In this weeks blog, I’m sharing my top tips to plan effectively so that you can prioritise more time for what’s important in your life, how I plan my diary and one very key lesson I learned years ago, which I still use today.
How do you plan? Are you an electronic diary kind of person or, like me, love to have a pretty planner..? Or several..?
Whilst this may seem excessive, I’m yet to find a planner that ticks all my boxes – so I use two or three. One for the home and my interiors projects, one for my Blogs and Missions and one for my Fitness and Wellbeing Goals including the “everyday” . The dream is to take all the aspects I love about the planners I use and add my own little spin. Wonder if you can guess what I’d add? Do you think if I make a wish, it might just happen..?
“The key is not to prioritise what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”
Stephen Covey.
I have used the diaries and calendar from Boxclever Press for years, in fact am sure I was one of their first customers the year they launched which coincided with me becoming a new mum. Writing the important things down is key to managing my time effectively.
I was delighted recently when they asked me to review their new academic diary and calendar for 2021 / 2022 and share with you how I use them and what works for me. These planners are as close to perfect as I can get. They have everything for me as a busy mum of teens and and help me plan my writing and goals effectively.
The new school term for me is a perfect time for a new focus, and yes with that, a new planner! There’s something about having a new pencil case and notebook to reignite the passion around your working life, home life and yes, planning the final quarter of the year, all whilst wondering how that time has passed so quickly!
The planning starts for me before the Autumn term begins. I’m not sure what it’s like in your house but as the school summer term finishes, my inbox starts to flood with fixtures and dates for the new term. As a swim mum, this includes swimming fixtures as the season runs from late August through to the following summer.
Getting everything in place from dates to labelling the school uniform, early in the school summer holidays, means I can relax that little bit more without too many shocks the week before the new school year begins!
“Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.”
Stephen Covey
Look after the big rocks first.
The same year I became a first-time mum, I attended a Franklin Covey course on time and life management. There began my love for Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits for Highly Effective People. The biggest lightbulb moment was to look after the Big Rocks first.
The Big Rocks are the things in your life that are MOST important, they go in your planner first. It sounds a simple thing to do, but how many times when we are in the thick of life, we can revert to reactive living and not proactive. With a planner that works for you together with effective planning, life really does seem that much more manageable.
My Top Tips to Effective Planning:
Find a planner that works for you. it sounds really obvious but get to know it, spend time looking at all its functions so you are able to use it to your best advantage.
Put the big rocks in first, including YOU time – book it like an appointment. You wouldn’t miss you appointmentt for your car to have an MOT. Book them in for you too! Easier said than done I know, however practise makes perfect!
Create a system; with pens, stickers, whatever works for you to highlight the important appointments and fixtures that matter.
Create time for a Power of an Hour each day. Having focused time to work on ONE thing, working with intention and without distraction, it’s incredible what you can achieve.
Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail! It’s the little things that have a huge effect on the big things, so simple but true. So plan ahead – if you’re planning on working out first thing in the morning, prepare ahead by getting your kit ready the night before.
Consider how you can limit any stresses that come your way. What do you need in place to limit any stresses that may come your way? As a stationary lover, having a box of birthday and celebration cards to hand is always helpful with children in the house.
Each Sunday, I spend a little time getting prepared for my week ahead. This involves looking at my planner, doing a diary check with the family. Adding and taking out what can help and hinder the week ahead. I confirm my workouts, plan the weekly menu, including the shopping list and print my Consistency Checklist for the week ahead. I’ve created some free downloads which might help you.
“You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically, to say “no” to other things.
Stephen Covey.
Let’s be real.
Trying to plan effectively and having systems in place, are all well and good, but let’s be honest and realistic for a moment, life happens! We can plan for most things, yet curveballs can occur which will send us out of kilter. We’ve certainly learned that in the last year haven’t we?
We all know that it is how we respond to these circumstances that matter so please be kind to yourself. If you drop the ball, that’s ok. I truly hope that sharing some of the things that work for me, help you too. Be kind to yourself and put things in place that work for you.
This Power of an Hour is for YOU! What will you do today to recharge the batteries so that you’re ready to embrace anything that comes your way? Remember the analogy about looking after your oxygen mask on an airplane before you look after anyone elses.? The same applies to your everyday life..
Please don’t ignore the warning signs, take time out for you.
If you are running on empty or your emotional bank account is overdrawn, then everything will feel so much harder, or even stop. Ignore the warning signs and you could become poorly and require an enforced rest, so pay attention to your body. Whatever you decide to do during your hour, make sure you focus on you… removing what you don’t need and putting in place things to ensure you are functioning at your very best you:
Without distraction
Without scrolling
With purpose and intention.
Some ideas about what you can do on this Power of an Hour just for you:
Diary Check
Make sure you haven’t overstretched yourself this forthcoming week. Do you need to rearrange anything or book any workouts?
Health Check :
When did you last visit the dentist, have your blood pressure checked, or have an eye test..? Is your smear test up to date?
Do you need to book any appts? We all know that times flies and we can easily lose track of the weeks and months.
Home Spa
(although a trip to an actual spa would be amazing! Would be amazing wouldn’t it?)
Having a quiet spot in your home where you can sit and read your favourite fiction, journal or even meditate, is quite magical.
Some feel spending your time like this is a luxury. I feel that taking time in the quiet, is essential to health, wellbeing and piece of mind.
If an hour seems too much to start, try just 15 minutes and build up. Consider adding a block of time to your diary. Make quiet time happen.
Workout
Sometimes we feel too tired to workout or are simply too busy. However, by scheduling a workout into your Power of an Hour, you can really inject some energy into the rest of your day.
I believe the key is finding something you love. Walking in the fresh air, yoga, running, anything as long as it brings you joy.
Personally, I love the online workouts from Digme Fitness, having discovered them through Lockdown, they have really kept me sane! SO many workouts to choose from to workout out with live or on demand. take a look, I think you’ll love them too.
Taking the time to stop, refuel in the quiet is so powerful.
I’d love to know what you’ll do just for YOU during this Power of an Hour and how you feel afterwards. I really hope you add these to your week so that you’re recharged and ready to embrace anything that comes your way.
Let’s talk about habits; the ones that serve us well and the ones that don’t. It’s a bit like choosing your paint colours, you are neither right or wrong. I’ll be sharing my top 7 habits with you, we’re going in deep today!
Over the years habits are made. We shower, get dressed, have breakfast, brush our teeth – these are all habits that we have created and stuck too since being very small. They set us up for the day ahead and can easily be replicated without much thought.
Small habits can creep into our lives without us even realising until we sit up and take notice.
(Tell me I’m not on my own when I might have got into the habit a few years ago of letting the paintbrushes dry without cleaning them? May I add that I have now stopped this habit, honestly!)
Or going online to research something then going completely off topic and finding myself 360 degrees somewhere else? The Scrolling Habit its real! On that note:
Grab a cuppa, a cosy seat and a notebook! (How stunning is this Bear Love Seat from Loaf by the way…?)
Right now you are comfy, take a moment and jot down ALL the habits that you do that work well for you AND those habits that don’t serve you so well.
Take your time…
Be really honest with yourself – no-one has to see this list (you can share with me if you wish, for accountability, but it won’t go anywhere!)
Now you’ve bought attention to those habits – how do you feel? (Keep this list with you, you’ll need it for a bit later on in the blog.)
These small habits, the ones that serve us and the ones that don’t serve us so well, all add up.
Consider this: maybe you’re saving for a new house..
Saving up pennies adds up. Yet, would you give up if you had to save up £10k for a deposit on a house and knew you possibly would never get there?
How do you know you will reach that goal?
Who told you that you will?
Are you really sure?
Have you started to save pennies?
What’s your plan?
The larger goal can be overwhelming, so sometimes we can sit back and do nothing, procrastinate. Telling ourselves the same old story each month, each year, not going anywhere, still stuck, when it’s YOU that holds the key to your sucess..
It’s all up to you.
“Paradigms are powerful because they create the lens through which we see the world…
If you want small changes in your life, work on your attitude.
But if you want big and primary changes, work on your paradigm.”
Dr. Stephen R. Covey
7 Habits of (Effective) Daily Living
I am a huge fan of Franklin and Stephen Covey, having studied a course with the Foundation years ago. The many lessons they taught have stayed with me, from time management, paradigm shifts and especially the 7 Habits of Effective Daily Living. For this reason, I’m sharing Stephen Covey’s Habits in this week’s blog, in the hope that they really help you too. Each habit links to the next, hold onto your hats – they are good!
Habit 1: Be Proactive® Focus and act on what they can control and influence, instead of what you can’t.
Be Proactive is about taking responsibility for your life. Proactive people recognise that they are “response-able.” They don’t blame genetics, circumstances, conditions or conditioning for their behaviour. They know they choose how they behave. Reactive people, on the other hand, are often affected by their physical environment. They find external sources to blame.
If the weather is good, they feel good. If it isn’t, it affects their attitude and performance, and they blame the weather.
Proactive people focus their efforts on their Circle of Influence. They work on the things they can do something about: health, children or problems at work.
Reactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Concern – things over which they have little or no control: the national debt, terrorism or the weather. Gaining an awareness of the areas in which we expend our energies is a giant step in becoming proactive.
Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind® Define clear measures of success and a plan to achieve them.
Habit 2 is based on imagination – the ability to envision in your mind what you cannot at present see with your eyes. It is based on the principle that all things are created twice. There is a mental (first) creation, and a physical (second) creation.
If you don’t make a conscious effort to visualise who you are and what you want in life, then you empower other people and circumstances to shape you and your life by default. It’s about connecting again with your own uniqueness and then defining the personal, moral and ethical guidelines within which you can most happily express and fulfill yourself.
Stephen Covey suggests one of the best ways to incorporate Habit 2 into your life is to develop a Personal Mission Statement. (Remember those from your Uni days?) It focuses on what you want to be and do, your plan for success. It reaffirms who you are, puts your goals in focus, and moves your ideas into the real world.
Your mission statement makes you the leader of your own life. You create your own destiny and secure the future you envision.
Can you tell why I love Dr Covey’s work? I’m all about the Missions, focus and as you know, I love my Power of an Hours to stop the procrastination!
“People are working harder than ever, but because they lack clarity and vision, they aren’t getting very far. They, in essence, are pushing a rope with all of their might.”
Dr. Stephen R. Covey
Habit 3: Put First Things First® Prioritise and achieve their most important goals, instead of constantly reacting to urgencies.
Habit 1 says, “You’re in charge. You’re the creator.” Being proactive is about choice.
Habit 2 is the first, or mental, creation. Beginning with the End in Mind is about vision.
Habit 3 is the second creation, the physical creation. This habit is where Habits 1 and 2 come together.
Habit 3 is about life management as well–your purpose, values, roles, and priorities.
What are “first things?”
First things are those things you, personally, find of most worth.
If you put first things first, you are organizing and managing time and events according to the personal priorities you established in Habit 2.
“Putting first things first means organizing and executing around your most important priorities. It is living and being driven by the principles you value most, not by the agendas and forces surrounding you.”
Dr. Stephen R. Covey
Habit 4: Think Win-Win® Collaborate more effectively by building high-trust relationships.
“Think Win-Win isn’t about being nice, nor is it a quick-fix technique. It is a character-based code for human interaction and collaboration. Most of us learn to base our self-worth on comparisons and competition. There is only so much pie to go around, and if you get a big piece, there is less for me; it’s not fair and I’m going to make sure you don’t get anymore.” Stephen Covey.
Win-win sees life as a cooperative arena, not a competitive one. Win-win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions. (I love win, win situation!)
Win-win means agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial and satisfying. We both get to eat the pie, and it tastes pretty darn good!
A person or organisation that approaches conflicts with a win-win attitude possesses three vital character traits:
Integrity: sticking with your true feelings, values, and commitments
Maturity: expressing your ideas and feelings with courage and consideration for the ideas and feelings of others
Abundance Mentality: believing there is plenty for everyone.
To go for win-win, you not only have to be empathic, but you also have to be confident. You not only have to be considerate and sensitive, you also have to be brave. To do that–to achieve that balance between courage and consideration – is the essence of real maturity and is fundamental to win-win.
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood® Influence others by developing a deep understanding of their needs and perspectives.
Communication is the most important skill in life. You spend years learning how to read and write and years learning how to speak. But what about listening?
Most people, seek first to be understood; you want to get your point across. In doing so, you may ignore the other person completely, pretend that you’re listening, selectively hear only certain parts of the conversation or attentively focus on only the words being said, but miss the meaning entirely.
So why does this happen? Most people, according to Covey, listen with the intent to reply, not to understand.
You listen to yourself as you prepare in your mind what you are going to say, the questions you are going to ask, etc. You filter everything you hear through your life experiences, your frame of reference.
You check what you hear against your autobiography and see how it measures up. And consequently, you decide prematurely what the other person means before he/she finishes communicating.
You might be thinking, “Hey, now wait a minute. I’m just trying to relate to the person by drawing on my own experiences. Is that so bad?” In some situations, autobiographical responses may be appropriate, such as when another person specifically asks for help from your point of view or when there is already a very high level of trust in the relationship. By listening autobiographically, you tend to respond in one of four ways:
Evaluating:
You judge and then either agree or disagree.
Probing:
You ask questions from your own frame of reference.
Advising:
You give counsel, advice and solutions to problems.
Interpreting:
You analyze others’ motives and behaviors based on your own experiences.
Habit 6: Synergize® Innovate and problem solve with those who have a different point of view.
To put it simply, synergy means “two heads are better than one.” Synergize is the habit of creative cooperation. It is teamwork, open-mindedness, and the adventure of finding new solutions to old problems. But it doesn’t just happen on its own. It’s a process, and through that process, people bring all their personal experience and expertise to the table.
Together, they can produce far better results that they could individually. Synergy lets us discover jointly things we are much less likely to discover by ourselves. It is the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. One plus one equals three, or six, or sixty–you name it.
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw® Increase motivation, energy, and work/life balance by making time for renewing activities.
If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know this habit so well. I love the whole concept of Sharpening the Saw. The concept means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have – YOU.
It means having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental and spiritual. Such as:
Physical:
Beneficial eating, exercising, and resting
Social/Emotional:
Making social and meaningful connections with others
Mental:
Learning, reading, writing and teaching
Spiritual:
Spending time in nature, expanding spiritual self through meditation, music, art, or service
Sharpen the Saw keeps you fresh so you can continue to practice the other six habits. You increase your capacity to produce and handle the challenges around you. Without this renewal, the body becomes weak, the mind mechanical, the emotions raw, the spirit insensitive and the person selfish.
Trying to create the habit with my family that the hallway isn’t for hats & coats is an ongoing issue! Bench: Cox and Cox
Go back to the list you created at the very beginning.
Have these 7 Habits provoked some thoughts into your own habits? Find your list that you created and re-examine the habits you wrote down..
How did you get those?
What made you so successful at those habits?
Consider ONE thing you can do to create a good habit and ONE thing you will do to ensure you stick to it??
Consider ONE thing you can do to adjust the habit that doesn’t serve you – do you wish to adjust it in anyway?
Start right now, not tomorrow and not next week, right now, change one thing, promise yourself, don’t let yourself down, don’t expect thanks from anyone except yourself. (It’s “tough love” Claire today!!)
You can make a habit of taking a lunch break instead of working through all day.
You can make a habit of taking a walk every day for just 10 minutes, instead of scrolling through social media, getting lost on Pinterest, FB, reading what other people are doing and feeling resentment, feeling sorry for yourself.
You can make a habit of changing something about your nutrition, just one thing a week or a month..
Drinking an extra glass of water a day to replace a cup of tea or a can of fizzy drink is a good habit.
Gratitude is also a good habit to practice feeling it once a day.
It’s all up to you. You’re responsible for your own life, thoughts, feelings, actions.
Promise yourself one thing, stick to it. Repeat tomorrow!
I’d love to know which of the 7 habits are your favourite and why.. Also which habit you might be dropping and which new one you might start..
As always, I read the comments and would love to know your thoughts.
Remember if you’d like to join in the weekly conversation and the Missions I share each week, then please head to Instagram, I’d love to chat there!
As if by magic It’s Easter Weekend and the Mother Nature has done her very best. The sun is shining and we are able to enjoy up to six guests in our gardens this weekend here in England. Hurrah! This week’s blog, is all about the fun bit! Adding the the finishing touches, to welcome your friends and family back into your garden or when you meet on the beach or at the park for a picnic. I’ll be sharing things that have caught my eye that I think you’ll love, together with some delicious recipes so you don’t spend all day in the kitchen!
If you’ve been following my Blog for the last few weeks, I’ve shared ideas that have helped me over the years, that I call the Big Spring Refresh!
Phew! So that’s the hard work done! Now it’s time to enjoy your space.
“Gardens and flowers have a way of bringing people together, drawing them from their homes.” ― Clare Ansberry, The Woman on Troy Hill.
Making an entrance
Years ago, someone told me to put a simple pot near your front door or by your garden gate, filled with blooms that not only look pretty, but also have a wonderful fragrance. It is a fabulous welcome to anyone visiting and of course for you on a daily basis! The beauty of having your blooms in a pot means that you can move them depending on the season. They will have the same effect on your balcony, outside your beach hut or on your decking.
Sweet peas have a very special place in my heart – they always remind me of my dear grandparents and so to have them growing in my garden, like like they did. Although my gramps was a master, how I wish he was here now to help me.
“A friend is one who overlooks your broken fence and admires the flowers in your garden.”
Unknown
Let’s Eat!
After all the hard work you’ve done refreshing your garden ready for Spring and entertaining your guests, the last thing you want to be doing is slaving in the kitchen all day. Your friends and family want to see you! The key to this happening is to prepare ahead and keep it simple. Sharing a few favourites from James Duigan that we love and hope you do too.
Greek Lamb Skewers with Courgette Tzakziki
A huge family favourite which we love to cook on the barbecue, alrthough you can cook on the griddle / grill if tyou prefer. Everything can be prepared in advance.
Ingredients:
600g organic lamb leg steaks, trimmed and cut into large chunks.
2 tbs olive oil, salt and pepper
1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp ground coriander
1/2 cucumber, 2 courgettes
1 small bunch of mint, finely chopped.
300ml organic natural yogurt
zest of 1 lemon, juice of 1/2 lemon
rocket leaves, to serve.
Method:
Rub the lamb with the olive oil, salt, peper, cinamon and corriamnder. Thread onto wooden skewers that have been soaked in water for 30 minutes.
Grate the cucumber and ciourgettes and mix in a bowl with finely chopped mint leaves. Stir in the yogurt and lemon zest.
Heat the grill / griddle pan to a medium heat (or if you’re using a barbecue, ensure it’s perfect to start cooking on.
Grill the lamb for about 4 minutes on each side until cooked through and golden. Squeeze the lemon juice over the lamb and serve with the tzatziki and some peppery rocket.
Kabbouleh
A delicious lunchbox or picnic treat and certainly the perfect accompaniment to any barbecue, we love it with chicken or fish. Feel free to mix up your grains and use what you have to hand, gluten-free varieties if you prefer.
Ingredients:
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp sumac, juice of 1 lemon
¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp ground black pepper
100g cooked and cooled quinoa, brown rice or bulgur wheat (or a mixture, or any leftover cooked grains of your choice that you have to hand)
3 good handfuls of kale leaves (stalks discarded), finely chopped
half a small cucumber, seeds scooped out, finely chopped, 1 spring onion, finely chopped,
8 small tomatoes, chopped into quarters, handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
Method:
First, make the dressing; it will taste better the longer it sits. Whisk together the olive oil, cumin, sumac, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and set aside.
Make sure the cooked grains have cooled down completely so they don’t wilt the salad when you put everything together.
Put the kale, cucumber, spring onion and tomatoes in a serving bowl and stir in the parsley.
Pour over half the dressing and mix it through; this step will tenderise the kale and distribute great flavour through the salad.
Add the cooled cooked grains and the rest of the dressing, stirring everything together.
Taste the salad and adjust the seasoning with more salt or another squeeze of lemon, or to the way you like it. Tuck in.
TIP If you like heat, feel free to add a little fresh or dried chilli, or some finely chopped garlic.
Sticky Chicken Thighs (serves 4)
Pure comfort food. The kids love these with the sweet potato wedges with crispy chickpeas and dollops of Greek yoghurt seasoned with a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of spring onion. You can cook the chicken in the oven as here, or on the barbecue if you prefer.
Ingredients:
140g tomato purée
2 tbsp honey (optional)
1 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp paprika
generous pinch of black pepper
600g organic chicken thighs
drizzle of rapeseed oil
For the salsa
Ingredients:
4 large tomatoes
small handful of fresh coriander, with stalks, finely chopped
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
juice of 1 lime
salt and ground black pepper
drizzle of good-quality olive oil
Method:
In a large bowl, mix together the tomato purée, honey (if using), tamari, apple cider vinegar, paprika and pepper to make the marinade. Season to taste. Add the chicken thighs to the bowl and toss until each one is completely coated.
Put the thighs on a large baking tray. Drizzle with a little oil and bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven or until completely cooked through and golden brown. Turn halfway through cooking.
Meanwhile, make the salsa. Finely chop the tomatoes and add to a small bowl with the coriander. Mix in the chilli, garlic, onion and lime juice. Season to taste and add a good glug of oil. Mix again and leave in the fridge until the chicken is ready.
Serve the chicken with a big spoonful of salsa, a green salad, seasoned yoghurt (see recipe intro above) and, if you like, sweet potato wedges.
Roasted figs with honey & Greek yoghurt (Serves 4)
“Whenever I make this simple dessert, it reminds me that if you choose delicious, good-quality ingredients, you don’t need to do anything fancy with them.” James Duigan
Ingredients
4 large figs
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1-2 tsp manuka honey or good quality honey for drizzling (or try maple syrup for a variation)
handful of rosemary sprigs
8 tbsp Greek yoghurt or coconut yoghurt
2 tbsp pecans, chopped and toasted
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/ gas 4 and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Slice the figs into halves and quarters. Place them on the prepared baking tray.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon over the figs and drizzle with the honey. Lastly, lay the rosemary sprigs over the figs.
Place in the preheated oven for approximately 40 minutes, or until caramelised and soft. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
Serve the figs dolloped with the yoghurt, sprinkled with the pecans and the remaining teaspoon of cinnamon.
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“A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in–what more could he ask?
A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars.”
― Victor Hugo, Les Miserables
Life’s a beach!
…or a picnic! We can now venture to the parks and beaches and see friends, should you wish to leave the garden! That doesn’t mean you can’t style it out there too. (although please be socially distant and stay safe)
Love this new season cool bag from Sophie Alport to keep our food and drinks super cold and fresh. I think we could all enjoy this beautiful giant picnic rug, in the garden, park or the beach. It’s from Annabel James, a new find for me. Oh so lovely!
I’ve recently discovered a fabulous cocktail company, Bar Bouy. A new brand dreamt up on the beach in Devon when the world pressed pause last year, was a positive to come out of Lockdown! I adore their philosphophy, with their main aim being to put some smiles back on faces. I also love that Bar Bouy are local.
“With a taste for well-made drinks and a thirst for the perfect sized pre mixed sundowner, we’ve created a range of hand crafted, bar standard, cocktails to be enjoyed at home or sent as gifts.”
Each cocktail is made to order just a stone’s throw from the sea using premium spirits and high quality ingredients. They are fresh, so once delivered should be chilled and enjoyed within seven days. Alternatively they can be frozen upright and kept for up to three months before being defrosted and enjoyed at a time that suits you.
Each bottle is 240ml giving the ideal measure for two to share at home, the park or back on the beach where the very idea of them first began. Doesn’t that sound amazing? Think these would make fabulous gifts too. Question is which one will you try first?
When the sun goes down..
We’ve not seen our friends or family for a while and so when the sun goes down, we really won’t want the “party” to end. We want to be cosy and warm, especially as we can’t enterain inside right now so having some throws close by is a must! This is where lighting, candles and a fire pit also come in handy! (Please ensure you are being safe!)
I love the idea of an outdoor cinema and love how Cuprinol have styled theirs above. Anyone else get lost on Pinterest or just me? I’m delighted to share wirth you another new find, Rory and Ruby, a small business who sell the most incredible gifts, such as the Organic Cotton star throw (below) and gorgeous hampers.. If you’re a keen gardener, you’ll love the Gardeners Hampers too. They are fabulous.
Imagine sitting around the fire pit long into the night surrounded by friends or family. Doesn’t it look heavenly?
I hope that I’ve have given you a little inspiration for your garden and menu for this Spring and Summer ahead. As ever, I’d love to know your thoughts and comments so do let me know. What’s inspired you the most and what are you motivated to try. I read every comment honestly.
Chalk Pink Linen Company.
Next time on the blog, I’ll be sharing some thoughts on how we can look after our mental health and well-being as we continue with the easing of Lockdown. If you’d like to receive it straight to your inbox, you can subscribe here. (There will be no spam, I promise!)
In the meantime, feel free to join the conversation on my instagram.
I really hope you’re having a fabulous weekend and have a lovely week ahead.
A little mission – pantry makeover and organisation. What I did so our kitchen worked more effectively for us as a family. We all have our systems in place and I’m sure you have your own too, however incase it helps, I thought I’d talk you through what I did to organise our kitchen and pantry cupboards.
I always enjoy a good old spring clean and declutter and it seems I’m not on my own – thank goodness! Spending a year in Lockdown has meant we’ve looked at our spaces differently and in my case, decluttering at the beginning last March and now again a year on!
Clear the clutter so you have room to see the potential in front of you.
Syd and Shea McGee
Moving Day; the back story.
To give you a little back story, when we moved into our home, the children were still young, I was running my Fitness and Wellbeing business and up at 4.15am every morning and my husband also has a busy job! Not unusual, I hear you say..
Moving in day was equally busy. I picked up our new keys at midday, having run two busy fitness camps for my clients at 6am and 9am. We had until the 3.30pm school pick up to get the majority of the work done. Essentially I was keen to at least make the childrens bedrooms and the living areas livable! Yes my #PowerofanHours were in full swing, even then!
Obviously in an ideal world, we’d have looked at the space in our kitchen and worked out logically where everything should live. We didn’t, we simply unpacked the boxes (in an organised manner as possible) and that was that, back to our crazy busy lives, excited to be in our new home. It worked.
The simplest of touches for the guest room.
Lockdown bought a new vision
Over the years, I’ve decluttered and moved things around but one of the positives this Lockdown has given me was to really look at our space, how it functioned, or didn’t and plan accordingly.
It’s been a huge lightbulb moment for me, having the brain space and time to be objective, yet creating spaces behind the doors that work so much more effectively for us as a family. I cleared a space in my diary and the “Little Mission -the pantry makeover and organisation” commenced!
I started with one cupboard, where we store our hot drink ingredients, thinking I’d remove the items that were out of date or no longer served the family and simply replace back in the cupboard.. However, on closer examination, I realised that this cupboard also now hosted items we used for entertaining & baking.
Most of the items were already in storage jars but overtime it had become disorganised and cluttered, not only that but our mugs were over the other side of the kitchen. Not a good use of space or time, just to make a cup of coffee! Now I know this sounds silly, I’m sure many of you already have a “hot drinks station” as The Home Edit call it, but remember we moved in and went with the flow!
The top shelf now stores a basket with a stock of fruit teas, together with a storage jar of filter coffee and the cafetière. the second shelf now hosts our mugs and the bottom shelf hosts the teas, coffees etc that we use regularly. Our kettle lives directly under this cupboard and it works really well! Simple things eh..?
“Having a place for everything and everything in it’s place makes the world of difference” A quote my Granny Ruby would say often, I think I adopted her passion for being organised from her!
“I look forward to spring cleaning and putting things in their place. It’s therapeutic for me”
Kimora Lee Simmons
The System
Powered on, I turned my attentions to the pantry cupboards and adopted the same process.
Remove all items.
Discard what’s out of date or your family no longer need or use.
Wash all storage containers and wipe cupboards.
Assess the space.
Consider what you need to complete the job. Labels? Jars? Adjust the shelf heights?
Refill storage jars and place back where they suit you, your family and your lifestyle.
It always looks worse before it gets better!
Things I found useful to consider when starting a pantry organisation.
Think about what you actually do in your kitchen!
Where you cook, where you prepare the packed lunches, which items you use more than others. It took me until recently to realise that I stored my flour on the top shelf, with all the baking ingredients, which meant I’d have to jump onto the worktop to reach it – Every. Single. Time!! Why it didn’t occur to me to have a reshuffle and move these items to a lower shelf was purely because I didn’t give it another thought!
AfterBefore I can now reach the items I use on a daily basis! The baking ingrediants are stored in the basket, making life much simpler and neater.
Plan your layout!
I’m an old fashioned kind of girl and when the brain goes round and round in circles, I write it down. This new system needed to work, I wanted to have a space that was efficient, yet looked elegant and that worked for everyone, keeping the upkeep to a minimum. (Our longed for kitchen renovation is still in the “dream stage” but this process all helps for when the planning becomes a reality.)
I drew the kitchen and cupboard layout on a piece of paper and reassessed which storage jars and labels I needed and where they would go. By writing it all down, having an old fashioned “brain dump” cleared the fog and I could get a clearer perspective. A good thing when you are short of time!
Jars from Amazon Customised labels from Printtailors By working out what you need to refresh your space, before you order can save money and time. I used lots of storage jars I already had and ordered a couple more to complete the task. My coffee bags now have their own jar and customised label.
Divide the kitchen into “Stations”
I’m sure if I shared my steps in the kitchen before the pantry makeover and organisation, you’d giggle. Everything was so far away from each other.. The honey lived in a cupboard far from the toaster. The herbs were in a cupboard on the other side of the kitchen away from the oven.
Having stopped and reassessed and framed this process as “creating stations”, it really simplified everything and made it easier to organise.
The serving dishes, herbs and cooking ingredients are now in a cupboard next to the cooker. So simple, yet effective!
Remove the emotion from decluttering your items.
How many of us keep items because they have sentimental value or because they were expensive? You may remember in last weeks blog, I shared a game our family started “yes, no, go” last year. It really helps to make a quick decision about what stays and what goes. Having a Kitchen and pantry refresh means you can get radical.
Those plates that are chipped and you no longer use? They go!
Electrical items that no longer work? Get them fixed or they go!
Children’s cups and plates they used when they were toddlers but they’re now married and no longer live at home? If you can’t bare to get rid of them, pop them in a box (labelled obviously) and store in the attic. You get the idea!
What to do about remembering expiry dates?
Now you’ve removed all the unsightly packaging, how are you going to remember what expires and when? What if you have family member with allergies and need to know the ingredients on the items you’ve now lovingly stored in jars? I cut the expiry dates off the packaging and taped them to the bottom of the lid of the jar or under the jar depending on where the jar was in the cupboard. I didn’t want to see the tape!
Little touches, make the biggest impact!
I can honestly say that the Little Mission – The Pantry Makeover And Organisation has made a huge difference. The cupboards and pantry certainly “Spark Joy” and life is even more efficient. I was asked last week, how did you get the time to do this? I simply blocked an hour at a time. worked on a cupboard at at time. You know I’m a big fan of my #powerofanhour and blocking out time. In the long run you’ll save time and had a huge sense of satisfaction. A big win all round don’t you think?
Print Tailor
Finally
Forgive me if you’ve read this blog and thought “I can’t believe she’s sharing this, it’s obvious!” You wouldn’t be wrong! I have to say, we all lead busy lives and sometimes the simplest of things such as having your mugs next to your coffee can get over looked. Priorities take over.
I hope that a step by step walk through of what worked for me, might be useful for you and your pantry makeover and organisation too.
Let me know if this has inspired you to take a look at how your kitchen space works. I’d love to know what habits you got into that changed when you had a lightbulb moment, much like my having to jump on the worktop to reach the flour!! Tell me it’s not just me!
I’m the creator of Woman on a Mission, a lifestyle space dedicated to helping women bring more calm, confidence and balance into everyday life. Born from my own journey to slow down and live with greater intention, it offers inspiration around wellbeing, organisation, home and mindset, one meaningful mission at a time
Find a planner that works for you. it sounds really obvious but get to know it, spend time looking at all its functions so you are able to use it to your best advantage.
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