Since the girls have gone back to school I seem to have developed a new routine for daily chores and it feels good. I’m getting quick jobs done first thing and then dealing with other things as they happen not just because I’m working from home, but more importantly because I can see the benefits of starting to live with less stuff and having the floors and pathways clear wherever I can.

I’ve been living and breathing this clutter for years and the backlog is still going to take a while to go through and shift, but I believe that I’m getting there.

This week I’ve been trying to build the following into my morning before I start work:

• Make the beds and general tidy up
• Empty the washing baskets
• Empty the bins, separating out the recycling
• Take stray items upstairs and bring stray items downstairs, and put them away
• Quick tidy up of the breakfast/packed lunch stuff

The space that I’m creating in my life (my home and my mind) is actually helping to speed things up, at a time when I’ve personally started to slow myself down. This is all down to my lifestyle changes that I’ve made and sense of calm that I feel.

I am placing a lot of these positive feelings on the fact that I’m having pockets of me time before I need it. I’m adding some deep breathing usually before (or sometimes after) I get that knot in my stomach or neck. It’s become quite a natural thing for me to do now… and it’s free.

It feels like I’ve turned a corner ready for the final quarter of the year that’s coming up. My 2020 challenge is going well and I feel happy with my progress and positive about the future.

Here’s what else I’ve been up to today…

Creating space in the main bathroom

I used to hang clothes to dry on this chrome towel rail in the bathroom and then just leave them there instead of putting them in the girls’ wardrobes. Although it was a useful place to hang clothes, I wasn’t really making good use of the shelf. I decided today to actually use it for what’s it’s designed to be used for. I know it sounds like a simple change but it’s made the whole bathroom look clearer and less cluttered. It feels more like a bathroom again.

Now it’s time for a bubble bath and some reflection time.

Hope you’ve had a good day wherever you are.

Until tomorrow…

Sandra