Ahead of the Game

So, this blog is actually being written in mid-January... Yes, I am 2.5 months ahead in my blogging and it is getting more and more challenging to blog about timely topics! Can't talk about the snow storms in January when I'm posting into April! So, this will be the last pre-dated blog for a while... I'll reconnect tomorrow... April 1 and we'll all be on the same timeline! In the meantime, I might do some grandfather writing... keep the Fitness blog on the go... and take care of some other things!

Pro Clutter

So, we all know there are some people who swear by their clutter and by their mess. They will tell you that they can find anything that they want and that their mess is a sign of their creativity. That they don't mind the mess... Which is fine... If people can find what they need, and the mess doesn't bother them, then let them be messy...

I think the issue is when people are messy and can't find anything... or the mess bothers them... or it swamps them and their creativity. I've known people who have told me "Just let me find that article"... and 2 hours later they are still looking for it... doing an impromptu declutter as they go... That is not a great way to justify mess!

Mind you... even the highly organized person might have trouble finding something! "Did I feel that paper under finance or insurance or automobile or..."... I find that problem with emails a lot... I will file something into a folder that seems sensible, but then I have trouble finding it later on... Happily, Outlook does have a search feature... but that doesn't help us with paper folders!

I suppose the overall thing is... if you can find things (however you are organized or not)... great! If you can't find things... it might be time to take a look at your system of organization or deorganization! And find something that works for you...

Enjoy the Journey

So, I was looking at booking a flight to Nanaimo the other week... and then booking a return flight out of Vancouver, because I want to spend the weekend there. So I need to get from Nanaimo to Vancouver. Air Canada has a $148 flight (that doesn't include taxes). Greyhound has a bus but there are no fares on the website and the schedule isn't convenient... Which leaves me with the other alternative... I could walk onto the ferry as a pedestrian ($13.75) and then catch the Vancouver transit bus in Horseshoe Bay... $3.75... That's... $17.50 I think... Hmmm... that seems like a no-brainer! Yes, the plane is quicker but when you think about needing to be at the airport 1 hour ahead of time, plus the flight (20 minutes) and then waiting for luggage (another 20 minutes), and then catching the Canada Line to downtown Vancouver (30 min)... well that's almost 2 hours already! And a lot of it rushing around... Whereas if I take the ferry, I can sit and enjoy the ferry ride and write or read... and the same on the bus...

I'm finding that travel time is precious time... time for me... time where I can read or write and just enjoy the journey... I know that some people get frustrated at having to wait for buses or planes or trains... but I'm kind of liking that time at the airport or on the bus or on the ferry... Time where I can just be and relax... I suppose it's the way I'm holding that time... If I have a 4 hour layover in Edmonton, I can grump about it... or I can enjoy it... Both options are open to me... and both are because of the way I think about them... my choice...

Off Kilter

I got here to Starbucks (Favourite #1) a little later than normal, so there are no comfy chairs available... I have to sit at a little round table on a wooden chair... Which is fine... it's just that the comfy chairs are so... well... comfy! And they are part of my routine... I think I've written of routine before, and how we sometimes need to shake up our routine but... Well, after almost a month of house guests and being away at workshops, I have to say that there is something to be said for routine! Getting out of routine throws me off balance... And I get a little irritated and frustrated and anxious that things aren't getting done and when are they going to get done... and how are they going to get done and who's going to do them!? Yeah... there is something to be said for routine... just not rigid routine... the sort that keeps you stuck in a rut doing the same thing day after day with no possibility of doing anything differently! How about fluid routine... or flexible routine...

34% & Counting

Hmmm... I didn't plug in my laptop to charge overnight and here I am in Starbucks with only 34% battery life and no electrical cord!!! I'm going to have to type fast and get a few blogs done before it fizzles on me. While 34% might seem like a lot (like maybe an hour), in truth it's more like 1/2 hour because the computer shuts down at about 15% or so... Guess it needs some power to actually shut down!

That will teach me to pay more attention to what I'm about, rather than getting distracted by things. On the flip side, it will give me a chance to read a few things that are riding around in my office bag... so I can put the time here to good use... I find that in most cases, we can always put the time to good use. Waiting in traffic... waiting at a doctor's office... waiting for a friend to show up... waiting for whatever it might be... When plans change due to circumstances beyond our control, we can lament and bemoan the fact, or we can go with the flow and find something else to do... something else to take our time... There are all sorts of possibilities out there... we just need to know where to look and be open to possiblities showing up out of the blue...

Hmmm... Maybe Project 888...

Hmmm... I don't think project 333 is going to work for me!!! I did go through my closet yesterday and decluttered quite a few clothes... things that I don't wear, jeans that are too worn out, etc. I even got rid of some t-shirts that were perfectly fine, because I got 6 new ones over Christmas... Cleared a few socks out of my drawer... But, I am nowhere near 33 items of clothing and footwear... and toques and mitts and scarves... So maybe it will be project 444 or 555... (we'll skip the whole 666 thing)... or 777 or 888... I don't know... But I do acknowledge that I hardly wear some of my clothes so... I did that trick with the clothes hanger... hanging it backwards on the closet rod and we'll see where we're at in 3 months... or 6 months or 12 months...

I have to admit though... clothing really isn't my sticky point! It's more like books... and cds... and cards... Oh yeah, cards & writing paper!!! Oooh.... yeah... that is more of a challenge. But, I've made a rule with myself that I can't buy any new stuff until I clear at least half of them out of my letter writing cupboard... So far, I'm doing good on not bringing new things in... not too good on using them up though! But at least I know what I need to do...

Project 333

Hmmm... I came across this the other day while jumping from Unclutterer.com to zenhabits.net to bemorewithless.com (quite the little hop-scotch trip)... All 3 websites have to do with living a fulfilling life with less... or at least more organized... but definitely less...

Anyhow, I came across this Project 333... the idea is to have a wardrobe of 33 items for 3 months... Yup, that's it... The Original Rules are:

• When: October 1 – December 31 (It’s never too late to start so join in anytime!)
• What: 33 items including clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear and shoes.
• What not: these items are not counted as part of the 33 items – wedding ring, underwear, sleep, in-home lounge wear, and workout clothing (you can only wear your workout clothing to workout)
• How: over the next two months, outline your 33 items, by the 1st of October, box up the remainder of your fashion statement, seal it with tape and put it out of sight.
• What else: consider that you are creating a wardrobe that you can live, work and play in for three months. If you purchase items for project 333, stick with the one in, two out approach. Consider the essentials and stick to 33.

Apparently it also does not include socks (whew!), but it does include jewellery, scarves, gloves, hats, etc. I'm wondering... Could I make do with 33 items?? Pants, jeans, spiffy clothes, sweaters, t-shirts... hmmm... Doing a mental trot through my closet and my dresser... I think I have at least 33 t-shirts on their own!! And jeans are at least 10 or 12... and shirts are at least 15... and well... hmmm...

I've heard the rule that you only wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time... and that you wear 80% of your clothes only 20% of the time... I've also heard that one way to figure out what you do wear is to hang your hangers backwards on the closet rod... After 6 months or 12 months, if something hasn't been flipped around to hang the right way, well... you haven't worn it in 6 months or 12 months... so it's time to let it go... It might be time for me to take a look at that...

More later!! Or rather... more about less... later!