Getting Stuff Done With a New Baby

Using the tri-cotti carrier

Hello my old friend. After 6 months this blog is like a glimpse of what life was like pre-baby. By now we've been parents for exactly half a year (today our daughter is six months old) and nobody could have predicted how different life would be.

This blog will undoubtedly reflect our new life with lots of tips for parents with babies and young children, but those of you who don't have any offspring or who's chicks have matured into full-fledged birds won't go without either. Many of the posts will cater to both, so stick with me. Plus, in case you're ever called upon to babysit, you'll know where to look!

Clearly, finding time to do pretty much anything has become quite difficult. It only took me half a year to find a moment to write this post. But there are some tricks to finding spare time when you have a baby that I've been able to try out myself. Feel free to add your own in the comments! I can ALWAYS use an extra couple of minutes!!!

1.   Tip number one: Don't have kids! The only way not to have children take over your life is not to have any. I used to imagine long hours of writing while baby took her naps. Hahahaha! I imagine all those people who already have children must have found it hard not to laugh at my naive image.
   
2. Nap first! As a new mom I've felt pretty much tired every single day since the day baby was born. And I know I'm not the only one. Trying to get stuff done while you're tired is like drying off under a running shower: It never ends. Sleep is essential to your physical health, mental health and, not in the least, your relationships! And a rested mommy is worth ten tired ones!
   
3. Use baby's nap time. When our little girl's asleep, we try to get as much done as possible before she wakes up again. That doesn't mean we'll finish it all, but it's a start!
   
4. Carry baby around. I use a babylonia bb-sling to carry baby on my hip while I hang up laundry, chop veggies, vacuum the house. And Daddy uses it just as much! Baby is entertained and learns a great deal at the same time.
   
5. Chillax! Don't worry about the stuff that doesn't get done, it'll end up stressing you out every single moment of the day.

Life may be completely different with a new baby, but you will find a new normal. Keep in mind as well that most children do eventually grow up to become independent beings. By the time they turn 15, you'll be fighting to spend time WITH them instead of on your own.

Do Double by Doing Half

Picture by Richard North

My tasks these days have become a little less glamorous than they used to be, but I still have chores and things I want to accomplish each day. The only problem is that I don't always have the energy to do it all at once anymore.
Rather than not doing anything at all, or delegating to my dearest husband (who would do anything I ask him, but how unfair would that be?), I split up tasks to make them more manageable.
I start by just doing half of what I have to do. And then I cut whatever's left in half again.

Say you have to finish a report, write a blog post, do a load of ironing. Tell yourself that for now it will suffice to just do half the report/blog post/load of wrinklies. After that you deserve a break (grab a cup of coffee or practice corpse pose for a couple of minutes). When you come back to the second half of the task, do the same thing. Cut it in half again, and take another break. Keep doing this until whatever's left of the task is so small that you would just rather finish it right away. 

So which task did I have to use this on? I almost feel embarrassed to tell you, but in the spirit of full disclosure, I'll do it anyways: I had to slice 4 loaves of bread by hand yesterday, and it just seemed like too much to do at once. I sliced two, took a break, than one, rested for a bit, then the other. I still got the job done quite quickly since the break times took no more than 5-10 minutes, but I didn't feel stressed and rushed because I took care of my myself in the process.

What do you think? Wanna give it a try? Let me know how it went!

Take Time to Set Up

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I love to do a whole range of different activities. I enjoy writing, crafts, reading, playing board games, to only name a few. Each activity comes with its own set of necessary tools, and the tip I want to give today is one that will save you time whatever it is you need to do or enjoy doing.
One of the most important things for me when it comes to a task, is getting a proper start. I don't want to start making dinner only to have to head out for onions 10 minutes later. I don't like to start ironing only to find I forgot to get water. You get the idea.

So how do we avoid this? You make sure to take the time to set up properly. It only takes a couple of minutes (provided you don't have to run out to buy onions), but saves you lots more time and will make you much happier.

When you think of the activity you want to do, try to mentally run through the different steps in your mind. With each step, try to see in your mind what you're using and get that ready. If there are a whole lot of steps, take time to write down a list of what you need now so you can always refer back to it later.

It also helps to keep your materials together. If you enjoy knitting (like I do), don't keep your yarn in one room and needles in the other. Make sure you have it packed together so you can just take out the whole package at a time. 
It can help to keep a bottle of water next to your iron board, keep your cleaning materials together, your pencils and erasers. Organization is key here. 

BUT don't make the mistake of always taking out ALL the materials that are kept in one place. You don't need a meat cleaver to slice tomatoes. You don't need a head set to write an email. 

Getting your stuff ready ahead of time especially matters in activities like cooking, baking or painting, where your hands get too dirty to start rummaging around for stuff once you've gotten yourself all messy.
Are you someone who takes time to set up everything or do you find yourself running back and forth for the first fifteen minutes?
Feel free to comment below!

Final Five Review

Photo by Michael Coghlan

Wow, it's been a while, right? My last post dates from around Christmas, but I don't want you thinking I've been sitting on my bum doing nothing for the last two months. In that time we rounded up our lives in China and flew across the Pacific. Now we're living in Los Angeles, setting up for our lives with a new baby, only to fly to Belgium next week to actually have that baby.

Being focused, driven and productive in a time like that is not easy, but all the more important. There are so many things to get done and the lack of structure means that without concentration some tasks keep falling through the cracks.

So what we did was take the last minutes of each day and go over what we had accomplished and what was still left to do.

The best time to do this is right before going to bed. I suggest taking pen and paper to write down anything you might need to remember. Go over the day by yourself, or with your significant other, and congratulate yourself and each other on what you have accomplished. Even if it was a lazy day and all you did was go out to lunch with the in-laws, acknowledge that this is an important part of life too!

Then go over the tasks that you still have left to do and think of a time to do them. It could be as simple as planning to do them the next day or later. Just keeping them in mind is what helps. 

Doing this and reminding ourselves of our responsibilities ensured that we got a lot done but were still very flexible. More on the importance of flexibility later!

Hire Someone Else - Trade Jobs

Picture by Iain Farrell

There are some tasks which are more suited to some people than to others. I actually know people who enjoy cleaning, and I'm one of the few people I know who doesn't mind ironing. But I'm sure there's plenty of things that you don't really like to do. How about hiring someone else to do them for you?

When I say 'hire' someone, I don't necessarily mean paying someone else to do your chores for you. You could also trade tasks with another member of your household or a neighbor.
Do you know that your neighbor or friend really loves gardening but hates cooking? How about trading responsibilities and asking them to help you out in return for a home-cooked meal?

If you have no one to trade with, and can afford it; consider actually paying someone to do those things for you you don't enjoy.
My mom recently hired a cleaning lady and really loves it. It has helped her free up time for things she enjoys doing. I once worked for a place that does people's laundry for them (I helped with the ironing, naturally.)I have a friend in China who pays a student to help her out with errands, and loves how much trouble it saves her.

Thinking that spending an hours wages on an hours pay is not a good use of your money only makes sense if you don't enjoy your job. If you do, wouldn't you rather trade one hour at a job you enjoy for the hour of chores that you hate?

Do you employ anyone or use a service to help you out with stuff? Do you ever regret the money you spend on it? How about chores in your house?

5 Ways to Keep Bed Rest Interesting

Picture by Ahmad Ridhwan

So my doctor put me on a mild version of bed rest for the time being. I'm choosing to see it as a forced holiday instead of the drag it's usually made out to be, and am planning to make the most of it. How do you do that?

The internet has made it much easier these days to do a whole bunch of things even if you're not allowed to go out or get out of bed except for bathroom trips and showers.
This is how I plan to get through the next two weeks and what I would suggest to other people. These tips can all be applied in 5 minutes or less, but will be worth so much more:

1. Plan your day
   Even if you don't have to do anything, no work, no responsibilities, it will make your time much more enjoyable if you have something planned to do. Think of a rudimentary schedule so you have an idea of what you will do when.
   
2. Start a project
   Having something productive to do can make you feel less helpless and useless. If all you need to do is rest, but you're otherwise in good health, then it's easy to get restless while resting (as contradictory as that may sound). Having a project to work on, such as a craft, writing, or other assignment, can make you feel like you're using your time well.
   
3. Invite friends over
   Being confined to the house will probably mean that you're not interacting with others as much as you're used to. No more casual conversation at the grocery store or at work. To maintain your link with the outside world, invite friends over for a cup of tea and a piece of cake.
   
4. Limit your break-time activities
   Don't be tempted to play a computer game for 5 hours or watch three movies in a row. Then you may feel that instead of relaxing you're just forcing time to go by, and time becomes your enemy instead of your friend. Remember that time, any time we have, is a gift that we'll never get back. Seeing it that way will ensure that you find a great use for it!
   
5. Start learning something new
   How about picking up a craft or learning a new language? Get a 'Dummies' book or a good tape and start studying. Find something you've always wanted to study but never had time for and do it.

The reason I sort of know what to do is that I've had holidays which resemble house arrest. I would stay at home all day and do nothing, and then feel horrible after. So I figured out ways to use that time effectively. Sure, bed rest puts a limit on the kind of activities you can do, but these days there is still so much left.

Have you ever been put on bed rest or house arrest because of a medical condition? How did you pass the time? I'd love to hear more ideas to make the most of my obligatory holiday.

Here's hoping you'll never be put on bed rest, and that if you are, these tips might make it more bearable for you.

Worth Every Minute: Productivity

I know many of you are looking for ways to become more productive. In the past, many of the posts have been about habits to become more productive, and today I want to share somebody else's take on the issue.

The post I want to share today is one about habits that are unproductive that we could let go of. It's interesting to take a look at these common activities and review them in the light of their effectiveness.

Even though the English in this post is not perfect, it's worth reading for the excellent advice it gives. For a long list, it's also pretty concise, so don't worry about having to spend too much time.
Let me know what you think! Or if there's anything else you would add to that list.

17 Unproductive Habits to Let Go by Timo Kiander on LifeOptimizer.org.

Have a little more time and want to see what else is worth reading/watching. Have a look at the other posts in the Worth Every Minute series.

Jumping Back on the Wagon

Picture by Odense Bys Museer

Since last summer, I've been slacking off a bit when it came to productive and life-improving habits. Sure, we were still eating healthy and I'm still finishing all of my class preparations, but that's about it. I haven't really been focusing on the long-term goals and the house-hold and my blogs have suffered too.

This has been bothering me, and maybe some of you too.

My hubby and I have been waiting for paperwork to get out of China and finally see our US family again. This being in-between where we were and where we want to be has left us feeling like we don't really care so much about the present anymore.
But just sitting around waiting is a waste of time. Especially if it just goes on for months without any idea of when it might get better.

Well, I'm done with it. And for those of you who have started hibernating and letting go of some of the great habits you've built up: this is for you too.

Over the months from September 2010 to August 2011, I started some great habits. I built them up slowly, but by June 2011 we were getting up early, getting daily exercise, eating well, blogging daily, and feeling great about all of it. I loved that time, but when I got first trimester morning sickness, it became impossible to keep up with. 

Now I want it back, but it seems like so much to do at once.

So what do you do? Start with one thing. Build up the habits the way you did before. Today I started with one of the first habits that I picked up before, and the easiest one for me: making a daily plan. I take out my diary (which has been gathering dust on the messy desk in the never-used office) and wrote down a rough outline of what I plan to do each hour. I left some space open to fill in later, but that'll slowly get filled up too. 

It worked pretty well. My day was much more productive than they have been this week, and I felt a lot more energetic. 

When we give up on a habit, we often think that's it. We tried it and clearly it didn't work. But it doesn't have to be that way. An ex-smoker who falls off the wagon doesn't have to settle for smoking for the rest of their life. A busy mom who's gained weight doesn't have to forget about exercising forever.
We each have our times when it's difficult to do the things we know are good for us, and make us happy.

When the time is right, however, you will feel the urge to get back into gear and you can feel confident knowing you've already succeeded once before!  

3 Easy Tricks to Eat More Fruit

Picture by Michael Geipel

Vegetables are quite easy to incorporate into our diet since they're a part of our main meals, but unless you eat fruit as a desert or with breakfast, it can be difficult to give it a place in your diet. Fruit makes an ideal snack, however, as long as it's readily available when you feel like snacking.
Healthy eating is always a concern of mine, and with another life growing inside, it is now more so than ever. So I try to consume at least 3 pieces of fruit a day. Here's how I do it:

1. Pick fruit that's easy to eat on the go. It's tangerine and banana season here, but apples, grapes or berries are great too. Put a piece of fruit (or a bag of grapes) in your purse/briefcase so you have it with you when you're out of the house. You'll find yourself reaching for it when you're in the mood for something sweet because it's so close at hand.
   
2. Make a smoothie or shake to go with breakfast or as an in between snack. You can pack smoothies with quite a bit of different fruits, and you can add milk or yogurt for extra calcium, or orange juice for extra  vitamin C. Adding ice-cream is delicious, but kind of defeats the purpose. We've been loving our banana-yogurt-cocoa shakes lately!
   
3. Wash fruits right when you bring them into the house, and then display them wherever you spend the most time in the house. Having it already washed means you can just reach and take a bite. It also means you can let your fruit soak in salt water which is a great way to remove pesticides.
   Remember to wash your fruit even if it is organic because there are bugs and parasites in dirt too!

For me, fruit is a great way to satisfy that craving for something sweet without having to feel guilty about it. It also gives you fast sugars if you're feeling low on energy, so it's a great pick-me-up.
Fruits are full of wonderful nutrients, so every piece is a treat not only for your taste buds, but for your body too! Enjoy!

5 Tasks that Take More Time than You Think

Instant Noodles (source)

We're notoriously bad at gauging time. If you've been with this blog for a while, maybe you remember the post I wrote about Time: a User's Guide by Stefan Klein. You can read the post here if you haven't yet.

We overestimate and underestimate how long something takes all the time. When we overestimate we end up with extra free time we didn't expect, which is nice, or put something of we could've done, which is not so nice. But when we think a task is much shorter than it really is in reality, we can end up planning too much and stretching ourselves too thin.
To avoid that, have a look at these 5 common activities that may take more time than you think. Next time you do one of them, try to time or pay attention to how long you spend on them to get a more realistic idea.

1. Getting ready, whether it's in the morning, to leave work or to go out, always takes time. My hubby and I often find ourselves rushing out the door because we turned off the computer at 7:15, which is also when we have to leave. Gathering your stuff, putting on coats and shoes and checking you got the keys are all tiny time-consumers not to be forgotten!
   
2. Checking e-mails (or online networks) is an activity that can take anywhere from 3 seconds to 3 hours. It all depends on where you let the e-mails take you. If you're going to click through links and check out stuff online, you're on the dangerous path to losing track. Instead, try to focus on responding to important personal/business e-mails before diving into newsletters and notifications.
   
3. 'Preparing instant food' is a deceiving name for an activity that is usually anything but instant. It takes time to get stuff together and unwrap/put in bowl/heat up/or whatever else you have to do to prepare your meal. I've found very little difference between heating up instant stuff and making a salad in the amount of time it takes me to get the food on the table.
   
4. Shopping without a list is dangerous. Not only will you undoubtedly spend much more than you planned and buy lots of stuff you don't really need, you'll also need more time as you remember things in random order and find yourself running back to the produce section 5 times in one trip. Use a grocery list instead!
   
5. When it comes to dealing with people there are no quick fixes. Whenever you need to discuss something with another person, make sure you have set out enough time to do it. Relationships don't benefit from being rushed, so show your love and respect for those around you by not underestimating the time it takes to communicate with them.

Time is precious and knowing how much time you need to spend on anything can be the difference between feeling frustrated and rushed or feeling calm and in control. Do you find yourself often losing track of time? Or do you notice that the time you've taken out to do some thing just doesn't suffice?

5 Chores that Take Less Time than You Think

Picture by Cielo de la Paz

How often have you made the excuse that you 'just don't have time' to do this or that. We leave the dishes piling up in the sink because we figure that it takes too much time to do them right away, and we'd rather do something else. There's dirty laundry in every corner of the bedroom because we just can't find the time to sort through it and put it in the machine.

But these are only two of the many tasks that we often over-estimate. Somehow we fool ourselves into thinking that these tasks take more time. Maybe it's because of the different steps they contain, or the fact that we dislike them so much. But knowing how fast you can complete some of these chores can give you incentive to just finish them as quickly as possible and stop letting them nestle in the back of your mind.

1. Breakfast dishes really only take about 5 minutes to finish if everyone helps. Bowls and plates are easy to wash and dry. There are usually no pots to scrub, so it's a matter of minutes altogether.
   
2.  Cleaning the sink is just a matter of getting some product and wiping everything down. Unless you've recently cleaned out paint brushes in there or spilled something nasty, it doesn't take nearly as long as you might think.
   
3. Clearing up can be done in an incredibly short time. Set a timer for 5 minutes and see how much clutter you can clear away. Don't linger over stuff, just put it where it needs to go (or toss it out if it's useless.)
   
4. Making a proper breakfast is just a quick and easy task that there's no excuse for eating cereal every morning. We usually make some toast, scrambled eggs, and get some fruit on the table in about 3 minutes. It'll take me 5 if I have to do it myself. But even if you're one to roll out of bed and rush out the door, you can still enjoy a nourishing bite beforehand.
   
5. Making the bed doesn't take minutes, it takes only a couple of seconds. Don't know why you'd make your bed in the first place? I explain some of the reasons in this post.

Any other tasks that you can think of which seem to take much longer than they really do? Feel free to share in the comments below! I love to hear your opinions and ideas.

The "Right Time" Will Never Come

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There is no such thing. The 'right time' does not exist. Sure, you may have had those moments where everything just clicked: the work went great, you felt like you were exactly where you were meant to be, everything just happened naturally. But I bet your own mind played into it much more than you realise.

Waiting around for the right time can be a great excuse to procrastinate when you don't feel like starting a task. The typical movie-example is of a character waiting for the right time to tell the truth, which of course always backfires because by that time, that character's already been lying for so long it doesn't really matter anymore.

The idea that a single moment is better than a whole lot of other ones, and that we should instinctively be aware of this one moment, is a useless and paralyzing notion. Waiting around is a waste of time. The only time we ever have is NOW. We don't have yesterday anymore, that time has come and gone. We don't have tomorrow, that time will be ours later (or may not be, you never know) and it can never be ours this very moment. So the only time you ever have to do anything is right now. 
That makes right now the only right time you will ever have.

Are you postponing an important task? An annoying chore? A vital decision? Don't wait around for any other time but now. Make the most of the present moment and use it to the best of your ability. 

And that's my cue to get up and get to that pile of clothes to iron that's been waiting for me to decide the time is right.

Mind-map It in 5 Minutes

As a teacher of writing, I'm often confronted with students who are full of good ideas but just can't seem to get them down on paper properly. Usually they just start writing an essay from the top, and the reader has to dive into a stream-of-consciousness-like monologue that ends somewhere totally unexpected. Since college professors and test center examinators usually don't have much time to appreciate students' writing artistically, it's my job to hand some tools to these students for writing more effectively, more goal-oriented and overall much faster.
One of the things I teach them is to start with brainstorming and writing down all their ideas as quickly as possible. The easiest way to do this? Make a mind map.

The first one to ever introduce the concept of mind maps to me was a professor at Ghent University (Professor Martin Valcke, for those who know him). He taught about the science behind instruction, the different techniques, systems, different ways of testing, and so on. 
He also taught us, and showed us, the value of mind maps. 

To make a mind map, start with the most important concept or idea which you put in the middle of your page. Then, by association, link other ideas and concepts to it, and then again do the same for those new ideas. You'll end up with a system of nodes that will show you the relationship -and degree of importance of that relationship- of each concept to the other. The picture at the bottom shows you a very elaborate example of a mind map on time management.

Mind maps are a great, quick way to get your thoughts, ideas, plans or feelings down on paper and to create room in your mind so you can start using it more creatively instead of for storing information. It's a great learning tool as well! 

I'm just getting back into studying about mind maps and how to use my brain more effectively with the help of The Mind Map Book (Amazon link) by Tony (and Barry) Buzan. It's a fascinating read!

Picture by Jean-Louis Zimmerman

5 Ways to Cut Back Facebook Time

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I've betrayed myself. Only months after I wrote this post on how and why to quit facebook, I went back. Now, since this is my blog, I have exclusive justification rights which I plan to exploit to the fullest! You may call me a hypocrite in the comments below, but up here, I'm the only one talking.

All kidding aside, I do have (good) reasons for returning to facebook. One is that I have awful friends who don't know how to keep an email conversation going beyond 3 emails. The other is that I am pretty much the same. Other reasons include all those pictures I didn't get to see of my friends and family: Kids growing up. great places to see, etc. And of course, facebook is a great (read: free) marketing tool for things like, um, this blog?

Still, my reasons for quitting in the first place haven't changed. I'm still worried about spending too much time on there instead of doing stuff that'll matter in the end, so I've thought of some ways to keep myself from spending too much time getting lost on the profiles of friends-of-friends I hardly know.

1. Unsubscribe from e-mail notifications.
   It's much easier to stay away from a website if there's nothing that's drawing you back there. One of the things that gets me on a website (facebook, couchsurfing, blogger) is when I get emails that alert me to some kind of change. I've now unsubscribed from every single notification on the website, and now only log on when I feel like it.
2. Limit the flow of information.
   There is more information floating around on facebook (or the web for that matter) than what we possibly could or would ever want to process. Use those little arrows that let you unsubscribe from the stuff you don't really care about. Lots of facebook contacts are acquaintances of mine. It's nice to know when something important happens, but I really don't need to know what each one had for breakfast.
3. Set a specific time.
   Control yourself by setting a limited time on which you will look around facebook stuff. I suggest doing this for most activities because it will make you more focused and involved with the activity at hand. A limited time means that the time you spend on your activity becomes more valuable. You can use the tool I mentioned in this post to help you.
4. Set priorities.
   If you know what you want to see, who you want to get in touch with, what you want to do; then you'll be able to focus on that one thing and do it quickly and efficiently. Don't just 'go on facebook', do something specific like 'looking at friends' holiday pictures', 'updating your status' or 'sending a birthday message'.
5. Quit the games!
   No further explanation needed, I'm sure. When I quit it was the height of Farmville. I see that has come and gone to make room for other, similar stuff.   

A great way to motivate yourself is to track how much time you spend on facebook for a week, and see which other goals you would be able to accomplish within that time (or part of that time).

Re-use Previous Plans

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As a teacher, one of the great advantages of teaching the same class two years in a row is the fact that you get to re-use your old lesson plans. Sure, you have to tweak them a bit, keep it fresh and up to date, but you can stick to the same essentials.
The amount of time you can save is huge! Planning classes last year took me on average about one hour for a 90 minute class, which I could then teach 7 times (luckily). Now, it's a matter of pulling up the old plans and bringing them to class. I still remember how to teach them.

But not only teachers can benefit from re-using old plans.

Think of plans you've made in your daily life. Examples that quickly come to mind are meal plans or travel plans. You've likely made a list at some point of things you need to bring, things to remember, etc.
Instead of throwing out those lists when you're done with them, file them somewhere you can find them easily. Next time a similar situation comes up, there's no need for you to start from scratch again. Just use the old plan, or use it as a basis for your new plan.

I'm sure the annual meeting covers similar topics every year. I'm sure your kids need the same stuff for their first day of school, and that the contents of your overnight bag haven't changed much. Keeping your plans can be a great way to reduce stress and save time.

What kind of plans do you re-use? How about party plans? Have you thrown a similar party twice?
You could share plans with friends too!

Organize your Medicine Cabinet

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My hubby cut his finger the other day and as I was searching our medicine cabinet for a band-aid, I was appalled at the terrible organization in there. It was a big mess with different strips of pills, bottles, creams and ointments just put together without any system to help me through it.

So after taking care of that nasty cut, I turned to the cabinet for some quick re-organizing.

Here's how I organized my supplies:

In one section I put all of the stuff that you could consider 'first-aid'. This includes band-aids, a disinfectant, and ointment for burns. Anything that I could need in case of a likely emergency. 


In another section I put all of our drugs that we use to deal with everyday ailments like headaches, soar throats and upset stomachs. In front went the stuff we use most often, which is a traditional type of Chinese cough drops. They're herbal and taste great. I sometimes take them instead of mints too.

In a third section I put all of the stuff we might take on trips. This is mostly medication that deals with digestive problems, but it also has some pills for nausea and it's where we keep the alcohol gel to sanitize.

So much for a quick organization of the medicine cabinet. As you can tell, we don't take a lot of pills. If you have to take something daily (in my case that's just a prenatal vitamin) then I suggest you don't store it in a medicine cabinet but somewhere in the kitchen or dining room where it's convenient to grab during a meal.
Getting a little pill-box that can help you prepare a week's worth of medication can be a real time saver too!

3 Reasons to Make Your Bed in the Morning

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Growing up, we spent a lot of weekends at my grandparents' house. In their house, it was the rule that you made the bed every morning. Not an easy feat, since all the beds were double beds and they still used sheets and blankets instead of a comforter.

But seeing the nicely made-up bed after we finished always made it worth it. And being able to snuggle underneath the blankets pulled tight, helped out quite a bit in the cold winters (they also didn't have heating in the bedrooms, brrrr).

Here are my main reasons for making our bed every morning. Perhaps they can convince you to try the same and see if it has an effect on you too.

1. Neatness. Starting out the day in a neat way may help you carry on this habit through the rest of the day. It doesn't take much to make the bed, but knowing your bedroom is neat and tidy can help you keep your house the same way too.
2. Inviting. A neatly made bed is inviting in the evening and makes going to bed so much more pleasant. There's not late-night irritation at the mess you left before.
3. Unexpected guests. Alright, I know what you're thinking! (And you're right, in those cases it IS good to have an inviting bed). But there could be times when you have visitors and you want to show them around your house. Or if you live in an apartment (like we do) and the bedroom is clearly visible from the living room, it's much less embarrassing if you have to fetch something and don't need to hurriedly close the door behind you. 

 These days, with comforters and quilts, making a bed is a matter of seconds! Really! Just straighten the blanket and put the pillows in the right place. Voila!
It's the first step toward a day of paying attention to the little things that make your environment more enjoyable to live in.

Shiny Shoes Make All the Difference

Picture by Jay Springett

I have a friend who once told me that whenever she meets someone for the first time, she always looks at their shoes first. This is not some weird kind of shoe obsession. She says that she can tell whether the person is neat, organized and productive, from looking at how well they attend to their shoes.

Since then, I try to throw a quick glance at my feet before I leave the house, and keep some wipes nearby in case I need to clean them real quick. But really looking after your shoes doesn't have to take that long either. Especially with leather, frequency is more important than how careful you are about polishing your shoes.

Cleaning your shoes is a matter of minutes. First of all, brush them off with a dry brush. Then, if need be, wash with a damp cloth (only lightly, don't get them wet!). After that you can use some polish and rub it into the leather of the shoe. Let it sit for about three minutes to dry, then use a clean brush to get a nice shine.

About once a month should do the trick. Be sure to protect your clothes, furniture, pets, children, etc. Shoe polish is sticky stuff!

In the long run, taking care of leather shoes will make them last MUCH longer! I've had pairs of shoes last me over 5 years, and others waste away in less than 2 (depending on how hard my mom wagged her finger at us). So it's not only a good use of time, but a money saver too!

Do you polish your shoes? Do you notice when others do(n't)?

Five 1-Minute Back to School Organizing Tips

Picture by Christopher Webb

It's September 1st today, and in many countries that means the beginning of a new school year. I used to love these days when I was a student. Obviously, the end of the summer holiday is no feast, but it's a great time to take a new start at being efficient and productive.
If you want to make your year a success, it's important to start off the right way.
Maybe these 5 tips below can nudge you in the right direction.

1. Plan your time.
   Unless this is your first year in school, you'll have some idea of how much time you need to take for homework (doing or correcting), and other assignments. Set aside a specific time every week (or ever day) in which to do this. Write it down now! It's much nicer to get an unexpected afternoon off than to have to cancel a fun activity because you didn't have time to do your homework.
   
2. Organize your notes.
   Do this every single day. When you get home from school, put all your papers in order when you take them out of the bag. This doesn't take more than a minute, but saves you soooo much time at the end of the term when you're trying to get everything ready for the pre-exam cram sessions.
   
3. Keep supplies up to date.
   Nothing quite as annoying as running out of ink for your fountain pen, or staples for your stapler. Buy a double supply and keep it in a designated drawer of your desk. Keep it neat so you can see what you need to fill up on when the time comes.
   
4. Start a study/work log.
   A great way to motivate and track yourself is to start up a log of all the time you spend working/studying. Write down what you're working on each time. You can use a notebook for this, or a diary if you have one that provides ample space.
   Just jot down in short what you did so you can go back later and know how far you've progressed. Also a good way to find out what your high-maintenance areas are in terms of required study time.
   
5. Write down your goals.
   Think of what you want to accomplish this year, this semester, this month, this week. Is there something you need to work on? For me, self-discipline and clutter were big issues (long live this blog, forcing me to figure out ways around my own flaws). But it could also be balancing study and fun, or paying more attention.
   Paste your goal above your desk. Write it in your school diary. Keep it in mind.

I hope you have a wonderful new school year, and can find joy and excitement in figuring out this amazing world one small piece at a time.

Expiration List

Picture by Ben Dalton

I've missed some posts due to the fact that our Internet subscription expired and being too late to renew it (although I did it on the day it expired) meant that I had trouble getting it back up.

So today's post is about this little lesson I just learned: I should really make a list of when certain subscriptions and services expire, so that I can renew them in time.

I don't have a big calendar in the apartment, but I would advice everyone to get one. The kind you put on the wall. They're great for birthdays, remembering when to put out the trash, AND noting down when you need to renew a subscription or pay a certain bill.

When you start this habit, you'll need to think of all the subscriptions you have and write down a list of them. Then, found out the dates that  they expire. Write down a note on your calendar about one week before the expiration date. That way you can schedule it in for the week to come.

Maintaining this is much easier than starting. Just make a new note whenever you've just renewed the subscription. That way you don't have to worry about it for the year to come. It's already noted. Taken care of.

I have a similar system with calling my grandmother. I call her every other week, and after each phone call, I make a new note in my Outlook diary for the next call.


Of course the best way to put these worries out of your mind is to make the renewing subscription automatic, and do the same for the payment. But don't forget to note down the money in your budgeting sheet, if that's the case.