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We Loved
Up
Give A Goodnight Kiss
Start Loving Yourself and Your Life
LIVING IN THE PRESENT MOMENT
THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING
CREATING MORE TIME AND MONEY
RELAX, HAVE FUN, AND ENJOY LIFE
RELATIONSHIPS
ILLNESS AND GRIEF
YOUR FAMILY, CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
BAD HABITS
YOU AND SOCIETY
SPIRITUALITY
YOUR JOURNAL AND QUESTIONNAIRE
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CREATING MORE TIME AND MONEY
(AND GETTING ORGANIZED)
25. Create the Life You Want.
Don't just let life blow you around like a leaf in the wind. You can manage your
time, money, and activities. First of all, who isn't overbooked these days? We
fill our lives with so many activities that we practically live in the car, en
route to one more event. So how does it feel? Exhausting? Unfulfilling? Frantic?
You can change this pattern. You got yourself into it, now get yourself out.
Take control and be deliberate. If you are thinking "How?" keep reading.
26. Reprioritize Your Time.
Start to keep track of what you do in a typical week. Do you work
outside the home? Commute? Taxi kids back and forth? Chair or participate in
committees, clubs, organizations? Take classes? Volunteer? Provide elder care or
child care? Do you have shopping, menu planning, laundry? What are your
obligations and commitments? What could be dropped, and what can't.
Now, get brutal here. Are all these activities enhancing or burdening your
life? Some things you can't change, but most you can. Maybe you need to start
out small, or maybe you need a giant life makeover. You decide. In any case, if
you are not living the life you really want, then you have to make some changes,
now. (JE)
27. Simplify and Be Deliberate.
Decide which activities in your life are valuable and which are not.
Eliminate all the extra activities that take your time but do not enrich your
life. Set limits for yourself and your family. SAY NO to burdensome
committees or engagements. Allow your kids to each have one extra activity
during the school year (unless they can get themselves there). If you have ten
kids, then they will have to do an activity together. For example, they can all
take the same art class or go swimming together. Kids suffer just like you do
when every minute is booked up with activities. We all need more "down time," or
unscheduled time in which to take up a hobby, read, or relax.
To put it all in perspective: if you moved away, would your community cease
to function? If you quit your job, would your employer go out of business? You
are not indispensable, and you are free to make choices for your own good. (JE)
28. Save Time with a Strategy. Get Help.
Can't get it all done? Did you eliminate some activities yet? Here
are a few more suggestions: if you spend hours commuting to work, why not move
closer to your job, or get another job closer to home? Hire a housekeeper,
cleaning service, or gardener. Order your bulk groceries over the Internet. Have
your kids take the school bus. Arrange carpools with friends. Hire an
enthusiastic teenager to watch your kids while you clean the kitchen. (Pay these
kids well,they deserve it.) Join a dinner co-op, or swap dinners with friends.
Double recipes and freeze half for later. Figure out what chores you least like,
and find a way to minimize them. All kinds of services are springing up out
there to help families. For example, laundromats often wash and fold. Maybe you
just need some help on occasion. If your job is not worth it, maybe you can
provide a service for others who work outside the home. Child care providers,
dog walkers, housekeepers, and elder caregivers are in big demand. How about
home-delivered dinners? All those frantic working people out there need help. (JE)
29. Don't Burn the Candle at Both Ends.
You can't do it all, and you don't have to. Others will probably pick up the
ball if you drop it. And if they don't, it won't be the end of the world.
Keeping up a frantic pace puts people in the hospital, or else their
relationships suffer. Something or someone will pay the price.
30. Budget Time to Do Nothing.
You don't have to fill every minute with some activity. Nothing
spontaneous can happen if you're all booked up. Sit outside for a few minutes,
or listen to some music. Let your mind unwind. If you're a real control freak,
schedule some time to do nothing.
31. Turn Off the TV.
Some people find they have more time and can be better organized when
the TV is off.
32. The Stuff Trap.
Most people have too much stuff. Some of us have it lying all over the place or
stuffed in our closets. Others have it boxed up for future use (never to be seen
again). Saving it just in case we might need it sometime is generally a bad
reason. We usually don't need it, can't find it, or don't even remember we have
it. So don't buy another thing until you read #33. Okay? (JE)
33. Dejunk, Unclutter, Weed Out, and Organize Your Home.
You'll have more room, spend less time looking for lost stuff, and
your home will be much easier to clean. You'll feel more rested, tranquil, and
happier. When people drop by, you won't have to hide. You might be shocked when
you start to realize how much money you have spent on useless stuff you don't
even want anymore. Give it away. Your old stuff might be useful to someone else.
34. How to Get Started at Dejunking.
First of all, do not be intimidated by a huge mess. There's an
epidemic of junk junkies out there, so don't feel bad. Plan to spend a
considerable amount of time on this project if your mess is big. You want to
keep at it, too. Be determined; your sanity is worth it. Play the "Rocky" theme
song if you have to.
Some people start with their junk drawer or closet. I say start with your
living room and public rooms because you will see results faster. Get three big
boxes (or trash bags). Mark them: "Give Away", "Throw Away", and "Undecided."
Now put all items in their proper place in your house or in one of your boxes.
You can have a garage sale and make some money. Start giving more stuff away all
the time. Some people make a trip to their local charity every week. People will
love your generosity. You'll feel freer and freer as you start to see some space
returning to your home. And your stuff will no longer own you . . . you'll own
it!
About that undecided box . . . time to get rid of that stuff. too. (JE)
35. Want More Money? Quit Buying Stuff.
Get out of the materialism rat race. Advertising has convinced us that we need a
ton of stuff. Then, when we have it, all we do is trip over it. "In fashion"
is a big hook for a lot of us. Be much more selective. And sort first. For
all you know, you might have one of those in the closet already.
36. What Do You Really Need?
Besides some self-control . . . do you really need a new, expensive car; a big
new house; a new CD player; and all the latest electronic gadgets known to
humankind? You really can live without most of those things, especially if you
are trying to save money. Eating out and vacations (try camping) are big money
pits, too. So if you spend all your time working and not enjoying life, just so
you can buy stuff, then whoa--- slow way down and reprioritize. Work less, spend
less, enjoy more. (JE)
37. Are You a Shopaholic?
This sounds funny but really isn't. You know how much money you are spending,
and you still feel miserable. You are trying to fill up a hole in your soul.
It's like any other addiction, so feed your spirit. Seek professional help if
necessary. Get help because you deserve it and you've suffered enough.
38. Don't Spend More Money than You Have.
Cut up those credit cards. You know that the instant gratification is not worth
the stress. If you keep one credit card for convenience or emergencies, charge
only what you can pay off each month.
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Meaning of Love
Home Work
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