Every woman’s life should be filled with passion. Passion is a woman’s pulsating energy.  Passion is profound and in a sense holy because It is the sacred ability to be immersed in life. I believe simplicity and passion are interwoven. The two together are empowering.  

I encourage you to surround yourself with external simplicity and internal passion. External simplicity allows your mind to concentrate on all your passionate endeavors. I think of the combination as, joy.

You can create a clutterless lifestyle. With an internal passion for life and external simplicity in your surroundings. This is because you have taken the time to simplify your outside life with order. Do this by disowning excessiveness and useless objects in your personal surroundings. Be it in your home, your car, or your handbag! When you revel in outer simplicity your passions have a chance to develop in an orderly manner.

Stop frittering your life away with too much detail! No more junk drawers. Put an end to stuffed handbags or papers in the glove compartment of your car! No one can focus on living a passionate lifestyle when you are always searching for something! 

Right now I am in the process of doing away with bandaids! I have all sizes and types. I am proud to say they sit neatly on a shelf in acrylic containers. Still, I cannot find the bandaid I need because I have kept an overabundance of them given to me from doctor visits. If I had to I could probably put a bandaid on each member of a full brigade in the armed service! In my case, my bandaid situation has nothing to do with orderliness. It’s about excessiveness. 

PAIRING DOWN MY POSSESSIONS

My next task is to pair down on all my possessions. How many pairs of black slacks do we need, darling? Am I hitting a nerve? I hope so.

While I am on the subject of paring down my hundreds of bandages my mind turns to my millions of papers! I am in the process of sorting through and organizing folder after folder, paper after paper. Of all my tasks, this has proven the hardest but the most satisfying. 

There is a silver lining in everything we do because you will make some exciting discoveries. As well as finding the sure relief and satisfaction of tearing up papers and ruthlessly throwing them away! The weight of the files and folders lifts off my shoulders and I feel redeemed.

When I think of the time and creative energy I squandered away searching for a party invite or the laundry bill. Or a form I had to fill out I knew it was time to make a plan. My files and folders were neat but lacked order. What good are files when you cannot find what you are looking for at a glance? 

I have studied different ideas from professionals. I am incorporating a little of this and a little of that … it reminds me of making a great pot of Chicken soup! 

MY PROCESS

The first thing I did was to go through every file and folder. It took me over one week. Yes!! I did it. Every stray paper went into a big box. Questionable ones went into another stack. And, on and on. 

Then I decided I wanted papers I had to work on during the week and month in front of my eyes. So I bought woven straw baskets from The Container Store.

In the straw baskets, I have my daily endeavors and papers I need at a glance. Also projects I am undertaking during the month. They are lined up on top of my counter in my office.

• Incoming mail
• Unpaid personal bills ( as soon as they are paid they go into one of my green files ( money)
• Unpaid business bills
• Business receipts saved for tax purposes.
• Important HG business correspondence to attend to asap.
• Papers from tech people, business people, writers, etc. These papers go into blue files and folders; when complete or tossed.
• Important family and lifestyle papers such as events, etc.

If you prefer you can use boxes with lids. And, in different colors! Or in something like this gorgeous, streamlined acrylic pictured below. Remember your basket labels won’t necessarily match mine. I am giving you a sampling.

At the end of every month toss, file and start the process all over again. 

TAKE CONTROL

Feeling in control of your papers is very reassuring. Because when you think about it, the papers really explain your life.

Without any semblance of order, your life story is a never-ending messed-up paper trail. How will you find the time to discover and work on your internal passions? Difficult, right?

During the remaining days in May and into June tackle one drawer or closet at a time. Rearrange your favorite collections. Simplify each room of your home. Savor your sweet memories as you tackle, tackle, tackle papers and items. As you attend to your project play your favorite music. Drink a glass of cool lemonade. 

Lastly, when you have created ‘simplicity’ in your outer life, buy a hammock for your backyard. Then, lay in it to allow your passions to stream.

Does your external environment mirror your internal self? Please share in the comments.

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