life + happiness

If you are anything like me, you have your fair share of listless days, especially during these pandemic days of uncertainty. I am talking about the days when you wander around the house and yard, not really getting anything accomplished. By the time bedtime rolls around, you feel crappier than before.

But there is hope!

I have a short list of things that I do on those day to shake me loose of my funk and I think they can help you too.

1. Make your bed. Simple, but makes your bedroom seem tidy even when there is a pile of dirty laundry in the corner.
2. Clean off our kitchen table and counters. Tables and counter are a magnet for clutter. Take a few minutes and put stuff where they belong.
3. Clean out a drawer or cabinet.  Clutter makes you feel heavy, so get rid of some of your unused things.
4. Wake up early(ish). You don’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn, but getting up a half-hour or so earlier makes the day feel like it has so much more potential.
5. Help someone else. Pick up groceries for your elderly neighbors or ding-dong-ditch toilet paper on friends’ doorsteps.
6. Make a list. I am a huge list maker.  And when I am feeling my most frazzled taking a half hour to write down all of the things floating around in my head makes everything seem brighter.  
7. Delete unused files from your computer. You know all of those freebies you downloaded from websites and promptly forgot about? Move them into your trash.
8. Clean off your desk.  This is especially important if you are working from home these days. Taking a few minutes to clean off your desk will make you feel more organized (even if the rest of your life is a mess).
9. Adjust your privacy settings on social media.  Take 20 minutes to do a deep dive into your FB and Insta settings and make sure people are only seeing what you want them to.   
10. Clean out your inbox. You know all of those unread emails that are plugging up your inbox? You are never going to read them, so just let them go. As for the ones that you do need to keep, tag them, and put them in folders.
11. Tackle one nagging thing from your to-do list.  You know that one stupid thing that we need to do that we keep putting off. Take some time and run that errand or make that call. That one single thing will make you feel accomplished.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

If you subscribe to my newsletter, you know I have been talking about how weird everything is. And that is putting it pretty mildly.

Since things are so weird, I thought I would interrupt the regularly scheduled programming and let give you an update on how things are going in the Rauk House.

Jesse and I are both considered ‘essential employees’ so the normal day-to-day getting up and going to work thing hasn’t changed. The fun new addition is the constant state of anxiety about getting the virus and passing it on to others.

I wash my hands so much they are raw, guys.

Other than work, our days have been pretty quiet. We have been working on projects around the house. And I have been using up some of my nervous energy by decluttering the crap out of everything. It started with the bathroom and has moved to the kitchen.

That is not to say that everything is all sunshine and rainbows. I cried in my car last week while listening to NPR, and I don’t know how much longer I will be working.

We are really just taking things day-by-day.

Spring is finally arriving in our little corner of Minnesota, and watching the grass turn green and hearing the birds chirp through the open window has been fabulous. With everything that is going on, it is nice to see that Mother Nature is doing her thing.

How are you all doing? What is going well and what is freaking you out (other than the obvious)?

I love Marie Kondo as much as anyone. I devoured her books when they came out, and love to watch her lovingly fold t-shirts on video clips and her show.

Not only did she teach me how to fold my shirts, but she also taught me that it was ok to let things go. I stuffed my homes full of items I bought on a whim, pricey items I purchased and never used, and sentimental family ‘heirlooms.’

But decluttering is only part of the answer.

The key to living a simpler life is to want less. And then buy less.

But that is hard. It is so hard.

Purging your closet of all of the clothes you don’t wear is excellent, but if you fill it back in with more clothes, you end up right where you started in the first place. It is disheartening when your forward progress pulls you around in a circle.

That is the nasty thing about decluttering that everyone seems to forget. You shouldn’t have to declutter your house every couple of years, and if you do, there is something else going on.

You need to want less.

How? How do you want less? That is the million-dollar question. And I am still trying to figure it out. Plus, I am pretty sure it is different for all of us. For me, it started with limiting my social media. I want a whole lot less when I am not looking at fashionable people in their stylish houses on Instagram.

I also take a look at my goals. If buying another pair of jeans is not going to help me reach my goal of staying out of debt, then I should pass. The same goes for my dream of a remodeled kitchen.

Now it’s your turn! How are you working toward wanting less?

PS – Things I have done to simplify my life + How to create a morning routine.