Routine's, De-Cluttering, and Sleep!

So – I need an evening routine. I am a person who likes structure, a schedule, a ROUTINE. It seems like every evening I am so totally lazy that nothing gets done. I need some type of routine to follow, and then I might have more success and actually feel motivated because I can SEE that I accomplished something. Some things I would like to incorporate into my routine are: Reading, Relaxing, Getting my things ready for the next day, Brush my teeth, etc. Do YOU have an evening routine? If so, please share! I’d love some ideas.

I finally made it through the introduction and 1st chapter of “The Happiness Project”. It’s getting late in the month and I’ve only made it thru the 1st chapter, so I really need to pick up the pace. It’s not because the book is written poorly, it’s because I haven’t actually sat down and read it! The first chapter was about going to sleep earlier, exercising better, “toss, restore, and reorganize”, tackling a nagging task, and acting more energetic. Sleep plays a MAJOR role in just about everything. If you’re tired, more than likely you’re not in the best mood, more than likely you’re not performing at work like you should, more than likely you’re not accomplishing anything. In the book, she suggests going to bed an hour earlier. Some people, like me, tend to stay up late because it’s the only time during the day when they’re actually ALONE and they feel like they can unwind. When I do this though, I’m totally exhausted the next day! I have vowed to get at least 8 hours of sleep per night to see if this helps with my tiredness. By feeling more rested, I actually feel happier because I’m so much more productive AND I actually feel better! See – sleep IS important! Another thing she mentions is cleaning out clutter. Now note that there are different types of clutter. The clutter you can visually SEE and the clutter in your mind. She talks about cleaning out her closet and getting rid of the clutter around her house. I can totally see how this would lift someone’s spirits. I know when I’m surrounded by clutter it definitely effects my mood. It’s actually motivated me to clean out my closet! I also have clutter in my mind – tasks that I need to get done but have been putting off always sit in my mind and after a while it starts to affect my mood. It’s time I got rid of all the clutter filling up my life.

So, now I need an evening routine (for the part of me that craves structure) and I need to reorganize and de-clutter my life.

AND on another note – I have a really good Valentine’s Day idea but I don’t know how to pull it off!

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I'm sure I sound like a broken record, but I am SO TIRED! Oh my goodness! I am seriously dragging today (and NO, I'm not pregnant.. ha ha). I honestly don't know what my problem is! When I was in college I came down with MONO, and this almost feels like that. It's just hard to explain. I really need to go to bed early tonight and hopefully I'll feel better in the morning.

Since I'm lacking energy, I'm also lacking motivation - which in turn makes me feel MORE blah since I'm not getting anything accomplished. My kitchen desperately needs cleaned and just looking at it puts me in sorta a blah mood. The stack of "to do" items on my desk isn't helping much either. I guess it's OK to have days like this every once in a while, but we're on Wednesday and so far this has been a week long ordeal. Enough already!

I finally got my 2nd book in the mail yesterday! :) The Happiness Project. I really like it so far. I saw online where the author has a webpage dedicated to the book. You should check it out if you're interested!

Well, I'm going to attempt to tackle my "to do" box and then try to do something that makes me happy! I know that sounds weird.. but what I mean is eat a piece of chocolate or read or organize something. ha ha

I hope everyone is having a WONDERFULY productive day!

Julie, Julia, & Happiness Projects

WELL I'm 29 pages from completing my first book of the year!  I'm currently reading Julie and Julia.  I have to say it's nothing like what I expected, but it's a great book! I've caught myself squirming as she describes some of the things she cooks, but laughing out loud at the same time.  This book really sucked me in!  I can't wait to watch the movie!

The next book I'm going to read is called "The Happiness Project".  I honestly didn't realize it until today, but this is also a book about a woman completing a year long project.  Instead of cooking her way thru a cookbook, she's following every piece of advice about being happy that she can find.  She's testing them out and seeing what works for her.  It's quite interesting!  I can't wait to get started!

If you have a chance, check out The Happiness Project online.  You can check out a few sample pages and that's what kinda got me interested.  I'm all about making myself happier and I felt like I needed something that would help motivate me.  That's why I'm giving this book a try :)