Category Archives: AIM’s

So I read this article on Oprah.com http://www.oprah.com/home/Clutter-Foods/2. In this article, Peter Walsh describes the types of foods that tend to clutter up one’s pantry. I’ll summarize it here:

1. Aspirational Foods: The foods one buys in the hopes of using even though it isn’t their type (a junk food eater buying gourmet spices, baking goods for a person who never bakes) you hope you’ll use it, but never do…so the food just sits there space hogging!

2. Entertainment Foods: The foods you buy in case company arrives. The food ends up sitting there because either you never end up entertaining, or you go out and buy FRESH items when you DO entertain…space hogging again…

3. Security Foods: This is the secret stash of junk food that the healthy eater keeps so that he doesn’t need to feel deprived. Not a good idea, because it will get used at the WRONG TIMES. In the meantime it’s just space hogging again…

4. Emergency Clutter Foods: These are the foods you are told to buy in case of an emergency. They should be kept in the basement, or in the least invasive spot. These foods can also be put into use and then replenished, but Walsh explains that this requires a very organized person.

Really, what an interesting article, and the perfect reason to start AIM 3. 

Tomorrow is Monday, a day when most people go to the supermarket, or make their food orders. So here is your challenge:

ONLY SHOP FROM YOUR PANTRY!

For any items other than milk, meat, poultry, and produce, you are to design your dinners around whatever you already have in your house.

YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BUY ANY CANNED OR BOXED ITEMS!!! USE WHAT YOU HAVE…Oh and GOOD LUCK!

MY PANTRY BEFORE AIM 3:

It was easy to accomplish this task for me. Maybe even too easy. I sat with my son and played Zingo. As for my daughter, 10 minutes of alone time in the morning before my son woke up was just perfect. Weekends are easy when it comes to mindfulness…Perhaps I will try this one again tomorrow…

So this AIM has come to a close, but I don’t want to end it!!! What a great week of clearing up, de-cluttering, and creating SPACE. I was amazed by how easy it became to start clearing things up or handling things using the OHIO method. It turned a switch on in my head, and now it just won’t turn off! So what did I get rid of anyhow?

On Saturday it was all about the magazines and catalogues. It is hard to believe, but I found magazine issues from September in my magazine holder!

On Sunday, today, was all about TOYS. Toys toys and more toys. I was cleaning up the kitchen set that my son and niece had been playing with, and I found random things that had no place in this house! One of those squishy gummy balls that collect germs, lint, hair and whatnot, a few broken cars, and a walking toy that isn’t mine (this one is going back to its rightful owner!).

Anyway, it felt great to get rid of a lot of the stuff, and I feel we are off to a good start in going just a bit more minimalist.

Purim is here, which calls to attention 2 major topics:

1. MISHLOACH MANOT: buying, prepping, delivering, storing…

This year, I opted out of my normal creative Mishloach Manot route—I bought them. In buying them I stayed minimalist because I bought things that are useful to the receivers. When they open my package, there will be no need to dispose of anything but the cellophane and decorative ribbon. I got these Mishloach Manot from Surrey Lane on Avenue P in Brooklyn (718-627-6991). Delivery is an option as well, but I prefer to do so myself.

The platters are nice, neat, useful, and reusable.  

2. JUNK FOOD: Perhaps, one of the worst offenders in clutter- junk food madness!  I would like to open up a discussion regarding what people plan to do with all of that stuff, a post inspired by my friend Pamela. Will you be giving your junk food away, storing it in a big bin, allowing your children to go at it just for the day and disposing of it thereafter? Looking forward to hearing your methods…

By now I am sure you got the hang of AIM 1, and while there are still 2 days left to complete this AIM, I think it is time for a new one.

This one is more about mindfulness, and really being in the moment, one of the main purposes for this blog. Before we get into reading materials on mindfulness, I thought we could do a small practice that is also in line with the Sabbath.

AIM 2: Undivided Attention:

Over the weekend, aim (pun intended), to give each one of your children, 10 minutes of completely undivided attention. This means no cell phones, daydreaming, eating (unless it is with them), watching TV, or allowing for any other distractions!  You can do so by playing games, reading books, talking, etc.. Just do it! Let me know how it is and what it feels like, as will I.

A lot of people contacted me to say how helpful they found this AIM. I am so happy! Keep up the good work. Anyway, today I threw away papers, papers, and more papers. My mail tray was starting to get full, and I usually wait until it is overflowing to clean it out, but today (knowing I had to get rid of something) I took it on, and I feel great!

What does everyone do with West Elm, Crate and Barrel, and other catalogues that come in the mail. I always hesitate to keep them, because I know most of the time, they just pile up and I never get to them.

I just want to keep reminding all of you that comments are displayed on the chat icon to the right of the title of each post. I may need to change the look of this blog a little in order to  “unhide”  the comments, but we’ll see about that one.

So I got sidetracked by my kitchen and I neglected to tell you what I disposed of yesterday.

1. School Projects: At least 10 if not more. This got me thinking. What does everyone who has children do with their children’s school projects. I feel badly to throw them out, but I can’t possibly save every little thing. My sister-in-law once told me she saves the ones that have photos on them, which I agree with, but even those? I thought about taking pictures of the projects and loading those pictures onto my computer, maybe making an album out of each years projects, but not sure…ANY IDEAS?

2. Car Garbage: So I wrote about procrastination the day before yesterday and I guess, without thinking, this affected me, because yesterday I pretty much took care of every errand that has been on my mental “I should do” list since last week. In the 30 minutes I had until my son was to arrive home from school, I ran to get a car wash. I threw away water bottles, half- broken toys, gum wrappers, candy scraps, and to top it off I was so appalled by the mess in my trunk that I finally dropped off some clothes I had been meaning to pass on to family members!

What a great day!

By the way, I noticed that I exceeded my goal of 3 items every day so far without even trying hard. How are you doing with this? If you are new to my blog (I am new also btw!), just comment by clicking on the chat icon to the right of the title of this post. Also if you are new AIM is ADVENTURE IN MINIMALISM. You can check out the intro to this AIM by clicking on the AIM’s category on the right.

So today I was so busy, I ran out of the house for an early appointment, and did not quite have the time to settle things around the house before arriving home to two children, both wanting my attention…BUT in keeping with my accountability theory, I remembered that I have people to answer to. I had to pick something quick and easy, so I cleared out a cookbook holder that I use for paperwork as quickly as possible. I managed to throw out 12 items! This spot has been bothering me every day for about a month, and I kept saying I’ll get it to it. All of that procrastination and all it took was 2 minutes of my time to finally complete the task!

“Doing just a little bit during the time we have available puts you that much further ahead than if you took no action at all.” ~Byron Pulsifer

   

 

Lessons Learned:

1. Even if I own 200 children’s books, I use the same 10 over and over, because the other 190 are not accessible! This was a great activity because book reading became exciting again, not only for me, but for my son as well.

2. De-cluttering gets messy. If you can’t handle a mess, only engage in de-cluttering when you have ample time to clean up your mess, or keep it simple and small. For example: narrow your de-cluttering to your magazine pile, your wallet, your kitchen drawer etc.