Every January, people rush out and get a gym membership, set a list of goals or resolutions, and get ready to take on a new year of frenetic activity.

Unfortunately, we don’t often clear space to make room for all this new stuff.

The beginning of the year is a great time for renewal of energy and taking on the things we’ve always wanted to tackle — clutter, fitness, work we’re passionate about, debt, and so on. But it’s also a great time to clear out your life, starting out the year on a blank page that’s ready to be filled.

While everyone’s life is different, I’ll share some of what I do to clear out my life.

• Review the year to think about what I learned, what mistakes I made, what I accomplished.
• Clear my schedule as much as possible. That often means saying no to people.
• Wrap up old projects, end commitments to people, so that my work plate is clearer than normal.
• Toss out old fitness and eating plans, to make room for new experiments.
• Clear my email inbox. If I haven’t answered the email recently, it’s probably not important, so I archive it. Act on or answer other emails, so that my inbox is emptied.
• Clear out other inboxes. That might be an inbox on a social network, or a list of things I wanted to do or read, or any kind of list really. File them away under someday, or delete or archive. Anything that’s taking some mental energy because I know I need to get to it, gets cleared.
• Clear my computer files. Usually this means deleting a bunch of files I don’t need, but I also just consolidate files into one folder or put them in an online archive (like in Dropbox).
• Clear paperwork. I rarely have any papers these days — I’ve slowly turned everything digital. But I still get things in the mail sometimes, so if I have any lying around, I dispose of them to clear out any remaining paperwork.
• Clear clutter. If there are areas that have become cluttered, I clear them out. Often it just means taking a box or bag of things that I’ve been meaning to donate to Goodwill.
• Clear my errands. I’ll make a list of all the errands I’ve been putting off, and do them in one afternoon.
• Clear my finances. I’ll take a few minutes to review my checking and savings accounts, Paypal, investments, etc. and make sure everything is in order. If there are little things that need taking care of, I do them so that my mind is cleared.
• Clear pantry and refrigerator of junk. Old crap that’s been lying around. Junk food if there’s any there (I don’t usually have any anymore, but I used to). Left with just good whole ingredients for healthy foods.

This might take a couple days, working off and on in little bits. For some, it might take longer. But when you’re done, it’s amazing. Your mind is clear and refreshed. You feel like you’re ready to take on anything. To be honest, I do these things regularly throughout the year, and it’s great to keep a clean slate most of the time. But the new year is always a perfect opportunity to clear everything at once.

Hear Hear Leo!

Read the original post from Zen Habits here: http://zenhabits.net/clear/

I am the one on the left...

I am so excited – I am taking the trip of a lifetime to walk the Great Wall of China to help my beloved bears find freedom and a new home!

No one was more passionate than Steve Irwin!

Ahhh passion – this topic has been at the forefront of my life for the past couple of weeks.  I have even met the US author of  The Passion Test Janet Attwood who came out to Australia recently to ignite all our passions.

So when this blog post from Zen Habits arrived in my inbox, I just had to share it with you all. Do as I did – print it out and put it somewhere to remind you how to follow your passions! I especially relate to points 5 and 6:

1. Surround yourself with passionate people.

This is the foundation. Most people don’t believe you can do work you love because they’re constantly around people who hate their jobs and don’t know what excites them. This has to change. Those around you have everything to do with your success and your belief of what’s possible. You’ll either rise up or sink down depending on who’s next to you.

Passion is contagious. You must have an environment that embodies it. You need a support crew who believes what you believe. People who dream as big as you or bigger. Not only will they give you ideas but they’ll condition the belief that doing what you love is the norm. They fuel our passion and make the unthinkable possible, even normal. You’ll begin to expect the same of yourself.

Look around you. Do the people you see inspire and motivate you? Are they doing epic things? Do they love their work? Learn how to make genuine connections with new people doing interesting things. MeetUp, coffee shop bulletin boards, Chamber of Commerce, Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. Find people in your own town and online. Befriend them. Make them a part of your life. Get out on adventures together. Schedule a weekly dinner or drinks just to talk about what’s exciting. Environment is everything.

2. Create space.

If you don’t give big ideas room, they’ll never show up. Purpose and passion are no different. Lack of space creates pressure – the ultimate killer of creativity. And nothing requires more creative juices than passion. Start small with five minutes each morning. Schedule downtime. Start walking to work instead of taking the bus. Don’t multitask. Get out in nature. Just be, let things flow and see what comes up. Give yourself permission to dream. Passion thrives in emptiness.

3. Help someone in a way only you can.

We all have natural strengths and talents that can dramatically help those around us. What comes easy for you is no doubt challenging for others. We tend to take these for granted, often hardly noticing our own gifts, and rarely share them with others. Passion comes from using those on a routine basis. Ask yourself, What do people thank you for? What do people routinely ask for your help with? Most people’s passions help others in one way or another. Perhaps for you it’s knitting, teaching children math, cooking a good meal or leading a yoga class. Devote time each day to sharing your talents.

4. Keep a journal of what inspires and excites you.

Let your thoughts run wild. Most importantly, keep a running list of what inspires you. Books, magazines, movies, people, products, music, stories, careers, everything. Most people have a brush with passion almost daily, unfortunately we’re often too busy thinking of our 97-item todo list to take in the education. Anytime something catches your eye or excites you, open up your journal and get it onto paper. Over the years you will have a running story of how you might enjoy spending your time.

5. Challenge the norm.

Ask questions. Don’t take things as gospel just because that’s how they’ve always been done. Don’t aimlessly listen to those around you. Question everything you’ve been doing and are about to do, especially if you don’t enjoy it. Is it really what you want? Is it in line with who you are? Perhaps there’s a better way. There often is.

6. Scare yourself – Live outside your comfort zone.

Passionate people thrive off uncertainty. If you aren’t doing things that give you a few goose bumps you’re either not learning, dying or bored out of your mind. None of which are good. Do something at least mildly uncomfortable daily. This could be as small as making a phone call or sharing your art with someone. Be vulnerable. There’s a pretty direct correlation between pushing limits and epic living.

7. Find the right reasons.

If a passionate person gets fired, they brush it off and get excited about the opportunity the lost job must be presenting. You can’t control what happens but you can control your reaction to it. What challenges have come up today? How could you reframe them? The juiciest possibilities often have the best disguises. Notice them.

8. Learn something new.

Become obsessed with learning everything you can find – new skills, approaches, ideas, you name it. If it interests you then it’s important enough to get in your brain. We have to fuel what excites us. Grab a magazine or book that interests you and read a few pages on the way to work or before bed. Passionate people almost always have a book within reach. Ideas can be found anywhere. Start looking. Be a sponge.

To read more of this article: http://zenhabits.net/ignite/

You know what they say about apples...

As a blogger, I write mainly about decluttering, being organised, making life simple. Rarely do I write about diet, food or losing weight. However I realise it is such a hot topic that I thought I could compromise and share with you some tips from Zen Habits about how he lost weight – easily and most importantly simply. Here are his top tips which I also follow:

• I don’t go for anything extreme. I’ve made small changes to my diet over the years and have found this works best: if you try for drastic changes you’ll hate it and won’t stick to it for long. But add a few extra fruits and veggies and it’s not hard. Change soda to water next month and it’s not deprivation.
• I eat slowly. OK … not always but most of the time. Eating slowly allows me to fully savor the taste of the healthy food I eat and at the same time eat less while still feeling satiated (not stuffed).
• I eat real foods. I try for veggies and fruits and raw nuts and seeds and beans and some whole grains. Sometimes my food is processed but mostly it’s just the stuff you’ll find in the produce and bulk sections of a supermarket (or farmer’s market).
• I eat plants. I do that mostly for reasons of compassion (killing animals for pleasure doesn’t feel right to me) but I’ve found it’s also an extremely healthy way to eat. Sure it’s possible to be vegan and unhealthy (eat processed fake meats and sweets) but if you’re a whole-food vegan it’s hard to go wrong. And yes it’s easy to get protein as a vegan.
• I enjoy myself. I look for healthy foods I love — berries for example — and savor them. I’ll eat sweets now and then but in small portions and truly enjoy the few bites I have. I have red wine and love it. I drink beer sometimes and it’s wonderful. I have pizza about once a week and it’s delicious. Eating healthy isn’t about deprivation but about finding ways to enjoy yourself while living a healthy life.

Read more about Zen Habits “The Simplest Diet for Lean Fitness” : http://zenhabits.net/diet/#more-7417

Waving opportunity my way on The Today Show

The Queensland floods have been a devastating event, yet as with any major setback or roadblock, there is always opportunity. Getting the state back on its feet takes the expertise of many and sharing this expertise via the media is a big help to many who don’t know what to do.

And this is how my opportunity came from left field – appearing on the Today Show showing flood affected people how to salvage their damaged furniture. I didn’t see it coming, but I jumped straight up and grabbed hold – I didn’t want to let this fantastic PR opportunity pass me by.

In my email in box this morning was another excerpt from a book called Money, Meaning & Beyond by Andrea J. Lee talking on this very thing so I wanted to share it with you all:

In any given business, the growth of the business will rise or fall to the level of the business owner’s personal development.

I see it frequently.

When people grow, their business grows. When people don’t, their businesses don’t.  and sometimes, when businesses get inherited or acquired, the business will show a spurt or dive, based on the ethos of the new owner.

When opportunity knocks, are you ready?

If you knew you could have everything you wanted right now, would you know what to say?

Are you – your character, your development, your greater Self – ready?

Here are some things to really embrace as you go about life in the next thirty days:

• Saying NO to bland. Stand for something.
  
• Cultivating a vision. Get clear about what you believe and mean it.  Lead.
  
• Conditioning yourself emotionally. You and your business will weather many ups and downs.
• Nurture your strength of spirit just like you work out your body for the great race.
• Articulate what you want and why. Don’t worry about how just yet.
• Being prepared to say a resounding ‘yes’ to help that wants to find you, and that many times, is sitting right on your doorstep.

Be diligent and unflinching about yourself and your growth.  Start now in whatever shape or form that looks like to you.

Your success (financial and other) as a business owner is DIRECTLY linked to your ability to evolve yourself.

To find out more go here: http://www.andreajlee.com/blog/archives/2011/01/19/feature-article-the-paul-principle-for-better-or-worse-it%E2%80%99s-all-about-you-excerpted-from-the-money-meaning-and-beyond-book-chapter-26/

The majestic Milford Sound NZ

Seeing that today is Saturday, I thought my post should be more orientated towards pursuits of pleasure. My number one pleasure is travelling – whether that be just a day trip out around my home city of Brisbane Queensland or heading to the other side of the world to discover Turkey like my husband and I did in 2010. Hint: you MUST go to Turkey.

In February I am “jumping the ditch” to New Zealand, firstly for a Professional Organisers conference in Christchurch, then heading off on my own down south to the beautiful Fiordlands to explore Milford Sound. My husband and I were there last year after he returned from six months in Afghanistan (the contrast between brown Afghanistan and green NZ almost blew his mind) but unfortunately a snow storm hit so we couldn’t get in. As an image of Milford Sound is still on my vision board, it is imperative that I make it back.

This time I shall be on my own, travelling by bus, staying at a backpackers in Queenstown, eating two minute noodles – and I can’t wait!  Now…where are my hiking boots?

My new eBook hot off the press!

On this raining and horrendously humid Friday in Brisbane Australia, I have decided to stop procrastinating (like a good organiser) and get my eBooks out into the world. It is after all, one of my main goals for 2011 – so no time like the present!

It is one thing to have your eBooks happily sitting on your website waiting for the millions of visitors to download them  http://domesticdownsizing.com/ebook-download.htm, but I realise I have to take them on the publishing road if I want anyone to actually find them and read them.

As I am pretty much just flying by the seat of my pants I thought I would share some links with my readers as I go.

• Websites to upload your eBook:
  Clickbank: http://www.clickbank.com/index.html,
  Smash Words: http://www.smashwords.com/,
  LuLu: http://www.lulu.com/
  Create Space (part of Amazon): https://www.createspace.com/,
• To change your PDF back to a Word doc for Smash Words http://www.pdftoword.com/
• To make a 3D cover of your eBook (such as mine on above) for free: http://3d-pack.com/ Many sites charge a fee to do this.

Feel free to add any great publishing links you know in the comments below to share.  Stay tuned for Part 2 – no doubt I will still be at it on Sunday night…

Be free 2010!

I got the inspiration for today’s blog from the weekly horoscope in the Sunday paper by Yasmin Boland, an Australian astrologer titled: “A time for new beginnings.”

Of course it goes without saying, new years are all about new beginnings. Being grateful for what we have, letting go of what we don’t want, and setting our wishes and intentions for the year ahead.

Time management consultants (such as myself) often recommend list-making as one of the easiest steps you can take towards getting organised. I am the ultimate list maker – looking at my desk at this very minute I have 3: The “big” list of things I must do in my business, the “must do in the next week” list and the “must do before I go to bed otherwise I won’t sleep” list.

Lists are also a powerful took for manifesting our desires. When we are clear on what we are aiming for, we are far more likely to achieve our goals.

On a more mystical level, lists also work with the principle of the Law of Attraction. As you write each goal ask yourself: do I really think this can happen? If you are not sure, adjust your state of mind as we all know our thoughts influence our actions. What is the most positive thought you could have about this particular goal? Hold that thought and work on it.

The other issue to bear in mind is new beginnings are also about letting go of the past, as much as they are about starting afresh. So if there are any issues from the past year that you want to move on from, write them in another list, rip them up or burn them and let them go!