Desire Mapping in a Filofax

I stumbled upon the Desire Map one day while bouncing around Pinterest.  One of my contacts was pinning away these incredibly intriguing images with the words “Core Desired Feelings”.  Being a Psychology major, I had to investigate…  What are all these CDFs and what was this hashtag #DesireMap all about? 

After discovering the author, Danielle LaPorte and her mass following of “mappers”, I was immediately drawn to her.  Her magnetism and hip vocabulary was rousing, raw and real.  She has a way of drawing out your best soul desires and spinning them in the most imaginative ways.  I immediately bought the book and dug into the workbook as if it were finals week.  My connections to other local mappers was nothing short of serendipity.  I feel a true bond kindered spirits in our sacred circle.   

About the third day in, I found my own “Core Desired Feelings” {my words...  there's a huge celebration when you find your "words" and after all of that soul-searching, you will see why}.  So what to do with so much inspiration and thought provoking information?  Create a New Project tab in my Filofax, of course :)

 

 

Here is what I did:

 

1.  Create a form for the Mapping Process in Publisher.

 

2.  Set it up as a two-sided document in which to set goals on one side and a reminder of where the CDFs correlate with life areas on the other side.

 

3.  Re-size to fit planner and print out on letter sized paper 1/2 sheet, copying it front-to-back.

 

4.  Trim and Punch to fit (I created this particular project to fit my A5 Filofax).

 

5.  Add blank paper behind it to use for notes and brainstorming.

 

6.  I turned my Filofax A-Z tabs into Project tabs seen HERE, and I happened to have one free!

 

Vola! A place to dream, brainstorm with my group and remind myself of my bitchen CDFs.  This has been very helpful during my mapping process, and as I go through the month, I have a place to re-visit as a reminder of my words and goals.

 

If you are a fellow Desire Mapper, let's connect!  I have provided this document in a PDF which you can trim down to your particular paper organizer size, just CLICK THIS LINK to download.  If this doesn't work for you, I strongly suggest you create one of your own.  Do you have items you want to add to this?  Please share your creations - I'll link up to you!  So let's grab a cup of coffee, crank up some inspiring tunes and get mapping!

 

If you are interested in creating your own Desire Map, click the image below and watch her introduction video - I'm sure you will be inspired as well.

 

 

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Home Office DIY: Turning a Closet into a Supply Center

The one thing I love about Organizing a home office is the diversity of closet space.  They are way under-rated, especially if they have floor to ceiling access.  Removing the doors, adding a touch of paint and replacing the old rod and shelf with an insert will maximize space and provide easy access to crafts or home business supplies.





In this project, I removed all of the old hardware in this bedroom closet and cleaned it from top to bottom.  We painted it this bright blue/green shade, inspired from Tiffany & Co. 

 

 

 

 

 

I purchased Rubbermaid closet organizing racks, and positioned them to the best use of my storage needs. With this rack, I can easily move them up or down to customize my space. 

 

 

I have converted this entire bedroom into an organized home office, and I needed the closet to do triple duty: I needed room for my files, office supplies and crafts. I also needed a "shipping station" for my business. I added a scale, cutting board and an area for my boxes, tissue and mailing supplies. I keep necessities such as packing tape, scissors and markers in a small desk organizer.

 

 

I added a large dry - erase board to keep track of family events, bills and important details.

 

 

My bookshelves were actually purchased at Lowe's - they were originally intended as closet organizers, but these were perfect for displaying my books and paper projects. The furniture pieces that I had my eye on from IKEA were back ordered, and I didn't want to wait. I placed three side-by-side and added baskets to the bottom to hide various projects that I am working on. I customized them by placing LED lighting to the top of each shelf - they are installed with a strong adhesive and powered by a remote control. I love these because I can use the dimmer at night

and they just make the room.

 

I finished it off by adding some personal touches, such as my father's old typewriter and ordering my library in color-coded order.

 

 

Work Space Before & After:

 

It is not completely finished - we will add new carpet, paint & draperies, but I am proud of how it all turned out so far. 

 

Thank you for checking out my Home Office DIY - Please subscribe and come back for my next organizing project.   

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100 Days of Summertime {PLUS the Summer Bucket List Challenge}

Ahhh, Summer...  Sunshine, the last day of school, fireworks and the swimming pool...  what does Summer mean to you?

If you have school-age children, having a plan would make those crazy lazy days of Summer a breeze while fitting in all of those clam bakes and family road trips.  Jennifer Tankersley gives you all the tools to map your course with her new 2013 eBook, 100 Days of Summertime.  Begin your Summertime planning this Memorial Weekend and know what to expect all the way through Labor Day.  The eBook includes many fun ideas to keep the while family occupied - from Summer Holidays & Event Planning to Camping & Cookouts - it will keep your sanity while holding it altogether before the new school year begins.  As the creator of ListPlanIt, Jennifer includes some of her lists for free lists as well as links to fabulous web resources.  You will feel so organized and ready for all the fun that Summer brings with this book.

The 100 Days of Summertime eBook is only $5 but I'm giving you FIVE chances to WIN a free PDF copy!  You can always purchase the book without entering by clicking HERE.



Contest Rules (You are eligible to receive at least 5 entries):

Post a comment on either the following networks, telling us what your Summer plans are.

- Post a comment below.
- Re-Pin this post on Pinterest.
- Tweet, "I am excited to start planning my 100 Days of Summertime" @renewyourspace 
- Post a comment on our group Facebook Page telling us what your Summer Plans are.
- Share this post on your Facebook Page.

To qualify, you must be at least 18 years old and a subscriber of Renew Your Space, either by Google+, Networked Blogs or apps like Blog Lovin'.  We will count each entry as long as it is connected to Renew Your Space through social networking.  We will be doing two drawings - you have until 11:59 pm on Saturday, May 25th to enter - Winners will be announced Sunday morning. 

Good luck!! 

{NOTE - THIS CONTEST HAS CLOSED & THE WINNER HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED ON OUR FACEBOOK / TWITTER PAGES}


And speaking of Summer...

I've decided to start a Summertime Bucket List Challenge - You know...  one of those kinds of lists that gives you a chance to do all the things that you want to just in case you kick the bucket?!  Only I thought it would be fun to make this into a challenge to see if WE can get through it!  Well, mine is not that serious but I've got 20 things I'd like to accomplish by Labor Day {maybe I'll get inspired to add more as time goes on}.  How about you?  Want to play along with me?  What do you want to accomplish in the next three months?

Here goes.....

1.  Kayak in the ocean
2.  Water ski at Big Bear
3.  Go to Vegas with my besties
4.  Camp in the Desert
5.  Put in a hot tub
6.  Plant a Summer vegetable garden
7.  Finish up my office renovations
8.  Re-establish my blog presence
9.  See Depeche Mode
10. Start an arts & crafts day
11. Lose 15 pounds
12. Find a good hairdresser
13. Treat myself to a spa day
14. Freshen up my personal style
15. Have a 'girl's only' camp day at the beach (with dogs)
16. Find a farm to volunteer at
17. Go completely vegetarian
18. Have a housewarming party
19. Get serious with my photography (and break in my new camera)
20. Start a Bunko group

 

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A Devotion to Love... {Where I've Been}

I thought I should give you an update on what I have been up to the past couple of years - my blog has taken a back-burner and my posts have been quite sporadic.  I had a series of ups and downs in my life, so something had to give. 

As most of you know, my father was very ill with cancer and I had moved him closer to be with me in Southern California.  It was a whirl-wind of a move – we had to get him through the E.R., then ICU and a month in a Physical Therapy to see if he could gain his strength back.  He made a miraculous bounce back to life and he proved that he was able to once again live on his own.   After selling most of his belongings and his home, I moved him to an Independent Living rental.   The next year was an extreme sacrifice of time, but that which I would provide a thousand times over. 

Knowing that I would need to rely on a full time job to make this all happen, I began working as a Property manager for a Senior Community.  This was what only could be described as a divine intervention because as the manager, I was required to live on-site and the only logical thing was to move my dad on the property so that I could see him every day.   Once again, we packed up all of his most treasured belongings and moved him to a comfortable, quiet place where he could enjoy what he called his “bonus year”.

He had weekly treatments in Los Angeles, so I exhausted all of my sick leave to make sure he got the care he needed.   Dispensing meds, scheduling Hospice {Angels!}, doing laundry, preparing meals {poor guy}  J  and lots of visiting…  things just have a way of working out. 

It wasn’t all stress and hospital runs though – we had a chance to be a family again.  I hadn’t had family close to me since I was in college, so it was amazing to have the opportunity to have him as a neighbor.  I would stop in on my lunch to listen to his never-ending stories of his childhood or of the war or his crazy silly jokes that we so loved to hear.   On our long trips to LA and back, we always made the time to take the Pacific Coast Highway and stop in Malibu to eat KFC  {his favorite} overlooking the ocean. 

Those would become the moments I will treasure most.
 

In late August, I noticed that he was slowing down.  He wasn’t talking as much and I felt as though something wasn’t quite right.  I remember the exact moment he said his real “goodbye” as I walked out the door;  His blue eyes shining,  he smiled his big daddy smile and he told me I was his baby.  He flashed the peace sign as he always had done when we parted - only this time, he said something that stopped me in my tracks - he whispered “that. is. it”. 

 

The next day, I had a heart-to-heart with him and he told me that he was ready to go.  I made arrangements with Hospice the next morning to have him taken to the Serenity House of Santa Barbara, which is an amazingly beautiful place for people who are dying.  It is a beautiful new facility perched atop a large hill overlooking the city on one side & the ocean on the other.  His room had double doors opening onto a veranda with the most incredible view.  Once we got him settled, a harpist came in and played angelic music for him.  The sheer curtains gently flowed in the warm wind while hummingbirds and butterflies flurried out the window…  it was truly a sight to behold.   It was as if you could feel his angels calling him home in that space.

He bravely hung on until my sister flew in from South Carolina later that day.  He said his sweet, heart-wrenching goodbyes and then passed over to God as if he knew the exact moment he would leave this earth.  We all reeled with the timing and sweetness of his departure.  It was grand and beautiful and classy just like his life was.

My father was a kind-hearted, funny, smart, hard working, loving man.  I looked up to him and loved him with all of my heart.  Although it was hard to say goodbye, I will forever treasure the time I had with him in his “bonus year”.  He has taught me so much about life, but the most important lesson I believe,  was to take time to laugh.  Life shouldn’t be taken so seriously, and having a sense of humor can get you through the hardest of situations.

So I come back to this blog and contemplate where “Renew Your Space” should go.  Through the lulls and worry of the past year, I should have been writing my heart out, but the stress of it all kept me from it.  I have stopped the home Professional Organizing but started doing more workshops and speaking engagements.  I’ve written a new book (you can see to the right of the blog) which I am very proud of.   I left Property Management to work on Web Mastering and Organizing a large business in Ventura as my ‘day job’ and to get back to the love of my life…  writing.   We also recently bought a home, so I will have a lot of new projects on the horizon.

Life is so precious.  We live.  We work.  We love.  We die.  I am so grateful for doing what I love and having the opportunity to once again produce helpful Organizational Articles, Time Management eBooks and Life Balance project series for you.  I hope I haven’t lost my audience in my nearly two year hiatus. 

It has taken me a long time to put these memories into words.  I know it will take even longer to remember him without a tear, but I felt it was time to write again.  Please let me know you are still interested – give me some suggestions on what you would like to hear about, learn, or participate in, and let me know what you are up to.  I would love to hear about any new projects you have started in your home or office.   What would you like the next blog series to be on? Let me know in the comments below.
 

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Weed Out eMail Clutter

Wouldn't it be great if we had organized eMail - if we could just get to our eMail everyday and chisel that in-box into a big fat 0?  I would love it if I could just get it down under 500 - ugh!  But with today's convenience of cyber sign-ups, entries, newsletters and alerts, we can easily become bogged down with repetitive notifications.

Want to make sure you find those important messages amidst all the social networking  notifications and subscriptions?  The best way to assess the situation is to utilize your eMail options. 


Somewhere close to the top of your main eMail page, you will see a sort drop-down button. 

Click on "Arrange By" to change it from the default sort by date

Select "From" in the list

Click once again to switch from A-Z  to Z-A and vice-versa

Arranging by "From" will allow you to choose at a glance, and delete the unwanted clutter from your in-box

Now you can fly through that eMail with ease, knowing who they are from, identifying the "junk" mail or those you just don't have time for, and the ones that you may want to archive for later.

This is a great time to un-subscribe to those nuisance subscriptions that you once found interesting, but now clog up your in-box with daily fluff.  Or better yet, open a new eMail account just for subscriptions and save your main account for the things that matter most.

Hope this was helpful!

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How To Make Healthy Meals Every Day

Jennifer writes; "How can I schedule meals every day that are healthy for my family but don't take a lot of time to put together?" 

Jennifer - this is one that I have struggled with in the past as well, and to tell you the truth, you just have to experiment with several schedules until you find one that works for your family.  I have gone back and forth with picking all of our favorite meals to choose from each month {like I talk about here}, and making weekly "themed" meal plans.  Sticking with a simple 7 day schedule is so much easier for me.  It might get a little boring, but our meals are always healthy, simple to prepare and delicious! 

The best part about my 7 day plan is that I know exactly what to buy every single week at the grocery store.  Here is how I plan out my week:

1. Decide what to prepare for the week, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks & desserts.

2. Make a list of the meals or schedule in next week's calendar.

3. Research recipes if needed and any nutritional alterations for my family.

4. Inventory pantry/refrigerator/freezer items to see what I already have on hand.

5. Make a list of items I still need {I do this every Wednesday before my trip to the grocery store}.

I have this awesome printable you can download CLICK HERE  for brainstorming your meal plans, and a little tip - use erasable ink!  You can use the same sheet week after week (I have been doing this & I keep in my Filofax) and as you change ingredients or add ideas, you don't have to reprint and write the same information month after month.

 

 

Make a list and don't be afraid to repeat it

 

 

Schedule it in and reconfigure as needed

 

 

 

The best pens I have found for my paper planner - and they're erasable!!

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Keep Small Appliance Parts Together

When household items begin losing parts or have extra attachments that aren't needed right away, it's easy to stick them in a drawer and lose them forever.  I have run into this issue twice this week, and I thought I'd share my solution for keeping it all together. 

This small laminator has been in the box for some time now, and the rubber feet have fallen off.  Since it doesn't bother me right now, I simply placed them in a snack sized zip-loc baggie and stapled it to the manual.  Since I don't use this much, I have wrapped the cord up, labelled it with a bread bag clip, and stored it in my "parts" basket.  This way, I can keep the laminator out with my other office equipment but the bulky cord doesn't get in the way.

I also have an iPod radio with many little parts for different sized iPods to attach to. Since I use two different ones, I want to keep them all together, so these go into a larger zip-loc, labelled with a permanent marker and placed in the appliance parts basket as well.  The basket is clearly labelled and is kept on the top shelf of my office for odds and ends. 

This is a great solution for children's toys and games as well.  When I'm ready to use them, I just pull out my manual binder or retrieve the cord from the basket, and there it is.

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