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Organising

13 Time Management Tips to Get Organised

Posted on December 6, 2022
Cathryn Lavery

Time is a resource that seems to be hard to come by, I rarely hear anyone say I have too much time on my hands. There are only 24 hours in a day, with one-third of them spent sleeping and the other third or more working, which doesn’t leave much of the day to get things you want or need to do done. Our to-do list can be a useful tool to get organised, but sometimes even that can overwhelm us and quickly resemble a never-ending list of unachievable tasks.

For most of us with our family and work commitments, hobbies chores, and everything else it can seem impossible to balance those tasks on top of day-to-day activities and remain productive.

Here are 13 Time Management Tips To Get Organised that have helped me to get and stay organised and accomplish a lot in a limited amount of time.

13 Time Management Tips To Get Organised

1. Write Your To-do List Down.

Whether your to-do list is on your phone, calendar, or notebook, the important thing is to get it written down in some form. If it is all in your head you are putting a lot of unnecessary pressure on yourself to remember what you have to do. Writing it down has the benefit of helping you clear your head and reduce some of that overwhelm. Get that list out of your head and on paper.

Using apps such as Colour Note, Trello, and Google Keep (just a few of my favourites) can be quick, easy tools to jot down your important tasks as you think of them. Besides, there is nothing more satisfying and motivating than ticking off a completed task. Having them in digital form on your phone means that you’ll always have access to them and can update your list as you go.

2. Set Realistic Goals.

If you look at your to-do list and feel overwhelmed by tasks such as ‘paint house’ or ‘write a book’ you’re probably never going to get around to doing those more ambitious goals. Goals like these are too vague and don’t really set out any actionable steps to get you started.

It’s important to break the tasks down and create more manageable, bite-sized tasks that can be achieved in smaller blocks of time to help make your to-do list or project seem less daunting.

Writing more bite-sized tasks on your to-do list like ‘brainstorm book topics’, ‘start first chapter outline’, or ‘research white paint colour options’ will give you some more achievable steps to get you started on your goal.

Once you start setting more realistic, actionable tasks, you’ll avoid staring at your blank page or putting off your dream indefinitely. Every day you can slowly work towards your to-dos and goals.

3. Set a Timer.

If you don’t set time limits on tasks, they can end up taking much longer than you’d initially hoped. This is called Parkinson’s Law, where your work will adapt to fill up the time you set to achieve it in. So if you give yourself a whole day to work on a project that might only require 2 hours, you will likely end up taking the whole day to get it done.

By setting time limits we can help to ensure we are focused and avoid distraction and can mentally commit to starting a task.

Going up against the clock can be a motivating tool to make us want to do our best work, knowing that in an hour or whatever time you have set that you won’t have any more time. It could be as simple as setting a timer for a 10-minute workout and seeing how many exercises you can fit in that time, folding as much washing as you can in twenty minutes, or seeing how many items of paperwork you can file in just 5 minutes.

4. Utilise Small Pockets Of Time.

Most people struggle for time to get what they want and need done. Life is busy and there is always so much to get done in such little time. For this reason, sometimes it can help to step back and reconsider our time and how we can use it better.

Here are some suggestions:

  • Could you utilise one of your lunch breaks a week to tackle some of those calls you have been meaning to make?
  • At the end of the night can you do a quick fifteen-minute tidy up so the next day you wake up to a clean home?
  • Could you turn the TV off twenty minutes earlier to squeeze in a chapter of your book you haven’t touched in weeks? Or use Audible to listen to a book on your commute?
  • Whislt you are waiting 5 minutes for your lunch to cook, can you book the tickets to the show you are excited to see? Or quickly fill the dishwasher?

When you start to look for small pockets of time you will find them easier to find and they”ll help you to get more done in your day.

5. Make The Most Of Time Spent Commuting.

The commute to work in my car used to frustrate me. I realised that I was throwing away ninety or more minutes a day, five days a week listening to advertising and radio segments that weren’t really adding any value to my life other than an occasional laugh or news topic.

I decided to find a way to utilise my commute time so the drive to work was less of a chore and I could learn or do something enjoyable.

Here are some of the things I have done over the years to utilise this time.

  • I bought a set of Pimsleur German and Japanese CDs and started listening to them on the way to work. Each lesson goes for twenty minutes so was the perfect length for the commute.
  • Being in a band, it was often a struggle to make time to practice my vocals, so I started fitting my vocal practice into my commute. Other times I will do my vocal practice on the way to band prac.
  • I started listening to audiobooks, podcasts, and Youtube on things that interested me so I could learn as I drove. I recently bought a course that had video lessons so I would listen (no screens, safety first!) to these numerous times whilst driving so that when I had free time, I could focus on getting my “homework” done after completing the video earlier that day during my commute.

Now have a think, what could you do to utilise your commuting time (Of course, that is safe to do so!)?

6. Do Things You Are Passionate About So Being Productive Comes Easier.

When we are procrastinating it’s good to assess what we are doing with our time and ask ourselves if it is something we are really passionate about.

Of course, there are some tasks in life, like cleaning, where we are just not going to be passionate enough to enjoy doing them. But if we can make some tasks in line with our passion, that is always going to be helpful.

If work isn’t something that you look forward to, find out what you need to do to get into your dream job or to get a promotion into a more exciting or challenging role and make a start.

If you hate running but really enjoy aerobics, don’t force yourself to go running each day, substitute that exercise for one you are more passionate about.

If your partner loves cooking but you hate it – have a chat and distribute those household tasks in a way that seems more appealing to you both! My husband is a really good cook , whereas I am an okay cook, but find cooking more overwhelming and I am therefore slower at it, but faster at cleaning so we try and align our tasks around the house with what our strengths are.

Look for areas in life where you can make small or maybe even big changes so you can get more done and maybe even enjoy those tasks a little more.

7. Prioritise Your Tasks

Some years back I read the book ‘Eat The Frog’ by Brian Tracy and loved his advice on tackling the hardest, most important tasks first thing in your day.

Often with a fresh mind at the start of the day, we are better able to focus and make more progress. The last thing you want to do is get to the afternoon and still not have tackled the biggest to-do list item and have that weighing on your shoulders all day.

If the hardest project is also the most important and you have left it to 3pm for a 5pm deadline, you are putting yourself under unnecessary stress and making that task even more difficult to achieve when you are trying to rush through it under immense pressure.

Once the most difficult task is complete, the smaller tasks will seem like a breeze and be easier to knock down with your current momentum.

8. Learn To Say No.

If you are struggling to stay productive and keep up with your goals, you might have too much on your plate. If that is the case, it might be time to start learning how to say no, so you can have more time to prioritise what is important to you.

When we take on too much, over time we can find ourselves neglecting important things such as our health, relationships, or sleep.

It’s important, to be honest with yourself about what you can fit into your schedule. There is only so much time in a day and we can’t help everyone. If something comes up that is just going to add too much stress to your already-packed diary, it’s time to bring out the word ‘No’.

Start with scheduling time for the things that are important to you. Only then should you add any other commitments to your calendar. Some important things that should be at the top of your list to schedule are:

  • Sleep
  • Exercise
  • Self-care
  • Family time
  • Hobbies
  • Holidays
  • Work (the hours required to do your job until it is home time)
  • Projects that are important to you

Sometimes you might want to help our a friend or family member, just make sure it doesn’t become a habit in your schedule where you run out of time for what’s important to you.

9. Take Regular Breaks.

If you’re really stuck and have hit a productivity brick wall, it’s time to stop what you’re doing and take a break.

Clearing the mind can do wonders for productivity and help kick-start the creativity flow.

If you’re lost for ideas or an answer sometimes after a small break, or even a good night’s sleep the answer pops out at you.

Trying to force your way through something isn’t going to add much. You’ll be surprised how much a 10 minute break can make all the difference.

10. Plan Ahead.

I used to be a bit of a last-minute person and seemed to be constantly stressed because I’d left it to the day to write in a birthday card, wrap a gift or iron my dress for a wedding.

I have learned over time that planning ahead makes life so much easier.

Of course this is something you can work at improving over time and we may always be a work in progress when it comes to planning ahead, but there are ways to get ourselves more organised to reduce the stress associated with life.

If you need a gift for an upcoming event, don’t wait until the day before or day of to look for something. Plan ahead. Buying the gift a couple of weeks out or even months out if that gives you peace of mind, will save you a massive headache running around the shops on a day when you really don’t have the time. It might even help you find the perfect gift as you’ll have the time to research a gift or order something the person will love.

This might be as easy to do as setting yourself a habit of shopping for gifts for the month ahead on the 1st of the month. Or planning on a Sunday night for the week ahead so you can go into the week knowing what you have coming up and can plan accordingly to most suit your schedule.

11. Get Off Your Phone.

There’s nothing more distracting than a text notification going off or flashing in the corner of your eye. Once you see or hear it, it is hard to resist. Before you know it, you’re just having a quick look and the willpower is lost and more often than not you’ve lost all momentum and focus. And the tech industry is just getting better and better at sucking us in (Tik Tok/Reels anyone?)

I can’t count the number of times I unlocked my phone to do something only to hit the Facebook or Instagram app out of habit and realise minutes later that I’d completely forgotten to look at what I’d set out to do.

We can probably all admit to spending a little too much time on social media. It’s fine in moderation, however, if you’re spending hours a day on social media sites without a specific goal, you might be able to reallocate some of that time to doing something more productive.

When you have a deadline or something that requires you to focus, put your phone away, turn it on airplane mode, or on silent and ideally stick it in a drawer somewhere so you aren’t tempted to look at it if you need to help reduce any potential distractions.

12. Delegate.

If your schedule is overloaded and you just can’t seem to get on top of things it might be time to consider delegating. This strategy can work in all areas of our life.

If you are snowed under with housework ask your kids and partner to help out. Even if they all chip in for just 15 minutes a day – or every now and then, it could free up some much-needed time in your schedule. If this becomes a family habit, to all help out that will go a long way to freeing up your valuable time so you can have some free time to enjoy as well.

When you can’t get to the grocery store, do an online shop and get it delivered. Save yourself the time driving to the shop, finding parking, walking down the aisles and waiting in a que! I personally love the option ‘Direct to Boot’ so I don’t have to pay a delivery fee, but just pick up my shopping from the carpark on my way home from work.

If you are completely swamped at work, can you ask a collegue to help you out? Maybe you can offer them the same in return the next time they are swamped.

Consider delegating by getting outside help. If you just don’t have time to clean as often as you’d like or need to, consider hiring a cleaner to come in once a week or fortnight. Or hire someone to mow the lawns once a month so you can have a beach day instead.

Outside help might not be something in your budget that you can afford, but if not, ask ‘How can I afford this’?

Maybe you just need to cut out dining out once a month to fund this additional help. Or maybe you can take up meal planning and use the savings on your grocery budget to fund some outside help.

13. Consider Deleting Things Off Your To-Do List

If you seem to be carrying to-do list tasks forward repeatedly ask yourself if that item is really all that important.

Maybe in the grand scheme of things, it’s just not as pressing to your life at this immediate time. Perhaps you really just don’t have the time to even think about it right now.

You could always come back to it at a later time when you are less busy and more able to dedicate your time to that task. Or, as Joshua Fields-Millburn from The Minimalists recommends, put those things on a ‘Some Day’ list in your To-Do list App or notebook. That way they aren’t staring you in the face day to day, but you know they are there somewhere when you are ready to get to them.

How do you stay organised and productive? Comment with any tips you have found that’s worked for you below.

Organising

5 Tips to a More Organised Life

Posted on August 26, 2022
Cathryn Lavery

I’ve always been a keen organiser and lover of to-do lists. Some time back my organisation systems needed an overhaul…

You see, I was an avid post-it-note user. As you can imagine, this wasn’t the most effective means of staying organised, no matter how well-intentioned my efforts were. Most of the time my post-it notes would end up at the bottom of my handbag, scrunched up, or would just disappear off the face of the Earth. Worst case, I’d end up with something leaking in my handbag ruining my organisation attempts. (Just a quick disclaimer, I am more organised these days, but after spilling 20% of my coke zero in my handbag earlier today I am definitely still working on that side of things ;))  

I still use a mix of handwritten and digital methods to keep myself organised.

I find a balance of both helps. There’s no greater satisfaction than ticking off completed tasks on paper but I also enjoy the convenience of having 24-hour access to my digital organisation systems.

Here are 5 Tips to a More Organised Life I recommend to help you on your journey to kick-ass at organisation!   

Disclaimer: Please note these recommendations are not sponsored in any way, they are just things I love and highly recommend!

The links to some items are from my Etsy store so I will receive payment for these purchases.

  1. Start a Bullet Journal

I discovered bullet journals a few years back and found they helped me to keep all my thoughts in one place and have a plan for action. Even better you can personalise it to suit your needs and schedule. I like to do a week to a page as well as a page for the monthly calendar and monthly goals. In the week’s plan I include the following:

  • To-do list
  • Weekly Meal plan
  • House tasks/chores I need to do
  • Monday to Friday Weekly schedule with dates for plans and appointments
  • A ‘To buy’ list for any items I need to buy that week such as birthday gifts
  • Exercise plan to mark in gym days and other exercises

On my monthly page, I mark in any upcoming appointments or scheduled plans for the month ahead so I can see my month at a glance. I also make note of my goals for the month on the page to the right. It certainly beats my old post-it note system and I find it extremely satisfying ticking things off my list as they are done. Is there any greater joy? 

You can make your bullet journal as simple or creative as you like it’s totally up to you! If you love drawing or are artistically creative I’m sure yours will look a lot better than mine 😛 

For anyone else a bit stuck on what to include in their bullet journal or how to get started, there are many “Bullet Journal” Pins on Pinterest to help you get some cool ideas and inspiration.

And of course the organisation doesn’t end here. There are a myriad of things you can use your bullet journal for:

  • Tracking your debt journey
  • A habit journal to record your achievements e.g. exercise daily, water intake, taking your vitamins, eat fruit
  • A list such as books to read, books I’ve read, documentaries to watch
  • A record of things you want to do around the house
  • Keeping track of your savings balances
  • Weight goals
  • Recipe ideas
  • Cleaning schedules
  • Favourite quotes

The greatest thing about the bullet journal is you can tailor it to suit your life and sometimes it feels nice to crack out texters and coloured pens and get your art vibes on (stationery lovers I’m looking at you!).

2. Use A Weekly Planner

If you aren’t keen on lugging around a notebook everywhere you go, I’ve got your covered. After a year or so of bullet journaling, I thought can’t I just make this process easier and save myself time each month ruling up new pages? Yes, yes you can!

So I came up with a Weekly Planner to help you stay organised without the need to manually prepare pages in your bullet journal or the need to carry around a notebook wherever you go.

Insread I would print out my planner each week which allows me to track all of my important To Dos, Schedules and Appointments, Meal Plan and so on in one place without the bulk! Every time I think of something I need to do that week, or if I need to buy something I quickly jot it down on my list which I carry in my handbag and tick off things as I go. You can even just paste it into your bullet journal to save yourself some time on ruling up new pages.

It will make it easy for you to keep track of:
> Your To Dos by how much time they will take
> Daily Appointments
> Goals, including Exercise and Cleaning Goals for the week
> Your Meal Plan
> To Call list
> Items you need To Buy
> Any Notes you need to jot down

If you like a more simplified planner without all the excess bulk in your handbag you can order your Weekly Planner here.

3. Three Item Task List

I first heard of the Three Item Task List from Joshua Becker and loved the concept of tackling three small to-dos a day, rather than trying to overwhelm myself with one large list.

If you are anything like me, you’ve tried the latter and sometimes our to-do lists can look so overwhelming that we don’t know where to start. Looking at a list of ten things might make it hard to prioritise what is the most important task and can be an extremely unrealistic goal. Let’s be honest, trying to do a large number of things in a small space of time can and getting overwhelmed can often mean we make no progress on anything.

The key to achieving our goals is to set realistic ones. If you try and attempt 10 things on your to-do list today you are more than likely going to fail. A good tip to limit the overwhelm of your to-do list is stick to a list for each day of the 3 most important tasks.

Pick the three things that you feel are the most important to be done today. The ones that if left incomplete have the most consequences. Once you have completed those three most important tasks, you will feel a great sense of achievement that you met your days goals.

If you feel like you’re on a roll and could do more than three go for it, but only do this once you have done your top three items. By the end of the week you could have up to 21 tasks on your to-do list cleared off and that deserves a huge pat on the back!

To help you get started you can grab a free copy of my Three Item To Do List worksheet here.

Don’t forget to check out “12 Simple Bedroom Organisation Tips!” for more organisation tips!

4. Google Calendar to keep track of your schedule

I have been using my google calendar for years and would be lost without it. Although the bullet journal is great for writing down your tasks and plans, there is nothing quite like having access to your calendar no matter where you are. I don’t carry my bullet journal out with me on nights out and there is the chance you could leave it at home one day. A wall calendar just never worked for me as you can only view it when you are home and it’s not ideal for making plans or appointments on the go.

Typically you will always have your phone or access to a PC, laptop or tablet at work so there will be very few occasions where you aren’t able to check your calendar. Each time I make any plans it goes straight into my Google Calendar to make sure I don’t lose track of it and forget. There is so much to remember day-to-day and we should utilise what tools we have to make our life easier.

Another advantage of the Google Calendar is you can share it with whomever you need – your spouse, team, colleagues. It can help everyone stay on the same page as to what is happening and when. I’m sure there are other digital calendars out there but I have found this one the easiest and most reliable.

5. Utilise Organisation Apps 

There is a whole range of organisation apps out there to help you get organised. Apps such as Google Keep, Wunderlist and Colour Note are great for organising your notes and to do lists.

Colournote App

One of my personal favourites I love to use to keep track of notes is Colour Note app. There is an option for notes or checklists. You can make as many notes as you need and copy and paste information easily. It’s great for those times when you want to make a quick note like a movie recommendation, or if you come across a book you’d like to read. I like to make notes in mine such as what I have planned for the day, my shopping list and where I am going to shop, recipe ideas, travel packing lists, and so on. Even better, it syncs with your phone so you can back-up your notes – no fear of losing your phone and your important notes. You can easily send the notes to your email or share it with others.

Trello

I’ve also moved on to using Trello more recently which uses boards and cards which allows me to do all of the above and more. Boards can be things like ‘My to-do List’ or ‘favourite recipes’ and the cards under can contain your tasks or favourite recipes plus ingredients or other notes. You can add notes or due dates to your items/tasks.

I love that I can make a quick note in my list and move it where it needs to be later by selecting, move, board and card.

Google Drive

Another organisation app I love is Google Drive templates. It offers a to-do-list where you can list your to-dos by category, record the due date, enter a description and mark them as completed when done. Simply open up your Google Drive account, click+New, Google Sheets, From a template, To Do List and start organising! 

Try a few out, research your own and find what works best for you!

For more tips on getting organised check out  13 Time Management Tips to Get Organised for more tips on getting on top of your to do list and tools and techniques to become an organisation master.

This weeks questions: What are your favourite ways to stay organised? Do you have any apps to recommend? Please Comment below with your tips.

Organising

12 Simple Bedroom Organisation Tips

Posted on September 10, 2021
Learn some bedroom organisation tips to keep your bedroom a clutter free space.

There is nothing worse than walking into your bedroom after a long day at work and seeing piles of mess all over. Laundry on the floor, loose coins piled up on the bedside table, your quilt, and sheets on the floor – this used to be my daily visuals until I decided that I needed to have my bedroom as a place of calmness and tranquillity. Here are some bedroom organisation tips I’ve found, that helped me achieve a mess-free organised bedroom without too much effort.

Let’s jump right in and declutter with these 12 Simple Bedroom Organisation Tips to help you keep your bedroom the sanctuary you’ve always wanted it to be!

12 Simple Bedroom Organisation Tips

1. Make Your Bed Every Day

I’ve included this first on purpose. Always make your bed. It’s the first thing you will notice when you walk into your room and gives a sense of cleanliness and order at a glance. Even better it only takes a minute or less! Making your bed alone brings your bedroom up to a semi-tidiness level and will spark the desire to keep going and get the rest of the bedroom in order!

2. Remove Unnecessary Items and Declutter

Remove clutter or items that don’t belong in your bedroom. The key is to make sure everything has a home. If stuff from other rooms in the home seems to be creeping into your bedroom it’s time to remove it. An easy trick is to have baskets for each person in the household which you can return their items to ready to be put back in the appropriate room without having to take multiple trips.

Think about when was the last time you used each item in your bedroom. If it was more than 12 months ago, or something that doesn’t really bring you joy anymore, then let it go. A great way to facilitate decluttering things in your room as you go is to keep a donation box or basket in the bottom of your wardrobe so you can donate things as you go.

3. Keep Clothes Hampers Close By

Put a clothes hamper in your bedroom, bathroom, or wardrobe to keep laundry off the floor. Better yet, get one with compartments for sorting to save you time when it comes to laundry day. Mine is on a rolling frame with bags so you can roll the hamper to the laundry or just grab a bag and go!

Check out these 6 laundry hacks to keep you on top of your washing pile! 

Declutter With Me Decluttering Course  

Are you finding yourself overwhelmed and stressed out by clutter in your home? If you’re looking to minimise the excess in your life, Declutter With Me: A 12 Week Guide to Declutter Your Home is a go-at-your-own-pace course that will give you the step-by-step, room-by-room instructions to help you clear the clutter in your home in as soon as just 12 weeks!

But clearing the clutter isn’t just about getting rid of your excess stuff. It’s important to change your behaviour and consumer habits so you can avoid re-cluttering your space once you have decluttered. Included in Declutter With Me, are “Keep It Minimal” tips for each area in your home + 7 Tips To Help You Keep Your Home Minimal, to give you strategies you can implement to help you spend with intention so you can avoid bringing clutter back into your home.

If you are keen to minimise your unwanted clutter check out Declutter With Me so you can create a home you love!

Learn more

4. Create a Capsule Wardrobe

In order to avoid the morning stress associated with having to pick something to wear from an overflowing wardrobe, and the resulting mess that comes from the mad rush, consider de-cluttering your wardrobe or creating a capsule wardrobe.

A more streamlined wardrobe filled with items you love will make getting ready a breeze and ensure those days of clothing strewn all over the floor are well behind you.

 

Related post: 7 Essential Questions to Help You Declutter Your Wardrobe!

5. Limit Items On Bedside Tables

Keep bedside table items to a minimum. It looks less cluttered and will be easier when it comes time to dust. Keep the things you need close by, such as the book you are currently reading but put the other stuff away. Ideally in your bedside table where they are accessible but not visually cluttering up your bedside table.

6. Organise Like Items together

Keep like items together; jewellery, hats, handbags, etc so they are easy to locate. And as an extra bonus, you can spend your money with intention as you can see what you have and know what you do and don’t need before going out shopping and coming home with duplicate items.

7. Utilise Over Door Hangers

Over-door-hangers are an easy storage option when you are lacking storage in your bedroom. The storage options for these are endless. You can use them to store things like shoes, socks, makeup, and jewellery.

Over-the-door hooks can be used to store clean but worn clothing so you can re-wear them. This will help keep clothes that can be worn again off the floor and provides great additional storage space and will keep your clothes lasting longer as you won’t be washing them every single time you wear them (within reason of course, please do wash your underwear after ease use hehe).

Minimise With Me Facebook Group

8. Keep the Floor Clear

Keep as little on the floor as possible. Open spaces do wonders for the appearance of tidiness. A hamper in the corner or cupboard will greatly help to achieve this! Place cushions back on your bed and fold any extra blankets.

9. Use the Kon-Mari Folding Method to Maximise Space

Fold your clothes Kon-Mari style. This method allows you to fit more in your drawers, reducing the number of drawers you will need which will help your room feel less cluttered. This folding method also allows you to see your clothes at a glance as they are ‘filed’ inside each drawer.

They will stay much tidier as you can pick what you want out at a glance, rather than having to dig through a vertical pile of clothes to find what you are after. This saves you having to refold everything constantly and allows you to easily close your drawers!
I made the change to folding using the Kon-Mari method years ago and will never go back.

Here is a video containing the instructions on how to fold clothing the Kon-Mari way if you are keen to see how it is done. Get ready to enjoy folding! 

10. Be Selective With What You Bring Into Your Bedroom Space

Be selective with what you bring into your bedroom. Try to implement the one-in-one-out rule for clothing to avoid closet chaos. Don’t buy endless decorative items that take up space and attract dust. Select a few you love and keep the rest from cluttering up your room.

Check out these 7 questions to ask before buying anything to help you shop and spend your hard-earned money more intentionally.

11. Use Boxes, Baskets and Containers For Drawer Organisation

Use boxes like IKEA Skubb or DIY versions to organise drawers into sections. This can be great to organise bras, underwear, and socks or shirts into sections and keep them tidy and sectioned so they are easy to find. They also look great! And why not have beautifully organised spaces in drawers as well as elsewhere in your home!

12. Implement a Plan For Worn Clothing

One of the biggest pain points for untidy bedrooms is dealing with clothing and laundry, whether it be clean, worn but still wearable, or dirty.

Ensure every time you wear something you assess: Does this need to be washed or will I wear this again?

Find a system that works for you. Here’s mine.

I put dirty clothes immediately into a hamper in the bathroom and if it is something that can be worn a second time, I will hang it up on hooks behind our bathroom door.

Alternatively, you can put it back on a coat hanger in your closet or have a specific drawer for clothes you want to wear again but to keep them separate from the unworn clothes whilst keeping them off the floor.

Once you get into the habit of this, clothes left lying on the bedroom or bathroom floor – or wherever is your clothing hot spot in the house – will be a thing of the past and will go a long way to keeping your bedroom a tidy oasis!

I hope these will be some useful bedroom organisation tips for your household so you too can maintain a beautiful calming organised bedroom space.

Let me know in the comments what bedroom organisation tips you have for maintaining your bedroom!

Organising

Be More Productive: 6 Productivity Tools to Help You Get More Done

Posted on April 27, 2021

In my search to simplify my life, I’ve always way been keen to find ways to get more done in less time and use my time as efficiently as I can. My journey to simplify, doesn’t end there, there is also the goal to get what is in my head out in one way or another to free up my mental space and hopefully reduce stress.

I am not productivity expert by any stretch of the word, but I certainly have tried certain tools and resources in my quest to simplify my life and be more productive so I can get what I need done, and move onto other things. If you are wanting some suggestions to be more productive and get more done these are 6 tools I have used for a number of years now that might help you.

Disclaimer: None of these listed below are sponsored tools or apps, they are just my opinion, and what I have found works for me 🙂

6 Productivity Apps That Help Me Stay Productive

  1. Colournote (App)

Colornote is a great place to make any random notes I want to make on the go or to refer back to often such as:

  • Making a list of places to visit on holiday
  • My shopping list
  • Shows I want to watch
  • Hashtags I use for Instagram posts etc

It’s great for when you need to write something down and don’t have a paper or pen!

For example, I have lists of hashtags I use for certain post topics, such as Finance, that I can just copy and paste into Instagram saving me minutes for each post that I can put to better use! You could even use it just to note down your daily spending as you go until you can add it into a worksheet later on when you sit down at your computer.

  1. Google Calendar

Google Calendar is where I keep all my scheduling. Anytime I book in an event or appointment, have plans with friends or a house repair job, I’ll note it into my Google Calendar. I love that this calendar can be used from my phone on the go.

I can invite people to any event, so I can invite my husband or my friends via email and they’ll get a calendar notification as well. I can also buy online like tickets to an event and it will automatically add it to my calendar.

It helps to keep me organized and know where I have to be at what time! You can also enter the details of the event including the location and time so everything is in one place! 

And it can’t hurt to have a notification to remind you an event or appointment is coming up the day before or the morning of!

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  1. Trello

I used Trello as a To-Do List as well for note-taking where I can ‘tick off’ completed tasks and take all the satisfaction that comes with that! Trello is essentially a digital pin board with post it notes. So you can pick a topic and then list what you want in that category and then Archive it when it is completed, or move it to a ‘Done’ List. 

I use trello to keep track of things such as:

  • My ‘To Buy’ List: I have different stores that I shop at frequently I.e. Bunnings, Kmart and I will add anything I need to buy when I go there next. This helps me to be productive as I know when I go to the store what I need to buy at a glance. How frustrating is it when you go to a shop and your brain just goes blank! Trello also helps me avoid impulse shopping as I build up these shopping lists over time as I need and over time it has helped me to reinforce a barrier to spending, if I want something it goes on the list, I don’t necessarily get to buy it that second! This also helps me to be more productive, as instead of going to the shops every week or even multiple times a week *shudders*, I will instead, build up a list for that store and might just go to that shop once that month rather than multiple times. Here I am still getting what I need, but saving myself multiple trips to get it, and it really helps me to prioritise what I need now, vs what can actually just wait until I can go shopping there.
  • Meal Planning

I have one Trello board for Meal Planning, I have the days of the week and a whole list of meal ideas to choose from. On each meal post I have the ingredients I need to make it, so I can easily see what I need to buy from the shops in order to make that recipe. This helps me to be more productive as it allows my Meal Planning process to only take 5-10 minutes a week! And habits that are easy are much easier to stick with!

  • Book Recommendations

If you are anything like me, you will hear and endless number of book recommendations. So I keep those in a list in my Trello board. I may not get to most of them, I’m certainly ambitious but realistic, but I can always refer to the list if I ever want a new book to read. Not that that has happened too often hehe.

  • To Dos

I have a To Do List Trello Board that I divide into Today, This Week & This Month, an idea I got from Joshua Fields Millburn from The Minimalists. There is where I note down things I need to do like make a call, pay for my insurance renewal, get a haircut etc. I even use Trello in my work as an Accountant to make sure I know tasks I need to complete and when and I can track what I have and haven’t completed.

These are just some of the things I use my Trello list for but the possibilities really are endless when it comes to how to be more productive! And the best thing is, it is completely free to use! 

  1. Three Item Task List

I use my Three Item Task List for my personal and Work To Dos. I love having digital To-Do lists like Trello, and I certainly utilise those, but I also love just having things written down as well. 

So each week, I prepare two of these schedules that incorporate both my To-Dos and my Schedule, so kind of a blend of my Google Calendar and Trello for the week ahead just so I can see everything in front of me on one piece of paper that I can carry around in my handbag. No heavy diary necessary! 

You can grab the very same Three Item Task List I use here in my Etsy Store! 

The idea of this List is to select the Top 3 things you need to do that day. It is there to help you prioritise your To Dos. So if you think of Trello as a list to help you note down your To Dos, and the Three Item Task List to highlight what is the most important of those To-Dos. It also helps drown out some of the noise that my digital To Do Lists have with having so many tasks, here I can simplify and say, those are all well and good goals, but these are my most important goals to achieve this week. 

  1. Habits App

A couple of years ago, I discovered Habit Tracking Apps and how they can be helpful to keep you motivated to stick to your goals and create new habits! And we can all use as much help as we can get to build new habits and be more productive!

I use the ‘Habits’ app and set up some habits I wanted to build such as:

  • Go to the gym
  • Play bass
  • Meditate
  • Go for a walk
  • Water
  • Bring Lunch
  • Take Vitamins

Just to name a few. You can open up the app once a day and record what habit you did that day and the circle on the left will colour itself in over time based on how close to 100% you are to your goal! 

  1. Google Drive 

Google Drive allows me to organize all my documents and files. It’s changed my tax return game up so much. I have folders for every single year of taxes and type and subfolders to organise expenses by category. I am an Accountant and even I don’t enjoy Tax Returns, so if you are like me, and keep to be more productive I highly suggest you set up a digital filing set up in Google Drive.

Generally, I will try scan receipts as I go with my phone camera and upload the file into Google Drive when I am holding the receipt. I then rename the file so that the file can be easily searched by a keyword rather than having to actually know the location of the file. Plan B, is just to sort these folders by Store or Category I.e. Warranties or Kmart.

It’s also where I keep a lot of my other projects and worksheet such as my budget, blog ideas etc.

Well there you have it guys, Six Tools That Help Me to Be More Productive. I hope you found this helpful and it helps you with your goals to simplify and take back some of your precious time to do more important things! 🙂

Do you have a any favourite apps that you use to help stay organized and productive? Please let me know which ones you prefer to use in the comments.

Organising

32 Things to Keep You Busy During Self-Isolation

Posted on March 16, 2020
A beautiful, tidy loungeroom

It appears more and more likely that many cities around the world will soon be in some form of self-isolation. It’s a scary reality, and not something any of us ever imaged could happen. In order to help you keep your spirits up and keep busy, if you are stuck at home in self-isolation for any period of time over the coming weeks, I threw together some Organising, Self Care and Fun activities to help you keep your sanity and take advantage of a little bit of extra free time.

Becoming Minimalist also has 14 you can add to the below list to Help You Declutter Your Home While Stuck Inside, so if you are keen for more ideas on how to keep busy, be sure to check that out as well!

Here are 32 Things to Keep You Busy During Self Isolation.

Organising Activities

If you are going into self isolation in your country, and unfortunately more and more countries are bringing that in, we need to keep ourselves busy and hopefully a little distracted from the constant stream of bad news. If you are stuck indoors it is a great time to get around to all those things you have been putting off around your home. Here are a few ideas to help you get organised and pass the time.

  1. Sort and organise your photo prints and photo albums. Throw out any photos that no longer bring you joy.
  2. Organise your paperwork. Go through your paperwork and recycle, shred and scan your paperwork, only keeping what is necessary to have in hard copy form.
  3. Clear out and organise your pantry. Review what is in your pantry and if anything needs to be disposed of. This will give you the opportunity to see what you do and don’t have and what you might need to stock up on.
  4. Clean your fridge. Throw out anything nasty and give everything a wipe down.
  5. Declutter the garage/basement. This is one of those jobs you most likely have put off for sometime. If you are stuck in doors, now is probably as good a time as ever to declutter things. Of course, you’ll have to keep one area to store any items you want to donate for the time being.
  6. Declutter and create a Capsule Wardrobe. Take the opportunity to go through your wardrobes and access what is and isn’t fitting or working anymore and set them aside in your donation pile. Select season appropriate clothing for the next three months and store the remainder away.
  7. Back up photos. It can be a great time to back up your valuable photo collections across your devices. Ideally in at least two locations, one in the cloud and one in physical form such as on a SSD.
  8. Reorganise cabinets. Go through your cabinets and tidy them up. Throw away any empty bottles and merge any that you safely can into one bottle if you find you have multiples of the same open.
  9. Gardening/ weeding. Get your gardens looking gorgeous so you can at least enjoy your outdoor area whilst  you are stuck at home.
  10. Start any house projects you have been putting off. If you’ve got the paint, paint the areas you had been planning to, hang up any new frames or new curtains etc. I’m sure you already have a sizeable list started 🙂
  11. Look after your plant babies. I have recently adopted a huge number of plants. And looking after them takes a bit of time every few days, but is so worth it when they thrive! Keep them well watered, trim off any dead leaves and feed them when they need.
  12. Disinfect and spring clean your home (regardless of the season ;)). You can’t be too careful at them moment and that can be great motivation to give all surfaces and handles a wipe down. If you were as unlucky as me to miss out on grabbing any antibacterial wipes or sanitiser, you can create your own using The Organised Housewife’s DIY Antibacterial Wipes recipe. Of course check out whether this will be suitable for your benchtops etc. (NB: I am not a doctor of any sort, so I can’t attest to the effectiveness of this recipe against COVID19, but it is preferable to me than using nothing).
  13. Take up the Minimise With Me Declutter With Me Decluttering Course and get started on decluttering your entire home, one room at a time. This course will guide your through all areas of your home to help you declutter and simplify your life and remove the excess you’ve been carrying around for so long.
  14. Or grab my 101 Things to Declutter Right Now Printable to help you get started on a smaller declutter.

Self Care Activities

There is a lot of uncertainty around the world at the moment, with each country making it’s own decisions regarding this COVID19 virus. It’s important to take some time for ourselves to relieve any anxieties we have been carrying around. Stress is not good for us, so we need to be conscious of our stress levels and do what we can to destress.  Some ideas you can do from home are:

15. Take a warm relaxing bath with some lavender scented wash or oil

16. Give yourself a hair treatment

17. Do a DIY facial, body or foot scrub using what you have in your pantry

18. Exercise. It is so important to be healthy to fight this virus, so make sure to incorporate some exercise into your daily routine to keep you healthy and strong. Some options to try are: Yoga, Pilates, Tabata, Weights and walking if you are allowed outside for exercise. Be sure to check out YouTube for some free routine videos!

Fun Activities

Depending on whether you live alone, with a partner or kids, here are some ideas to pass the time:

19. Call a friend or family member. You may not be able to leave your home, but you can always call loved ones to catch up and see how they are going.

20. Read one of your books on your bookshelf, you kept insisting you would read. If you have kids, find one or a few you can read to them so it can become a new family activity!

21. Crack out those board games

22. Set up a video console such as your old Wii or N64 console that have been collecting dust

23. Rewatch your fave shows or movies like Lord of The Rings or Harry Potter. We are currently rewatching the Scrubs series and loving it!

24. Find some Docos on your fave topics to watch. Some great places to find them are on Netflix, Youtube, ABC or SBS to name a few.

25. Catch up on your fave YTers videos

26. Read your favourite blogs

27. Learn a new language. Download the Duolingo app and practice a new language a bit each day. It is truly amazing how much progress you can make in even just a few weeks.

28. Practice your instrument. If you are a musician, or learning a new instrument you’ll have some extra time to fit practice in and learn some new songs you have been wanting to get to but haven’t had the time.

29. Learn a new skill, the options are endless and there.

30. Do arts and crafts. Whatever you enjoy, colouring in one of those adult colouring books, scrap booking, creating a artwork book for your kids etc.

31. Enjoy cooking. Without the rush of the daily grind you can be free to enjoy cooking a nice meal.

32. Bake, if you love baking take advantage of that free time to cook something yummy for your family.

Please let me know what activities you are going to do to keep you and your family entertained if you are required to go into self-isolation so we can keep those ideas flowing and hopefully we can all find a few things that will give us joy in this difficult time.

And I hope for all of you and your family and friends, that you stay safe and healthy and we can return to our regular lives as soon as possible. Let’s be kind to one another, reach out to loved ones that may be lonely and in need of help where we can and do our best to keep our anxieties at bay. We’re all in this together.

Photo by Kirill on Unsplash

If you found value in this post, please share it to your friends and loved ones, who may be looking for some welcome distractions in the coming weeks.

Organising

10 Productivity Hacks For a More Efficient Day

Posted on February 25, 2020
Girl with long brown hair sitting at desk looking at her monitor and being productive

If you are like me, you love to get as much done as quickly and efficiently as possible. If I get something done, I am always looking at how I can do it quicker next time and what I can eliminate.

So you won’t see me tossing junk mail out in my house, because it didn’t get delivered to my house in the first place, thanks to a carefully placed ‘No Junk Mail Sticker’.

You also won’t see me sitting down paying my bills four times a month because most bills are set to direct debit.

Tax time you won’t see man scrambling to scan a years worth of receipts (at least not any more) because I now scan receipts as I go rather than waiting for a 12 month stash to tackle.

The less I have to worry about and physically set time aside for the better.

Everyone has the same 24 hours and it seems to never be enough. So don’t waste your precious time working inefficiently. There are always things you can implement to speed up tasks such as laundry or your finances. Check out these 10 Productivity Hacks for a More Efficient Day that you can implement in your life to save you time and get you back to doing more valuable things!

**This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase of a product from the links in this post I will receive a small commission, at no cost to you. This allows me to keep my blog advertisement free and support the running costs of my blog. I only recommend products I believe will add value to others and that I love myself.**

10 Productivity Hacks for a More Efficient Day

  1. Utilise Organisation Tools

If paper to do list just aren’t cutting it for you these day, check out some different organisational tools to get all your to dos in one place. In order to be productive you need to know what you need to get done and these organisational tools are there to help you jot down any To Dos or ideas as they come to you, whereever you are.

Some of my favourites are:

  • Trello is essentially a digital post-it-note, without the need to worry about them losing their stickiness! You can set up as many boards as you need and as many To Do items. Once you are done simply move the task to your completed list, or drag it to the top of bottom of the screen to archive it so you never have to see that To Do again! Good riddance!

I have many boards set up including: To Dos, To Buy, Meal Planning (where I list tried and tested recipes as well as ingredients), Gift Ideas and you name it! And the awesome thing is you can chose custom designs for each board to personalise it!

  • Google Keep is another great organisation option that gives you the satisfaction of ticking off a To Do Item. This used to be my main organisation tool before I moved across to Trello. Again here, you can make notes or checklists and it can be synced to your Google Account so it can be handy whenever you need.
  • Colour Note is similar to Google Keep, it’s a digital note pad where you can type out various notes or check lists under a topic category.  It also can sync to back up your lists.
  • Google To Do List Template – If you want a digital organisation tool and are as obsessed with spreadsheets as I am, Google To Do List can do just the trick. Open up their Excel To Do List Template and add in the due dates and tasks. You can separate each section into categories i.e. Home Projects, Car Related, Daily Tasks and so on. When you tick off a task it will strike-through the item on your list, providing an ever-so-satisfying line through your to do item. To create your own, simply go to Google Drive, select the + New and Google Sheets, From a Template and select the To Do List Template.

2. Set a timer

One of my all time productivity hacks has been to set a timer. I’ve been using this productivity hack for over ten years, back in my uni days #memories, in order to get shit done, I would lock myself in my bedroom, put a timer on and not allow myself to exit the room until that timer went off. It made for a fairly productive 1 or 2 hour work or study session and meant that I could reward myself with a break after some hard work.

No matter what it is, setting a timer can help you get what you need done. If you need to clean up your mess of a house, set a timer and speed clean as quickly as possible.  If you need to study, set a timer for an agreed period of time and only when it goes off, can you leave your books. Need to write a blog post? Get that timer on and don’t move your butt out of that chair until it goes off.

Sometimes a short timer is all you need to motivate yourself. Once that two minute timer goes off, you might find you are a lot more motivated to continue with the task you are on. And if not you can always stop.

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3. Time blocking

You may feel like you have no time in the day to get anything done, but I can assure you that you do, even if only a small window in the day. Whenever that may be, the key is to think of your time in blocks and allocated periods of time to a particular task.

My personal routine on a regular work day looks a little like this;

  • Morning – stretch and 2 minute quick tidy
  • Commute – Listen to Audiobook
  • Morning Tea – read daily news
  • Lunch – depends on the day but it can include a Duolingo lesson or two, a short walk, time to catch up with some YT videos, read, get something I need from the shops (to save time on the weekend)
  • Afternoon Tea – read/free time/make any important calls
  • Commute – Pimsleur language lesson, vocal practice, listen to radio or podcast
  • After work – quick speed clean (10-15 mins max)
  • After dinner – bass practice, go to the gym, blog and free time

A lot of my daily activities area squeezed into 10-15 minute periods of free time. And I don’t manage to fit the above into every single day, every single week. I certainly don’t achieve everything in the above list. But some really good days I might come close 🙂

But if I can get a few of the above done here and there, it means I am being a lot more productive than I would be if I just waited until I got home to get things done when I am more than likely exhausted from the day.

Now I want you to look at your schedule and see what you can time block in your schedule. Make your blocks whatever time they need to be to suit your schedule. I work full-time so a lot of my time blocks are small, but fifteen minutes is fifteen minutes and you’d be surprised what you can get done in that time! If you have more free time, your blocks might be bigger sections of time where you can fit more things in.

So can you squeeze a ten minute walk into your morning before you leave for work?

Or load the dishwasher before you walk out the door?

Could you do a quick Speed Clean for 10 minutes as soon as you get home to get onto of the housework?

Sometimes just a quick review of our weeks and time blocks can reveal free time we had been wasting on Facebook or watching TV which could be more productively spent time.

4. Prioritise

A super important productivity hack is to prioritise! If we don’t prioritise we will never get what we need done. Procrastination isn’t always a bad thing when you are putting off  less important tasks in order to do the things that really matter.

Work out what are your Must Dos and what can be put off.

Do you feel committed to going to the gym 3 days a week for 45 minutes? Okay great. Now think about what are you willing to give up to meet that commitment. Maybe you could cancel one social outing a week and rearrange your cleaning schedule so you free up some time.

Is your house sheer chaos and you only have 30 minutes before your friends are dropping by? Figure out what is the most pressing items to clean and leave the rest. For me, I hate really obvious visual clutter so I can live with a few crumbs on the floors or some dust that I will get to when I can, but if there are cushions and shoes and dirty laundry everywhere it drives me insane and has to be moved.

An import lesson I learnt from ‘Eat that Frog‘, is that you should tackle the most important task first thing in your day. Don’t leave the most pressing items on your to do list to get to at the end of your productivity sesh where they are most likely to not get done.

 5. Break up tasks into smaller tasks

If you get overwhelmed by long To Do Lists, set yourself a more realistic goal by creating a 3 Item Task List. Here instead of writing a long list of To Dos that you will attempt to knock over in a day, only to be frustrated by your lack of success, we try something a little less stressful. Think of the 3 most important tasks that you need to complete today and write those down on your day in the rows 1, 2 and 3.

If you don’t get to them today, that’s okay you can move them over to the following day.

This organisation method helps you to prioritise your tasks without overwhelming you with a long list of To Dos, to tackle today. And also gives you the chance to tackle 21 tasks in the space of a week. Imagine how much progress you would make if you could complete just three tasks a day! Even if they are super quick tasks you will feel like a winner at the end of the week with the progress you have made!

6. Put your phone on airplane mode

There is nothing that diminishes your productivity streak more than a phone call or notifications. The next time you are sitting down to get your productivity on, set your phone to flight mode. Silent is not good enough, that little irritating flashing notification light will get to you soon enough, even if you can’t hear your phone go off. It is unrelenting and no task’s pull  is so strong to make you ignore it. At least that is what I’ve found.

When you are done with your work you can turn your phone off airplane mode and get to any missed notifications. But they can and need to wait whilst you get your To Dos done.

7. Stay motivated and track your progress

If you are someone that likes to tick off your goals and see your progress utilising Habit Trackers can help motivate you to keep going!

My husband currently has a 40 day Duolingo streak for Japanese for our upcoming trip to Japan and he is determined to maintain it. This is a genius feature of the Duolingo app. It goes a step future by showing your proficiency score and ranking in the leader boards so you feel the pull to keep up with other learners!

If you want to stick to a goal, like going to the gym or paying off debt, having someone as an accountability partner can go a long way to helping you stay motivated and productive.

You could set up a debt pay off chart in your bullet journal or print off one like these from Debt Free Charts to track your progress. We currently have one for our mortgage and love colouring a line in whenever we cross that dollar threshold! Who knew colouring in lines could be so motivating 😉

There are also great habit tracking Apps like Habit Tracker, where you can mark down your daily goals ie. Drink 1L of water, go for a walk, read for 10 mins, buy no lunch day and so on and then you get the satisfaction of ticking off your achieved goals each day.

8. Utilise Your Commute

If you have a fairly distant commute to make to work or uni, or wherever you need to be each day, take advantage of that lost time however you can, and get productive!

Here are some ideas of how to utilise your commute time whether you drive to work, take public transport or walk or cycle:

  • Listen to an Audiobook – this is a great way to get some reading in, and maybe learn something new!
  • Listen to your favourite podcast – Mine are the Dave Ramsey Show, Joe Rogan Show and The Minimalists Podcast! (please let me know your fave Podcasts in the comments below! I could use some newbies!)
  • Sing along to your favourite songs (not on public transport of course hehe)
  • Catch up on your New Release Radar on Spotify
  • Call a friend or family member to say hi

9. Reduce Decision Fatigue

We make hundreds of decisions every single day. This is sure to wear on us and make us less inclined to be productive. In order to take away some of that mental burden we need to think smarter, not harder and implement some habits and new routines to give our minds a break so we can focus on more important things.

  • Create a Capsule Wardrobe and make mornings less stressful by eliminating difficult fashion decisions
  • Start Meal Planning so deciding what to make for dinner is less of a chore
  • Consider adopting a Minimalist Lifestyle where you keep only what you love, use and need and can eliminate the excess.

10. Limit Distractions

We are all prone to distractions when we are trying to be productive. This is why we need to create some Intentional Friction like Anthony from Break The Twitch discusses in his video, where he suggests to put up a small barrier between you and any sources of distraction. Some ways to limit distraction so you can get back to being productive are:

  • Delete social media off your phone. You can delete the apps from your phone completely and set yourself a rule that you can only access those social media sites from your Laptop or PC.
  • Set your phone Social Media apps to inactive by holding down your app and selecting the Inactivate option when it appears. In order to use the apps again, you will need to find the app in your Settings/App folder in order to reactivate it. Next time you go to click on the app mindlessly you’ll have to stop and think if you really should be using the app or could be spending your time on more productive pursuits.
  • Download the Self Control Mac or Windows plugin on your phone or PC to set times when you cannot access particular websites
  • Do a No Spend Month, so you aren’t distracted by online shopping. It’s a great way to reset when you are feeling that consumer pull.
  • Put your phone away temporarily. Lock it in a drawer, leave it in your bag. Just keep it out of your reach so you can avoid being distracted by it so you can get stuff done!

Photo by Nicole Wolf on Unsplash

This weeks comment question: I’ve love to know what productivity hacks you’ve implemented in your life, and for your family and what has been the most effective. Let me know in the comments! 

If you found value in this post I would be super appreciative if you could share it with others who might also find value in it 🙂