We have an unofficial family motto:
This rule helps us over-plan, over-pack, over-do, and over-spend.
It also helps us procrastinate.
See, we like to do things up the right way.
If we're going to have a party, we clean the house from top to bottom.
If we're going to go camping, we plan it like an assault on Mt. Everest.
If we're going to work on a project, we prep it like there's no tomorrow.
It's good to be conscientious. But mix it with "creativity" and you risk having a melt down, because you lack the time and resources to pull it off the way you really want to.
Sometimes, simple is just better.
Today's Small Thing is to simplify something.
- Buy the dad-gum Halloween costumes from Wal-Mart instead of tediously making them yourself.
- Bake a cake from a boxed mix instead of from scratch.
- Throw away all the old magazines that you know in your heart you will never use for some craft.
- Let your kids buy lunch at school today, rather than making all those sandwiches. They'll live.
- Planning a party? Scale it back so that you can enjoy your guests this time.
- Wash your "hand wash only" items on the gentle cycle of the wash machine. Those items have been sitting TOO LONG, waiting for you to do them the "right" way.
- Drive through a car wash, rather than doing a detailed cleaning. It will be fine this time.
- Instead of waiting to do it "right," just get it done.
Tell yourself that "less is more," if it frees up time and energy to focus on what really matters: people. It's easy to get so wrapped up in doing something perfectly, that we either forget why we're doing it in the first place, or never get around to doing anything at all.
POINTS: 40 for keeping something simple today. Enjoy being uncomplicated!
What are you simplifying today?
