I have an embossing stamp that used to be my Granny’s.
It reads, “Mrs. Henry Gillespie” along with her return address.
Can you imagine having your identity listed in that way? Interesting isn’t it, how many things have changed in such a short period of time!
For instance, families used to live close to each other, for many reasons I guess, but in large part, to support one another. (What a wonderful concept!)
People used to have one, maybe two career changes in their lifetime; own one house, maybe even for several generations; own the same car for many years; hand down recipes and traditions and special ways of doing things.
Some of these things would be almost impossible to recreate today, and some we might not want to try to resurrect because they may not be helpful in today’s bustling climate of opportunities.
But, some of these lost “norms” are still extremely helpful- especially in light of the non-stop change that characterizes modern life!
One of them is what at Lioness we call Time Blocking and it’s companion, Household Management.
As an example, I heard a friend say yesterday that when she left an intense volunteer job she held for over a year, she spent a lot of time writing out the procedures she had used to keep things running, as a service to the volunteer who would be replacing her. She saved someone the pain of having to start at square one!
How ingenious it is to have a system in place! Particularly, when you are striving to function at your highest level or when you need to save yourself brain space and emotional energy!
My Granny had a definite schedule for her life. She knew what she would be working on on any given day and scheduled in her self-care before anything else!
Granted, her personality was a straight forward, black and white thinking type and she had a minimalist outlook when it came to belongings, which made her home maintenance chores an example of efficiency and simplicity!
For me, her standard of cleaning and maintenance on a schedule is more a matter of sanity. If I didn’t have a schedule, I would be continually distracted and running in ten directions at once!
So in part, because I can be indecisive and dis-tractable, I’m forever grateful to have experienced the grounding influence of a woman who lived simply and orderly. {An aside: Isn’t it funny how minimalist theory is being touted as “new” right now and how society seems to gravitate to whatever is the up-and-coming thing? Generations past didn’t have closets full of “things” so having too much wasn’t a common issue.}
If you want to lower your stress level and have a calmer environment; if you want to free yourself up to do more of the things you love; if you want to teach your children to work and prioritize their time; if you want to have a greater sense of well-being, I highly recommend putting your life on a schedule.
Kind of like having an operations manual for your home that not only serves as the basis for sharing responsibilities, but also creates clearer boundaries that will help you be more decisive, aware and engaged in your life!
If you’d like to get started on this process, see this post about the first baby steps toward greater peace.
And don’t forget that Lioness planners and classes are available to help too!
Sending my love and confidence to you today! You’re wonderful and winning in so many, many ways!
Love,
“The mission of Lioness at the Door is to uplift, strengthen and encourage women of all ages to magnify health, hope and happiness at home. We do so boldly, with humility and gratitude for the opportunity.”
.
So much I crave of the “days of old”. There is much we could learn and remember that still applies to today. I don’t know if I would enjoy losing my own name so completely though. Things have definitely changed In that arena.
Me too, I think the slower pace and simplicity is what appeals to me the most! But, I imagine there are things that we enjoy that we would definitely miss, were we snapped back in time! It’s a wonder to me that some of the things we consider “old fashioned” are the very things that will help us to be more successful in the present! Thanks for chiming in!! xo
I will say it again, your website looks sooooo awesome! I love it!
Great post!
Thank you very much! It’s been a learning process! Kudos to Katelyn Peterson and Judy Sorenson for their work! xo
Great reminder to get me back in the mode of assigning a certain task or area of the house to declutter to a certain day of the week. It changed my procrastinating nature of “one of these days” to “today is the day”. Thanks for the reminder and inspiration!!
It’s a reminder to me too! I do so much better when I’m in a groove; feel more like I’m directing my life instead of being pulled around by it! Thank you for your comments Lannette! xo