Soul Priority

Tip#16 Nothing is a Greater Priority than Your Soul

It is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of worldly ventures, indeed, it is often expected that we do. We get so busy with life's trivia that we neglect the most important part of us, the soul.

Nothing we do during the day is as important as having a relationship with God. As a matter of fact, I dedicate my whole life as a prayer to God. When done in faith the trivial slips away to reveal the one path that follows Jesus. My soul lives in the Kingdom of God today, tomorrow and always.

Every Yes is a No

Tip#15: Yes, Yes, or No, No

When I say, "Yes," to one thing, I am saying, "No," to something else. It would be nice if we could actually do everything we want to do; but, a reality of this life is that there are 24 hours in a day and we need to spend a good portion of those hours sleeping.

Last year a friend and I decided to learn how to play bagpipes. We were assured that if we practiced an hour/day we could learn to play bagpipes in one year. That is most likely true. We haven't found out because we haven't said, "No," to something else that takes an hour/day.

That is part of the beauty of simplicity. By living simply, we can say, "Yes," more often, be more available. Before taking on something new, it is important to decide what will be dropped to make room for the new activity, then, decide which is most important.

Matthew 5.37:

Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

Simplicity Yields Great Returns

Tip #14 Simple is More

One of the vows that Anglican Dominicans take is a life vow of simplicity. As a novice in the Order of Preachers and learning to live with simplicity, I have learned that simplicity is more, more time, more resources, more peace of mind. All of this is dedicated to God.

Unfortunately, simplicity is a gift that many reject. What is complicating your life right now? Life is difficult and we often must face serious problems. There is no reason to carry that burden alone. Turn it over to God, lay it at His feet.

Rev. Mark Brown has additional words regarding this topic.

http://journeyintotheword.com/2011/01/seeking-the-simple-life/

One Thing

Tip#13 Do Just One Thing

Living with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue taught me one lesson extremely well, strive to do the one thing. In the past I created complicated lists of things 'to do' and get done in a given portion of time. Always, without exception, I failed to do it all. When I became ill I was forced to live with the reality that I'd be fortunate to accomplish even one thing on my list. That meant setting priorities and focusing in a new way. This resulted in a simpler life with a greater sense of satisfaction.

This article, How to Accomplish More with Only One Thing, by Rebecca Barlow Jordan, contains good ideas regarding the application of this principle.

Simplify Your Wardrobe

Tip#12 Black pants and skirts match everything.

Even before I became a Dominican Sister I learned that wearing black pants or skirts warded off the problem of "what to wear" when getting ready for work. Black matches everything. At that time I had a number of beautiful bright jackets and shirts that always looked good with black. Over time my wardrobe became more and more black just because it was so easy. As a Dominican I now wear black and white as my simple informal habit.

Stitch a Prayer

Tip #11 Pray While Knitting or Crocheting

This is a simple prayer reminder technique. While knitting or crocheting I pray through my prayer list with each stitch that I make. This is also a good memorization technique. While learning a new prayer I recite parts of it with each stitch. Repetition reinforces my memory.

Prayer Corner

Tip #10 Have a Place for Prayer

Being an Anglican Dominican, each day I pray the Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer using the Book of Common Prayer. Sometimes, my mind wanders because of fatigue, distractions or just familiarity with the words. Therefore, I have two areas in my house designated for prayer that contain two objects that help me concentrate on prayer. These objects are simply a cross and a candle. When I find that my mind is wandering, I focus on these external reminders and follow the path into my heart. Of course, I do pray in other places and other times throughout the day. My prayer corners remind me that I am entering a special time and place purposefully for prayer.

Small Kitchen Appliances

Tip #9 Most small kitchen appliances are unnecessary and create clutter.

There are a few small appliances that are worth the space that they take up, which isn't much. One is a small KitchenAide hand mixer. There is no need for that great big expensive mixer unless you make bread with it or make large quantities of dough. My little mixer works for almost everything. I do have a bread maker which also works for almost any kind of dough or batter, even jelly. The third appliance that I just got a few years ago is a small Cuisanart food processor. It does everything a blender does but in small volumes. It has simplified my life by eliminating all of the chopping of food preparation. All are easy to clean, an important feature.

Swift Clean with Swiffer Sweeper

Tip #8 Wood Laminate Floors Clean Swiftly with a Swiffer

Over the past year we put wood laminate floors in three of our bedrooms to replace old stinky carpeting and to control allergies. With 2 dogs and 2 cats we have our share of dust and hair. I keep a Swiffer Sweeper in each bedroom closet along with a dust pan and little brush to do a daily sweep. It takes less than 5 minutes all together and keeps the floors looking good. Since we live in the country next to a lake and burn wood, we get a fair number of spiders. The Swiffer is great for getting spiders out of the ceiling corners.

Bag the Books

Tip#7 Keep current reading materials in a tote bag. I usually read from about 6-7 books each day and several journals. Since I read in different places I tend to leave books here and there and everywhere. Now I keep them in one tote bag. It is neater, easier and I do not lose books. It also forces me to be more disciplined about the number of books I am reading at one time.

Recycling Made Easy

Tip #6 Sort it at the Recycling Center. For years all of the boxes, crates and bags that resulted from recycling caused frustration and disorganization. It seemed more complicated that it needed to be. Now, I toss most of it in a big plastic tub and sort it at the recycling center. It is much faster and neater. I still separate the aluminum into another tub, but wouldn't really need to do that. A once a week trip to the center keeps the mess under control.

Online Banking

Tip #5 Do your banking online. Auto pay, bill pay, electronic transfers and daily statements take the headache out of handling financial tasks and save huge amounts of time.

Forgive and Promote Love

Tip #4 Forgive and Love Enemies and Friends Alike

Hate, violence and gossip complicate lives and even destroy lives. Have no part in it other than to promote love and forgiveness.

Filing

Tip #3 Filing made easy. Use an accordion style file case that looks similar to a briefcase with a handle. There are about10 places for different files arranged alphabetically, auto, electric, water, credit card, bank statements, receipts, taxes. When I open the mail each day the paper goes right into the appropriate file. More on managing paperwork coming tomorrow.

Bed Sheets

Tip #2 Don't waste time folding sheets. Use a pillow case to stuff the sheets into. Everything remains together and it saves time. I store the sheets in a large plastic tub in my closet where they are easy to get when it is time to use them.

A Vow of Simplicity

As a Sister in the Anglican Order of Preachers, AKA, Anglican Dominicans, I vow to live a simple life. My goal is to help others live simply. There will be no fancy anything on this site, just practical tips that have helped simplify my life, thereby, allowing the time and environment for those things that are a priority.

Tip #1 Shed the stuff. Do you still cling to stuff and does it own you? Choose to shed one thing at a time, recycle, reuse or toss.