Who Rules Your Home? You? or Your Stuff?

Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed with the amount of stuff in your home? Most of us have obviously have more things living in our homes than people, but when does it become too much?

For starters, it could be when you're continually tripping over your things; kid's toys, shoes, neglected clothing, magazine piles, or unopened delivery boxes. Or maybe it's when you can no longer sit down on the comfy couch because of all the random stuff strewn all over it?

Now that's an interesting rethink; if your stuff has a place but YOU don't, ask yourself, who's really the boss?"

How about the stuff that you no longer use and never got around to tossing or giving away? Many of us continue to accumulate new stuff without discarding the old. If this sounds like you, no need to be embarrassed, it's more common than you think.

So many of us are still living with a historical trail of our outdated technology. Old printers, TV's, computers, cameras and cell phones find their way more readily to basements, attics, and garages than they do out the door.  We invite new pieces of furniture, lamps, and bedding into our homes, but we have trouble letting go of the old things we don't even like anymore. We tend to hang onto things. Just in case.

So it begs the question. is your home for living or for storing?  Make your home your sanctuary by surrounding yourself with the things you use and enjoy. Above all, acknowledge the changes in your habits and  lifestyles through the years and make your home a reflection of who you are today.

If you're feeling crowded in your own home, something's gotta go, no? (hopefully, it's a thing and not a person, lol)  Take control. Step up and conquer the clutter. Do not be overthrown, it's time to reclaim your spaces. It's your home, after all.

Set limits on the incoming and create an outgoing. If you can donate your unwantables to charities, or recycle conscientiously, everyone benefits. The change will be noticeable and you will bring new meaning to "there's no place like home."  

Don't let the stuff take over any longer. Take charge today. After all, YOU do rule the roost, don't you?

On Life Balance: You Can’t Find it Unless You Feel It

So many of us are over-extended with both work and "life" schedules, we struggle to balance it all. We are often sleep deprived and so, fatigue, has become our natural state of mind. It is our new reality, and yet we continue to battle every day to catch up as if we think we actually can.  But we cannot. And when we realize that there are not enough hours in a day to accomplish all that we had hoped, we just let it spill into the next day, and on and on it goes. Yes indeed, we can lose our sense of self in this unravelling vicious cycle.

Present, guilty as charged. I write so often about time-management and how powerful it can be in order to reach our goals and maintain balance, but I neglected to include how important it is to carve out some self time.

I have always been an advocate of exercise, but lately it's been an activity that I dread, and more like something I have to do, not want to do. In the past, I would squeeze a quick work-out in just to feel like I accomplished something. Typically, I jump on the treadmill and trot along as random thoughts invade my head, but never really focus on anything in particular except how much longer I need to stay on it. A prime example of not being present or embracing the moment, but just worthy enough to cross it off my checklist. Just barely. Rushing to get my day going, I jump off that treadmill to just start running on essentially a different kind of treadmill; my work schedule. Truth be told, I have been kidding myself. I have never reaped the optimal benefit from the time I've set aside to find the balance. The experience was lacking purpose.

Recently, I decided to take up Pilates and I must admit, it has been life-altering. For me, that one invaluable hour of a day provides me with not only the physical balance I need, but the mental focus I require. Stepping away from my daily fast pace and taking time out just to breathe, is rejuvenating. Throughout this new workout, my core is fully engaged and strengthened, and when it's over, my mind is equally engaged to face the day with an incredible energy to succeed. It's my new life-balance.

Don't be too busy to live a healthy life. Prioritize. It's time to stop chasing your tail. Working until burnout is not at all productive.

At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter what exercise you prefer, albeit the gym, yoga, or a run. What is imperative is that you do something to exercise physically and allow the mental juices to flow. It's cathartic.  Exercise diffuses the stress. The more you do, the more you"ll want to do, and the better you will feel. My trainer always likes to say before a final stretch, "give yourself a hug," and I do. And it feels great.

Does your life often feel like a balancing act? What do you do to feel balanced?