a simple little list.

It's no secret that I struggle with balancing the everyday tasks that consume my life. Recently, I came across another blogger, James over at bleubird, who asked her readers how they stay on schedule AND keep sane. These questions really made me think because, like James, I have yet to find the perfect schedule that works for my household. Over the past week I have been dwelling on this concept as I continue to stress myself out by piling chores and tasks onto my plate. I finally concluded that.... I do not have an answer.....but I may have an idea and I'm going to give it a whirl.

First, I made a list of the things that are important to me and the activities that I do. As you can imagine this list was extremely long so I narrowed it down to ten (yes only ten) items.

They included:
family, staying healthy and working out, volunteering in my community, the house, writing and photos (the blog), the jewelry business, the vintage business, thrifting, running races, gardening and the list goes on.

Then, I decided to cut this list in half.
The new list includes:
1.family
2. home
3. working out and eating healthy
4. volunteering
5. writing and photos

So there you have it. I have simplified my life. This was not easy. Let me repeat, this was not easy. I love making jewelry, attending art shows and selling on etsy. I'm not giving this passion up I'm just setting it aside for now. I have one more art event in November and then I'll be on break. I'll keep the shop open a bit longer (everything is still 50% off) but will go into vacation mode soon. I will not be listing anything new until I create a new line. As for the vintage, well, I have boxes and boxes of items to be photographed and listed. For now, they'll stay there, but perhaps I'll narrow down my inventory and focus on the bundles and bundles of vintage baby cloths I have collected.

By simplifying my list I am able to fully focus on all five items. And, I enjoy each task even more. I get more quality time with Jon and the kids, I'm more relaxed with the house work because I actually have time to do it and I love my workouts that I try to squeeze in every day. I continue to volunteer and play an active role in the arts within my community, but I have stepped away from a couple positions. I would rather choose one or two and have more time to participate.

How do you simplify your life? How do you clear the clutter in life and focus on the important things? Head over to James' blog and read her post here and view what her readers had to say.

In the meantime, here's to a happy stress free weekend!

Oh, and in case you missed it, I'm over on Sometimes Sweet with Danielle. Click here to read the article. Thanks Danielle for the wonderful feature.