweaking it along the way as you get wiser. Matter of fact, listening to gurus and experts will often run contrary to your goals because it limits your ability to respond…to be response-able.

Responsibility is a like a muscle, if you don’t exercise it, it will atrophy over time and you won’t be able to use it.

That is the path a huge part of society has chosen to follow these days and their decision muscles become more and more atrophied every single day.

 So how did this happen? Well, I’ve thought a lot about it and wanted to share some things with you.

• So, as you’ve heard me mention before, many sources tell us that the average adult is exposed to as many as 5000 advertisements per day.
• Now, I think this number might be a little high, but who knows.
• I’ve done some research on it and to me there’s definitely a ballpark figure range from 1800 to 5000.
• Still, the crux of the matter is that we’re inundated with advertisements, and heck, traditional media for that matter, that are designed at their best to influence our decisions, and at worst, to replace our decision making process all together!
• Advertising tells us what we’re supposed to drive, what we’re supossed to look like, wear, live, what medicines we need to take if we want to be 70 and hold hands with our significant other as we sit in separate bathtubs after a long day’s motorcycle ride.

If you’re new to simplifying your life, I just want to reinforce the decision you’ve made to give this a shot. I wanted to start out by just going over what decision making was like back in the day and what it’s like now. I’m not going to get into what’s better and what’s not…just sort of present some realities and how our options have changed. Like “stuff” in our lives, more options isn’t always better. So let’s compare some available options of a few things between an era we’ll call “back in the day” to now:

• First off, television.
  • Back in the day we had about 3-4 TV channels to choose from.
    • If you’re like me and lived near Canada, maybe you were able to pull in 2 more, and maybe your town had a VHF channel to watch reruns of shows that were off the Big 3 here in the States of ABC, CBS, and NBC.
    • If you lived outside the States, then maybe you have even fewer options.
    • If you wanted some advice about what to watch, you asked your friends. The sample was small and just by asking a handful of friends would give you all the info you needed.
    • The advertising model was a holdover from the radio days. Products sponsored shows and trusted spokespeople told us what products were right for us.
    • But even then you were exposed to so few Ads that you could discern for yourself whether coffee A was better than B, or if more doctors really did smoke Camel cigarettes.
  • Today, most of us probably have access to 300+ channels
    • We say there’s still nothing on
    • There’s no way we could ask friends to sample all the options.
    • Many people just accept at face value the advertising they see as true.
    • They suffer from analysis paralyisis and have just given up.
    • Sure, it’s easier…but it won’t lead to the simple life you’re trying to build.

Tip: As a minimum, we should try to crowdsource our feedback by doing things like reading reviews on Amazon, checking site like Consumer Reports, and yes…still asking friends that we trust are informed. But taking things at face value from ads?  No way!

Tip: I’d be pretty skeptical that the celebrity spokespeople actually use these products. Here in the States you see a lot of ads for reverse mortgages that are hawked by celebrities.  Do you really think they’re using a reverse mortgage?  Doubt it.

• Now when it comes to food it gets even more deceptive, and I’m just going to hit a couple examples and I’ll have reference links in the shownotes at SimpleLifeTogether.com/024:
  • Did you know that here in the States, the Food and Drug Administration has no definition for “natural” or “organic”?
  • The US Dept of Agriculture does have an organic program which specifies how organic items are supposed to be grown.
  • So even taking for granted that labels such as natural and all natural lead you to healthy choice may not in fact be the case.  And that’s where sticking with your simple goals can get tough.
  • Advertisements by companies can be even more deceptive. Remember, these are publicly traded companies and their boards have a fiduciary responsibility to make more profit. “Trust but verify.”
  • Here’s an example…here in the States we have a popular “healthy cereal” (put that in air quotes) called TOTAL.  Well, Total came out with Blueberry Pomegranate cereal. Sounds delicious right? Well, the truth is, it contains no blueberries and no pomegranates. Seriously!  Here’s a quote I verified the ingredients right from the box labels on Amazon:

Quote from NaturalNews.com: “Yet it is called “Total Blueberry Pomegranate Cereal” and positioned as a highly nutritious cereal with the words “100% nutrition,” “Blueberry” and “Pomegranate” appearing prominently on the front of the box, in a very large font size. While the cereal contains no actual blueberries or pomegranates, it does contain eight different sweeteners: Sugar, Corn Syrup, Barley Malt Extract, Brown Sugar Syrup, Malt Syrup, Sucralose, Molasses and Honey.”

• Another thing I want to address briefly about advertisements and reality is this…how can a teenage girl compete with the advertisements that show what she’s “supposed to look like”?  I don’t want my daughter to spend her life trying living up to an impossible standard that has no basis in reality.

So, more options have given us a lot more to juggle around in our minds and have put the responsibility…like it or not…where it always has been, on our own shoulders. And when it comes to our self image, we need to know ourselves and help others see that if they’re going to measure themselves against someone or something else, be sure to use the yardstick of reality and not the Photoshopped version of reality that no one can compete with. Since any rant should include at least one dead guy quote, I think Teddy Roosevelt’s comments that  “Comparison is the thief of joy”, apply pretty well here.

And I think the most insidious thing is that, because there are so many options, because it’s hard to know what decision to make without taking the incredible amount of time it takes to research every option, people just give up.  They opt to relinquish their ability to respond, set their decision processes to “Receive Mode” and simply accept as truth what these media sources feed the. Worse yet, they typically take the next logical step and adopt a victim mentality when something doesn’t go their way. Why wouldn’t they? And that’s when things really start to break down for us…when we accept we can’t do anything about our circumstance.

Well for those new to the show, I can tell you this. You won’t find that mentality here from other listeners or from Vanessa and me. Sure, we all have our moments, but if you take some time to read through the reviews on iTunes, comments on the blog, or if you’re an Edit & Forget It Challenge member on the Facebook Page, what you’ll hear is people taking control of their complex lives and making them simpler for themselves. Nobody’s doing it for them…not me, not Vanessa, and certainly not society. They’re doing it themselves and we all care enough about each others’ success to offer some help, advice, tips and shared experiences…but certainly not the blueprint or the magic pill. When people send us notes they don’t say Dan or Vanessa can you tell me how to, “whatever.” They ask, “What are your thoughts on this?” or “Do you have any recommendation about that?” And of course, we’re happy to share what works for us. If it works for them, too, then great! The folks over on the Edit & Forget It Challenge page have been the same way…generously offering options and experiences so others can choose. And that’s awesome.

So when it comes to simplifying your life, the decisions you make during your life planning will help you limit the seemingly endless options you have. For instance, if health and fitness is one of the pillars of your life plan then it should follow that the food decisions you make are in line with that goal. Instead of having to choose between the 31 original flavors of ice cream, maybe it’s easier to be true to your goal and decide to stay away from ice cream all together?

So in the end, which is opposite of “back in the day”, yes…sometimes it’ll take a little bit more effort to find the answers or a trusted source for yourself, but one thing’s for sure…take the recommendations of conventional experts, gurus and advertisement with a grain of salt. But please, just pick a salt…because if you ask the “so called experts” which salt to pick you’ll have to decide between:

Or you could choose products like No Salt/Lite Salt/ExSalt, which aren’t salt at all. But don’t worry, they must be good for you, they’re labeled “all natural” and are made out of pure MSG.

Vanessa Topic: Tackling Piles of Files with Smiles

So, with our Edit & Forget It Challenge, there’s been a lot of buzz about folks digitizing their paper files. I think after Episode 6 Going Paperless with Brooks Duncan and Episode 15 Living Without a Printer…folks got totally motivated to banish their paper piles. I think it’s great to get those old files digitized.  And if you haven’t listened to Episode 6 with Brooks Duncan, you may want to go back and get some basic tips on how to organize your digital files.

You know what’s really neat is how liberated folks feel after letting go of piles and piles of files!  I have to tell you, paper clutter is one of the most common complaints I get from my clients.  Everyone has to deal with paper and sometimes folks just get lost in it!

One thing I’ve noticed is that sometimes, folks will get super motivated and get their digital and paper files all  organized….but then they struggle with managing the daily flow of new papers coming in!  Because isn’t it crazy how much paper we deal with everyday?

Well, guess what?  I’ve come to the rescue.  I got some really easy tips here to help you out.  And regardless if you’ve already gone paperless….or if you are trying to go paperless…or if you’re still keeping the hard copies which is totally ok…I’ve got a few ideas for you on how to control and maintain your daily influx of papers.  Because like I eluded to earlier, the fact of the matter is…we deal with paper on a daily basis and we’ve got to come up with ways to control it before it controls us!

So, here’s what I’m going to discuss with you today:

•  I’m going to talk a little about creating an overall paper plan.
• Then I want to discuss some tips on how to slow the flow of papers and stopping them at the source.
• And lastly, I’ll wrap up with a step by step guide on how to create a simple…but oh so powerful…daily paper management system called…an Action File.

Creating an Overall Paper Plan. Just like every other project or goal, what is it that Dan and I always say you have to start with first?  Yup!  The End State!  It’s that end state that’s going to drive your action steps and routines to manage your paper.

Please note….I’m just talking about one facet of paper organization. There are books solely dedicated

to managing paper alone, so just keep in mind I’m tackling just one facet of that today.

Think about having two general categories of paper: Permanent and Temporary.

• Your Permanent Files are files you want to keep permanently and be able to reference later.  These are the ones you keep in filing cabinets or bins.
• Then you have your Temporary Files… which are things you have yet to go through or things you need take action on right? Like bills, RSVPs, to-dos, appointments to make, etc….some of which may become permanent files later. Yeah….these are the ones that end up in little piles all over the house like the kitchen counter, dining table, coffee table, end tables and dressers, right?  Well, don’t worry, we’re going to solve that problem a little later.

Permanent  Files:  I want you to think about how you envision organizing them? Do you want primarily digital files or paper files?  Or maybe you need both?  How and where do you want to store them?  In your office, in your kitchen, out of the way, locked up, in a pretty cabinet, cardboard boxes, plastic bins?  Just think about it because all of these factors are going to affect how you set up your routines, how you organize your storage space and how you setup your action file….which we’ll get to in a bit.  Again, really think through that end state so that you can properly plan.

Temporary Files and Slowing the Flow. Again, these are things that you have yet to get to or need to take action on.  The thing about temporary files…especially the mail…is that half of it is junk!  It’s stuff that we really don’t need…and most of the time didn’t even ask for yet it’s made it’s way into our lives for us to deal with.

Well, the good news is that you can help slow the flow by stopping it at it’s source.

• Stop all those credit card and insurance company offers by going to OptOutPrescreen.com.
• Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) the Consumer Credit Reporting Companies are permitted to include your name on lists used by creditors or insurers to make firm offers of credit or insurance even if you don’t initiate it.
  • But the FCRA provides you the right to Opt -Out (how nece of them).
  • Now this is good if you no longer want or need those offer.
  • If you opt out you can always opt back in.
• Stop unwanted magazines and other mail by going to DMAChoice.Org.
  • DMA choice is a on online tool developed by the Direct Marketing Association to help you manage your mail. It allows you to manage catalog, magazine, credit card and other mail offers.
  • I always choose to unsubscribe to all of them, but you can be selective
• Unsubscribe from email.  Yes, once you order something from Harry and David just as an example…even if it was an online order….you’re bound to get a magazine from them.  So  unsubscribing from email offers is helpful too.
• Other ways to cut down on the paper in our lives is to do auto bill pay, cut down on printing and don’t give your information out to the cute guy or gal at the register.

 Let’s Create an Action File. Ok, let’s talk about how to tame those Temporary Files. 

• First things first…an action file is just as the name suggests….its a file for you to take action on.
  • This is not a permanent filing system.
  • It’s simply a holding facility for you to house your papers until you can take the appropriate action on them.
  • The idea here is to prevent paper piles from piling up and to give those random papers a home.
• Here’s what you need: a desktop file sorter and file folders
  • You’ll want a vertical desktop file sorter to either put plain manilla folders or hanging file folders in.
  • The idea is to File Not Pile so you can quickly.
  • You probably don’t want one deeper than 10 inches because it’ll take up too much space on your desk plus you want ones that’s portable.
  • There are all types: clear plastic, silver or black mesh, colored metal designed one, leather and linen wrapped ones.
  • They range in all sorts of prices but just remember: Function First…Aesthetics Second.
•  Now what you need to do is label your files.
  • At a minimum I recommend having a To Do, To Pay and To File.
  • You may consider other files: one for to read, for receipts, for coupons, for schedules, for each family member, or for take out menus, etc.
  • You can modify this to meet your needs.  For example, Dan and I have separate files for receipts and tax receipts.
  • Since we have both digital and paper files we have folders labeled: To Scan Then File and To Scan Then Shred.
• Next you need to put it in the right location.
  • Put it where you naturally dump or sort your mail.
  • A place that’s easy to access.
  • If it’s too far out of the way then you’re not going to use it and you’ll end up with paper piles again.
  • You’ll also want it in a spot that has the right supplies nearby like: a shredder, recycle bin, pen, sticky notes, calendar, checkbook, calculator, stamps, etc).
• Once it’s in the right spot, now you can use it. Here’s what I recommend:
  • Check your mail daily!
  • Sort your mail and any other papers and make decisions on each item
  • Check it daily for To Do’s or To Pay…or know that you can do right there because they now have a home!
  • Remember, this is a temporary paper home…you’ve got to take action.  So…you need an action plan!

Now, don’t forget…Check it Daily….or Weekly…or at the very least…clear it out Monthly!!!!  That’s it!

I have some pretty comprehensive videos for setting up your Action File on my GetSimplifized website. Be sure to check these out for a step by step guide to setting up your Action File!

How To Create An Action File Quick Tip

Paper Piles, Paper Piles…Here’s An Easy Way To Control The Clutter

OK…and here’s a bonus video on the basics of working with hanging files. Check out the “Handy Count” in the video:

Working with Hanging Files and File Folders

Thing Segment

• Dan’s Thing: Feedly as a Replacement for Google Reader

• Vanessa’s Thing: Oh How I Love My iPhone Camera!

Links

Would you like to help us help Charity Water? If you make purchases on Amazon.com through this link it will be applied to  Vanessa’s Charity Water Campaign

Give directly to Charity Water Through Vanessa’s Campaign

To Create An Action File Quick Tip

Paper Piles, Paper Piles…Here’s An Easy Way To Control The Clutter

Working with Hanging Files and File Folders

Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and leave a review in the iTunes store! It helps others find the show!  Thanks!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Life’s Spam Filter and Simplicity For A Lifetime

Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and leave a review in the iTunes store! It helps others find the show!  Thanks!

Before we get to the topics…we wanted to let you know that we had a terrific Skype visit with Mohamed Tohami of Midway Simplicity not too long ago and he posted it up on his website, MidwaySimplicity.com. Of course we have links to Tohami’s site in the Simple Living Blogs section of our Recommendations page  here on the website. You can also go to SimpleLifeTogether.com/midway and that will take you right to our Skype video. We had such a good time talking with Tohami and if you like to see us in video action, check it out! Heads up though…Vanessa’s face is cut off in the video. It rendered full screen during the interview but for some reason Skype software cut her off on the final render!

Dan’s Topic: Life’s Spam Filter

Alright so you know I love my Gmail, and I have all of my email accounts setup come into my Gmail account. I’ve had my Gmail account since it first came out in ‘by invitation only’ Beta back in 2004… and it’s done nothing but get better and better, and more powerful. One of the best things about Gmail is its incredibly efficient spam filter. It’s very seldom that I get spam in my inbox because long before I check it, my spam filter has already done what it does best…keep all the junk that I don’t need to deal with out of my inbox so I can focus my attention on the emails that are truly important to me, including the ones that you send (which we love to get, by the way).

Occasionally, I do go back and check my spam folder just to see if something got filtered out that shouldn’t have been. I’ve only had this happen a few times and I can tell you that in none of the cases was this catastrophic. It might have been a minor inconvenience to me, or more importantly, to the sender. But it never really caused any issues that couldn’t easily be resolved.

I also go back and check my spam folder from time to time…not regularly…just once in awhile, out of curiosity. It’s interesting to see the junk that goes in there! As of today….I have 3,576 junk emails in my Gmail spam folder. That’s from less than 30 days ago. Apparently I’m missing out on all sorts of opportunities! Loans, inheritance from afar, opportunities to help the Nigerian Finance Minister with that country’s accounts…countless pharmaceuticals to make some of my body parts bigger and others smaller, and apparently I’m pretty irresistible to foreign women from lots of different countries (but especially Russian women) and the ideal candidate for instant credit! And adding up just the totals on the first 2 pages I have almost $450 dollars of unclaimed Wal-Mart gift cards. I have so many offers for Lasik surgery that I’m starting to think they’re from listeners of last week’s show who heard me tell my story about petting ODC’s tail, aka the watering can. Suffice it to say, I really appreciate all the hard work my Gmail spam folders do for me. It’s just something that is too easy to take for granted but really saves me a lot of time and effort.

Well, you might be thinking this topic is about Gmail or tech. But the reality is, as I checked my spam folder the other day, something hit me. As I scrolled down…and saw the thousands and thousands of  things that I didn’t have to deal with anymore because my filters did it for me, I realized that SIMPLICITY is the spam folder for my life!

Simplicity helps us deal with the physical manifestations of the spam emails we all get. If we let it, it helps us immediately discern what’s important and what’s not…what’s in line with our life plan and what’s not…what’s congruent with our faith, our morals, goals, aspirations, dreams and relationships.

Just as spam filters protect us from following links that lead to trouble such as scams, malware, viruses, deception…so simplicity protects us in our everyday lives from the false promises of more, better, bigger, limited time offer and “but wait there’s more.” Simplicity filters out much of the negative so we can concentrate on the positive. Because the reality is we’re so much happier in a world where less is more, we love what we have, and subtraction nets a greater sum than addition. Choices become easier and we don’t have to triage how we spend our time because we’ve taken on too much. With simplicity we can afford the finer things because we’re not spending on frivolous things. With simplicity, we have the latitude to channel our effort, energy, finances, time, and emotions on all that we’ve determined to be important to us in our life plan.  Simplicity can be our lens, our filter, and our focus.  

So, if you’re a regular listener you’re likely well on your way to simplifying your life. But if you’re just getting started, I’d like to share  a few lines from a reply to a very gracious note we received from listener just the other day. In the note, they mentioned that their lives were becoming “incrementally simpler.” I think that’s the perfect way to effect true life changes. In reply I mentioned my thoughts about that. I wrote:

“I think making small incremental changes like you’re doing is right on track. It seems like a lifetime ago, but “back in the day” when I used to jump out of planes for a living, we had a saying when inspecting parachutes and rigging for drops: “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.“ While the context certainly is different I think the same guidance applies to any changes we make in our lives. Slow and steady wins the race.”

So if you think you’d like to simplify your life a bit, don’t feel like you have to make changes overnight. Sure, take action, that’s how things get done…but don’t be overwhelmed by the amount of “stuff” you own, the stacks of files, the digital clutter, and lack of white space on your calendar. Take some time to visualize how you want your life to look. Make small incremental changes. Be confident that low and steady wins the race. Keep plugging away. Make lots of little positive decisions and changes. Over time, and before you know it, simplicity will become a spam filter for your life too.  And things will become so much easier. Trust Vanessa and me…you CAN do this. It is so worth it. And we’d be happy to be able to help out along the way. You can reach us through the comments or email us at Dan@SimpleLifeTogether.com or Vanessa@SimpleLifeTogether.com

Vanessa Topic: Simplicity For A Lifetime

Recently I’ve worked with a client who is managing the estate of a loved one she lost.  She loved this family member dearly…I mean…truly loved and admired her. It’s been an emotional time just dealing with the loss.  But making matters very difficult, is that she’s now having to manage the estate…the estate of a hoarder.

If you’ve seen shows on television (Hoarders or Hoarding, Buried Alive) you can see how challenging it can be to live with someone who suffers from hoarding.  It’s painful, frustrating, and heart-wrenching…especially when it’s someone you truly love.

And it’s just as frustrating…or even more so after a person passes away.  Not only are you grieving the loss of a loved one…now you’re faced with mounds of reminders of their life. Some good, some bad.

You start to ask why?  What were they thinking?  What were their intentions for all this stuff?  Why did they hold on to all this junk? And why is all this really cool, valuable and sentimental memorabilia stuffed under mounds of trash?

Then the hard realizations start to set in….why did they shop and collect so much?  Did this stuff make them happy?  Were they truly happy?  Did they really plan on living their life in and under all this clutter…sharing it with rodents and their feces? Oh gosh...was all this stuff a way to fill a void in their life?  How did I not see it before? How could I not help them?  Dammit…why didn’t I help them!!!

And then you’re left with filtering all that stuff.  All those reminders…spending hours, days, weeks and often months trying to discern what to keep and what to let go of.  Trying to put the pieces together to finalize wills, financial documents and what to sell, give away, or trash.  It’s exhausting!

But there is a silver lining here…a bright side if you will.  One of the greatest things that comes out of dealing with a situation like this is that you put your own life in perspective.  You start to analyze how you want the end of your life to be…not just for yourself…but for your loved ones.

So what I thought I would do is share some of the recurring mistakes I’ve seen folks make that lead to difficult end of life experiences and offer some ideas to make it smoother.

Regardless of if you’ve had to deal with the loss of a loved one or not, I think there is a lot you can learn on how you can deliberately live your life and potentially alleviate a lot of heartache and pain for your loved ones.

1. Start with the End State:  We foot stomp this practically every show but it’s sooooo important!  I see this as one of the major things missing when it comes to dealing with these types of situations.  How do you want your life to look in the end?  How do you envision your loved ones handling your estate and affairs?  I’m sure most of you don’t want to be an inconvenience right?  I know I don’t want to be a burden or inconvenience to my loved ones.  I envision the executor of our wills/estate being able to access our most important information in one spot that answers as many questions as possible so that there’s not a lot  of “thinking” to do on their end.  Our wills outline our intentions with our things and our bodies. All of our account information is in one spot (banking, savings, investments, property, vehicles, insurance, other valuable property, etc)….and any other important info like special notes or letters to loved ones are there too.  One-stop shopping….that’s key!

Still thinking about the end state…I also don’t want my home to be a burden when it comes to selling it.  Let me just tell you…if two homes were identical as far as having the exact same items and number of things in them…a home that is unorganized and cluttered is a heck of  a lot more difficult to prep and sell than one that is organized.  A loved one is going to have to invest a lot more time, energy and money (like my client) prepping it to sell.  Is that a burden you want to pass on to a loved one? Probably not.

2. Evaluate Your Multiple Streams Of Clutter:  Often times we have too many streams of clutter flowing into our lives but little to no streams flowing out.  We have streams of clutter flowing in in the form of gifts, mail, flyers, schools, paperwork, holiday gifts, shopping excursions, hobbies (oh the hobbies), awards, travels, hand me downs, freebies, etc.  But rarely do we have streams flowing out.

There are a couple of ways to navigate these streams.  You can ONE…dam a couple of them up to stop the flow!  Or TWO, create new backwards/outward flowing streams to get clutter out.

Dams can be in the form of budgets (not allowing yourself to spend outside your means)…limiting exposure to advertisements on the internet (FB) and television…or limiting yourself to random shopping trips.

One example of creating a stream to flow out some of your clutter is practicing the one-in-one-out rule. They can also be clutter busting routines like systematically editing your mail and paper clutter on a daily basis or organizing different areas of your home on a monthly or quarterly basis.

3. Establish Clear Boundaries For Yourself:  How many hobbies can you possibly have and truly enjoy?   I see this time and time again where people have a need for a creative outlet (which I think is incredibly important), but have too many hobbies.  I can’t tell you how many empty scrapbooks I’ve come across…or shelves of unused tools and supplies (like sewing material) in the homes I’ve worked in.  Try and pick just a couple at a time, and if you want to start a new one…have a system of evaluating what stays and goes…it may be a hobby altogether.

You can also establish boundaries physically…like actually enjoying the “white space” or “margin” in your life like Dan refers to.  You don’t have to fill your calendar with events to stay busy…or fill every shelf and wall in your home.  Leave time to breath and relax.

How about setting boundaries with gifts that you receive.  We’ve started doing this with our families.  We tell them we’d much rather enjoy an experience rather than a “thing”…like dinner at a nice restaurant… or a play or sporting event….or just plain cash is nice!   Express your boundaries to your loved ones…it’s ok….if if they don’t understand… put it out there anyway.

Boundaries for gift-giving. Again, I can’t tell you how many homes I’ve been in where clients have closets…sometimes rooms full of items intended to be given away as gifts.  It’s like it’s an excuse/justification for buying that post-holiday bargain!  Don’t do it.

As with any shopping whether it be for gifts, clothes, or groceries…shop with a purpose.  Don’t get things just because it’s a great deal…or maybe you could use it someday…or that you’ll need it for your future hobby…or that you might sell if for a crazy amount of money on Ebay.  Be mindful with your shopping.

4. Establish Defined Homes For Your Things:  Like I said earlier.  If you don’t have homes for your items…you’ll end up purchasing the same things over and over again because you can’t find them.  That’s what I notice time and time again with many of my clients.  Because they can’t find what they are looking for they go out and buy it again.  You can save loads of time and money if you create zones and homes for you things.

Having defined homes for your things is also very beneficial when it comes to managing an estate.  Even if you have a lot of stuff, if it’s organized…it’ll be much easier for your loved ones to know exactly what you have and they’ll be better equipped to make speedy decisions on what to do with things. I spent hours sorting through items that were scattered throughout my clients home and property.   Just when you thought you had all the pottery and dishes together, you’d find 10 more boxes in a shed.  Or all the family photo albums…then you’d find a random box or album in a box of miscellaneous items. Too much time and effort will be wasted. And even worse…you risk the possibility of something valuable or sentimental being thrown away because your loved one gets fed up and just decided to toss it all!

So, those are just a few things to think about as you look ahead to your future and the future of loved ones.  None of us like to think about end of life…it can be sad.  But reframe your thinking about it…think about how you can live your life now with a plan and with a purpose.

No, you won’t see the benefits immediately but you will see them as you drift along on those uncluttered streams of life...leading a course for your loved ones to navigate easily on.

I don’t know about you but I’d much rather be remembered as someone who loved and cherished her life and loved ones…not just in the moment but even in the end.  Life should be celebrated not just at birth and in the middle…but also in the end.

Thing Segment

• Dan’s Thing: Simplifying My Wallet and CardStar App

• Vanessa’s Thing: The Truth Hurts But Can Lead To Positive Action and the movie Hungry For Change

Links

Midway Simplicity

Belkin Travel Surge Protector

Vanessa’s Charity Water Campaign

Hungry For Change Movie

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