Small habits, big effect. How to create space for the things that matter.
For this webinar episode, we decided to invite someone who could pin down the topics we’ve covered so far. Our first webinar was about good habits – and as it’s a good habit to keep returning to good content, we decided to talk about making cyclical changes to our lives. If you’ve been with us for a year, a few months or this is your first encounter with the #webinarbyAskHenry project, be sure to read this article and listen to the recording at the end. Big things start with small things.
Agnieszka Krakós-Gorący works professionally in communications and runs the Prosta Organizacja project. Our meeting is a continuation of webinars about arranging our time to have more of it for the things we enjoy.
Small things – make them happen.
Sometimes we are great in our workspace and our home is a big chaos. Sometimes it’s at home that we have a space where time passes more slowly, and at work, we find it hard to focus. It is also the case (let’s agree, very often) that both spaces are simply cluttered. How do we find the space and space for ourselves to finally feel comfortable? It turns out that small things actually work best.
You can change habits – if you learn how they work.
Does everything have its priorities?
Agnieszka pointed out a very interesting thing. Well, the term ‘priority’, used to be used exclusively in the singular. Priority, meaning the first, most important thing. Today, in the age of multitasking, we have a plethora of these priorities. As a result, our space becomes cluttered, the number of responsibilities keeps growing, and it becomes increasingly difficult to clear our backlog. What do we do when even checking our email inbox on a Monday morning makes us shudder? 👉 TIDY UP :)
Organizing plan – use what is simple and works.
Yes, easy to say. However, it turns out that it’s not that difficult to do either. A simple organisation plan should:
- involve all members of the household and act for each of them
- include all aspects of your life
- include all your priorities
- not take up too much time
- be easy to implement
In order to make such an efficient, simple plan and implement it, 3 stages are necessary, which Agnieszka encapsulated: simplification (i.e. we focus on what is really important, cleaning up our space and our head), planning (here we create a simple planner of family activities) and habits (they help us to maintain the harmony of what is planned).
Simplifying: clutter is not just about things.
Our homes are full of unnecessary objects. Our lives are full of people who don’t resonate with us and don’t give us anything good. If, before you go to sleep, you are constantly thinking about what you failed at, what you didn’t finish, give yourself a break. You are here and now. If there are things you can do right away – do them. Otherwise, another pile of unfulfilled plans will slowly build up in your head, and freeing yourself from them will take your energy. The same goes for people who don’t bring value to your life. Let them go and don’t feel obliged to maintain a relationship just because you once enjoyed your time together.
The best things in life are not things
Excess does harm: simple truths.
Do you know what excess does to us? An excess of things, objects, responsibilities and thoughts, above all, inhibits us and pulls us down. It is that unpleasant voice in the back of our heads that keeps whispering something to us and creating tension. The hardest thing about excess is that we can rarely place it well. We feel anxiety, fatigue, sometimes even fear – and we don’t know what they stem from. Usually, it is simply an overload of thoughts. Excess pulls you away from what you actually want to do. It inhibits your creativity and takes away your joy. Clean it up.
The big clean-up starts with small spaces.
You don’t have to follow the Marie Kondo method (unless you want to) and thank your socks that you can wear them (unless you’re really friends). Start with the drawer of shame in the hallway. Or the one in the kitchen or bathroom. I’m sure you have that little cluttered place in your house where batteries, straws, notebooks, pens, clothespins, sugar sachets, and lighters all end up. What’s not in there, right? It’s also a bit like your head – overflowing with ideas, plans, and tasks that refuse to get pinned down. Clean them up. Let this be the first step to a big tidy-up. Agnes talks about the steps to take one at a time when cleaning our space, well worth a peek.
AskHenry: we are when your time doesn’t want to cooperate
Our priority is to reclaim your time. If you want to prepare a simple organisational plan for your family, we can help you with this. We will take care of the most burdensome things: we will clean up life and unnecessary things. We’ll wrap up the sale of unnecessary items, donating those that can give joy and help to those in need. We will throw away what is no longer usable. Later, we’ll embrace you redecorating or painting your flat. Sounds good, doesn’t it?
The whole webinar is available here. It’s worth it :)