Becoming a master of time and space
and other things on my to-do list as we head into fall.
Hola Friends,
Remember one of my first newsletters where I talked about the annoying pressure of pleasantries to start and end emails and conversations? In case you missed it, my sister-in-law first brought my attention to this pleasantry opposition when she started an email to me with:
Dear Ab,
Pleasantry, pleasantry….
What should we bring to the family dinner?
Pleasantry, pleasantry…
Love,
Sue
Never had I received a more genius email addressing the fact that pleasantries and extra garbage gets mixed in with what could otherwise be a perfectly brief message.
Not that there’s anything wrong with pleasantries or detailed messages. It’s just that I think we’re all kind of bombarded with information overload - everywhere. Emails, texts, voice mails, snail mail, and don’t even get me started on the Information Superhighway I call my brain. Can you say rush hour traffic jam?
I think it’s safe to say we are bombarded with messaging.
All. Day. Long.
Which leads me to What I’d Rather Be Talking About this week:
Because we’re constantly fed information, it’s important to filter out the fluff and distractions and stay focused on our goals, values, and sense of self.
In other words, organize our lives so that our schedules, environment, and actions support our life purpose.
So, basically, this week’s theme is pretty light and doable.
We just buy ourselves a new day planner, clean up the old workspace, delete excess emails, and voila… information overload is under control.
Obviously, it’s way harder than that, which is why I’ve included all sorts of good things to help you organize your lives and be as efficient as possible.
Pleasantry pleasantry,
Abbey
LISTEN
The Before Breakfast Podcast offers daily time management advice that’s short and sweet. This episode helps you Save brainpower for the important stuff, ease transitions, and pump yourself up for the workday.
Learn how to organize your phone on this episode of Systemize Your Life.
HerMoney nails the concept of living a slower life in Honing Your Senses for a Sharper Life with Gretchen Rubin.
STREAM
First, How to Focus on What’s Most Important with Amy Landino:
Let’s travel a bit to see how Italians master keeping their sanity and health: Five Italian Habits that Make for a Healthier Life:
While we’re in Italy - advice for you if you work from home: Slow living in Florence, Italy - my calming morning routine:
And here’s one from my favorite country - An Eco-Friendly Day in my Life in Rota, Spain -
TRAVEL:
First, a TED Talk that reminds us of the need to take a vacation.
Second, 10 vacations to relieve stress. If time’s an issue, try these weekend getaways.
Finally, it’s hard to get organized in life and even harder to plan a trip if we’re exhausted. If this is you, consider looking into sleep tourism or health tourism in Europe.
READ:
To get a bit deeper with mastering time & space, give this enlightening piece a read.
55 of the most anticipated books for fall, according to Goodreads readers.
EAT:
It’s much easier to make healthy food choices when recipes are easy and delicious, right?
Start your day with these simple overnight oats, a mint chocolate chip smoothie, or one of these 26 healthy plant-based breakfasts.
Now, I know I provide a lot of plant-based recipes. But the truth is, I’m not 100% vegan or plant-based - which is why I love Jessica Seinfeld’s cookbook, Vegan, At Times. I was introduced to the cookbook on the Lipstick on the Rim podcast and also heard Jessica’s advice on problem-solving in the kitchen. (Note: I highly recommend you listen, whether you’re into vegan food or not. Jessica is the real deal, gives back like you wouldn’t believe, and is just a cool person who happens to be married to Jerry Seinfeld.)
ON A SERIOUS NOTE
There are many solutions for getting more organized & time efficient so that we can live our happiest, most productive lives.
But I believe none of them will truly work if we don’t do one simple thing:
Take time daily to simply think - free from input, influence, and distractions.
My dad gave me that advice for years and years, “Abbey, you’ve got to slow down and take time just to think.”
He was so right.
We don’t have to fill every moment with something… we need time to simply be and see what kind of messages come from within.
And I think we’ll find those messages are free of pleasantries and noise and exactly what we need to hear to lead our best lives.
Pleasantry pleasantry,
Abbey
P.S. Thank you for reading!