Simplifying Life

ceridwen

....and another thing I've been doing recently organisationally-speaking is dividing tasks into mini/medium/major. I have a weekly list somewhere prominent of medium ones on one side of the sheet of paper and mini ones on the other side. Medium ones get done at the weekend (eg clean kitchen/clean bathroom/etc). Mini ones get done whenever there is 10-15 minutes spare and me thinking "I could do something from the list now". Major ones (eg springcleaning/going through files/etc) are for days off (apart from weekends).

Once things are down on the list then they are off my mind and not niggling away occupying mindspace. Come a bit of "spare time" or the weekend or whatever I just look at the lists to see what category of task to get on with.

...nearly forgot.....I keep some scrap paper and a biro by my bedside (as well as the bedside light I have handy for this purpose - and reading myself to sleep). I find useful thoughts/inspirations/etc often come up just before or after falling asleep. That way....I can write them down and get them off my mind....rather than stressing myself that "I must remember so-and-so".

mary43

I had a list in my purse ceridwen.........even did in order of shops I was going to then after the first two forgot to check it............think I was under the assumption that I was doing so well, how could I forget ?? Just goes to show.......I shouldn't have it in my purse..........don't see it until I open it to pay for something..........needs to be somewhere more prominent..........lol
I'm a great one for making lists..........usually cross stuff off when I've done it..(great feeling of satisfaction) that goes for phone calls, letters that need writing, and normally shopping............just that bit that went a bit wrong today...............and what I forgot weren't that important..........more that I wanted to get them rather than I needed to so its not the end of the world.
Like the idea of mini, medium and major lists. Thats certainly worth a try for all things, household chores, shopping or even meeting up with a friend -that ought to come on the Major list sometimes I think.

Charis

groatie_queen wrote: »

I was amazed how many of the blank labels provided by Sony, JVC et al hadn't been used - so they're earmarked for freezer, jams, etc!

Test one or two in the freezer first, groatie. Some adhesives don't work below zero and some of mine have fallen off in the freezer. We have had some strange parcels for dinner. The worst was when I confidently predicted meat in sweet and sour sauce. It was only sauce :rotfl: Thank goodness for omelettes.

Ellidee

Evening all. I am a bit p**d off. Sold my first book on Amazon- got an email last night. Great I thought. Packaged it all up and toddled down to the PO. Cost £5.00 to post.:eek: So I will end up with the princely sum of £1.36. They only allowed me £2.32 postage & handling and they took £2.08 in fees too :mad: Thinking of removing the rest I have got listed. Not worth the hassle in my opinion. Anyone else found this with Amazon ?

mary43

I've never tried but to be honest, what with postage, jiffy bags etc. I've decided its not worth it...............well not to me anyway. Some people seem to do ok from it though.
Not sure how greenmetropolis works as far as delivery charges go........might be worth having a look.

judderman62

If al else fails you could freecycle them

Ellidee

mary43 wrote: »

Not sure how greenmetropolis works as far as delivery charges go........might be worth having a look.

Thanks Mary. I have sold books before on Greenmetropolis but only paperbacks which usually pays £3 each less postage. The one I sold today on Amazon was a big hardback cookery book. Is it against forum rules for me to list them on here and anyone who wants them can pm me ? I would rather let them go to my 'virtual' friends who might like them . Free of course. Otherwise they are going to the Charity Shop.

Ellidee

Just had a thought. You are all trying to simplify - NOT acquiring my stuff !

Aril

Hello virtual friends!
As usual there's lots of new ideas for me to absorb here so many thanks peeps!
All this talk of lists and things sounds very much like me...I don't think I could manage to get as much done as I do and it means that I do tend to use my limited time far more efficiently. I find it also stops me from having the same thought going round and round my tiny head once I commit it to paper and decide when/if I am going to do anything about it. Having said that I've just had to ring my friend to apologise and cancel our planned get to gether next week because I agreed to do something without checking my diary first. Bad move:D Anyway I didn't have a good excuse so I told her how it was ie that I had been a complete numpty to coin a technical term!!
One big area of my life which needs considering is trying to do too much..I'm not very good at meditating and just being as I seem to be afflicted with rather large ants in my pants [I know I should really get a condition like that looked at:rotfl: :rotfl: ] and driven to be busy. Partly is down to me having a full time job etc but it's also partly down to the fact that I want to look back on each day and see that I've made the best use of my time and achieved. I seem sometimes to be more of a human doing than a human being which was a description I read somewhere. This quote I found in my folder has given me food for thought:
Rest is not idleness, and to lie somewhere on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.
J Lubbeck.
I guess any change is down to me and me only....I also read this one in my book which hit home:
You have to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandparents were.
Anon
Oh botheration that means I can't shift the blame on that one:D
Aril

rosieben

Ellidee, I don't think I could be bothered with all the faff of selling online but maybe I'm lucky that I find takers. I just gave my bil 2 old industrial history books and he was over the moon. My son has taken all the computer and programming books and will probably take others to share with his friends and workmates and what's left will go to my dsis for her charity sales; my old business and management books went to a local college for people with learning difficulties. I'm pleased to let them go to such good homes and I'm so glad to have the space!