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Abundance is here.

Do you have more stuff than you want — more paper, more books, more email, more commitments, more bills? If you’re trying to manifest abundance, stop! It’s already here! Most people I know have more to do in one week than a person could truly appreciate in a month or more.

This isn’t what we imagine abundance should look like. Personally, I imagined lying on a lounge chair on a warm beach, sipping something with a tiny umbrella in it. Ahhh.

But the abundance I have (and maybe you do too) is not the least bit relaxing. I never imagined that “abundance” would masquerade through my life as a cluttered stress-ball, but there it is.

Give me simplicity.

For many, the road from to simplicity is rocky. We like having things. We like being wanted. “I’m busy” makes us feel important. It can be hard to let go of the short-term payoffs, but this much intensity can create overwhelm in the long run.

Ask anyone whose desk is so full of paper and treasures that they can’t complete their taxes on time and are scrambling for an extension. Ask anyone who, literally, can’t find time to pee. It isn’t the kind of abundance they wanted, either, and it can suck the joy out of life.

The #1 sneaky lie that attracts overwhelm:

“I can fit it in.”

If you hear yourself say these words, freeze. This is your ego speaking.

The ego is a very specific kind of master: a task master. The ego doesn’t want simplicity, it craves complexity and drama. It wants you to be overextended.

If you want more simplicity in your life, you can beat the ego at its own game so you can act upon your deeper desires.

To do this, first it’s important to know how letting the ego rule your life and your calendar affects you.

Consequence 1: Antagonizing loved ones and strangers.

The more we attempt to fit in, the greater the chances the fight-or-flight response getting triggered.

Stress from over-commitment brings out the worst in people. Instead of being present, we’re testy. Instead of accepting, irritable. Instead of forgiving, we guilt-trip. Sometimes we hold those feelings in, which hurts our own hearts as well.

Consequence 2: Missed opportunities for connection

One night last week, Inspired Spouse came into my office to talk while I was finishing up “one last thing” that I “needed” to do. Truthfully, I heard only every 4th word and listened just enough to appease. Later, I realized that I’d missed a precious opportunity to meaningfullyconnect with my Most Important Person.

When we hurry, we miss opportunities to connect.

Consequence 3: Engaging in risky behaviors

While we’re over-committed and feeling rushed, we hurry to catch up. Traffic laws become negotiable. We tailgate. We cut people off in traffic. We speed. Suddenly our urgency is at the expense of others’ needs, including our own safety.

Consequence 4: Satisfaction denied

Cramming more to-dos into your day deprives you of the satisfaction of completing a job or task thoroughly. Many people don’t stop long enough to enjoy the feeling of completion, before rushing headlong into whatever is next. Life becomes an endless, depressing mound of stuff to do before we die.

Consequence 5: Craving more. Andmoreandmore.

It’s been proven that the faster a person eats, the greater the likelihood of overeating. The same could be said for internet usage, TV watching, gambling, reading, et cetera. When we rush to cram it all in, we immediately start to crave more because we never really have it in the first place. We’re not present enough.

Geneen Roth wisely said, “You can’t have enough of what you don’t really want.” She was speaking of food specifically — that no amount of Oreos can equal a relaxing soak in the tub. This applies to lots of other things, too. No amount of money can feel like love. Even 100 completed “to-dos” doesn’t feel like a talk with a good friend.

So what?

None of these observations is intended to convey that doing stuff is bad. On the contrary. Doing stuff is good, so long as it’s not done at the expense of your spirit and others who share the planet with you. I know that’s a tall order. I’m working on it myself.

Alternatives to “fitting it all in”.

Instead of cramming more into your day or onto your desk, here are a few suggestions to prevent “fitting more in”.

Know your limits

Reflect on how many hours of work will sustain you without creating burnout. Do you know how many social engagements can you handle each month and still enjoy yourself? Think about how many activities you really want to drive your kids to every week. When you have some limits established, it can be easier to maintain a healthy schedule and work load.

Build in buffer time.

Instead of scheduling your plans and tasks back-to-back, plan for things to take longer. My weekly appointment is a 20-minute drive, but traffic is always sketchy. When I started giving myself 30 minutes for the drive, I stopped driving like a speed demon and arrived calmer. Where might you need some buffer time?

Practice pausing.

Whether someone is asking for your time, or you’ve got something to add to your plate, catch yourself in the moment (when you can) and ask:

• Do I have to fit this in?
• Do I want to?
• Do I need (life or death) to do this?

You may choose the same way as before, but bringing consciousness to your choices makes you feel more empowered and less a victim of your “to-dos”.

Practice saying “no” kindly.

Most people think that if they’re asked, they should say yes. If you know that your week is at capacity, saying yes can push us over the edge. Saying “no” doesn’t have to be negative. When someone asks you to get together, focus on the intention behind the ask. Don’t assume that you are the only one who can handle it. Negotiate. (hint: I’m planning a fun event on this topic soon!)

Stop to celebrate and acknowledge your efforts.

Instead of rushing to the next thing, it can be profoundly satisfying to stop long enough to appreciate your efforts and recognize your accomplishments. Sometimes I ask others to do the same for me when I have a hard time believing it myself.

In the end

The contented life isn’t about having more, it’s having less and appreciating how abundant that really is.

May your week be less packed and your life more full.

Warmly,
Jennifer

Thoughts? Yeah, buts? Me toos?

Although you’ll rarely catch me at the mall, I’m a fan of those big kiosks that harbor a colorful, glowing diagram of the entire place.

No matter how lost, there’s a friendly star that tells me where I am.

Knowing where you are helps orient you. It helps you find direction to move forward confidently. It helps you appreciate where you’ve come from.

A map for an inspiring home office

Just for you, I made a map that shows how to create a workspace that nourishes you. It has seven basic steps. (You’ll just have to imagine the glowing colors.)

1. Feeling deeply stuck and unsatisfied.
2. Creating an idea of the workspace you really want.
3. Taking stock of how things are today.
4. Clearing out the things that no longer serve you or your business.
5. Finding intuitive places for the things you want to keep and use.
6. Enjoying a fairly functional, soul-nourishing workspace.
7. Creating fun, intuitive systems for projects and business tasks.

Where are you?

If you’re working on several of these steps at once, that’s totally normal. You may also find that you repeat some steps again and again. No judgment about it, that’s just how it works. It’s a process.

What step(s) are you on today – and how do you feel about it?

(Reminder: Comments before August 24, 2009 enter you to win some fun stuff from Inspired Home Office. Please feel free to participate!)

And the only way for me to know that we’re hanging out together is if you leave a comment!

Extra special fun stuff for the blograising!

For blograising week (August 17-24), you could get an extra-special bonus for commenting on the blog:

• A $100 gift certificate for Inspired Home Office services
• A $40 gift certificate for IHO services
• Your very own copy of The Wish Kit (It’s back!). Three will be given away.

Want to play?

All you need to do is:

• write a meaningful comment anywhere on the blog before 5pm Pacific, August 24, 2009 to be included!
• or tweet a link to the blog and include @inspiredjen (so that I see it) for extra chances!

Winners will be announced on Monday, August 24!

Ready?

Comment and tweet away! I look forward to connecting with you!

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Update!

I can’t thank everyone enough for the tweets and comments (over 160 total). I’m so blown away by your thoughtfulness, encouragement and participation. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Now. For the winners (drawn at random with help from the Inspired Cat):

• A $100 gift certificate for Inspired Home Office services: awarded to Wendy Cholbi of Your Web Coaches
• A $40 gift certificate for IHO services: awarded to Grace Judson of Svaha Concepts
• 3 copies of The Wish Kit (It’s back!). Awarded to:
  • Natalia Real, writer and translator
  • Mark Silver of Heart of Business
  • Melly Hocking, set costumer extrordinaire

Thanks again to everyone!

Warmly,
Jennifer

But that just wouldn’t do justice to the gratitude.

Allie helped me when I didn’t even know I needed help.

See, Allie and I go way back to 1994 at Willamette Univeristy when I worked in Student Services and she in the website-wrangling department (I can’t remember the official name). The entire campus was undergoing a wesbite overhaul, department by department.

We met and I was immediately impressed by her precise, tiny (and I mean minuscule) handwriting – and her ability to ask questions. And then really listen.

Allie got our department’s website functional – and got me to the point that I could update information all by myself. A feat. She was patient, thorough, and helpful. Unlike other website people I’ve worked with, Allie never pushed or copped an attitude or told me my wishes were wrong. She steered and informed, but it was clear that my opinion mattered.

The time came when I knew I needed her.

When I became self-employed, I needed a pro. Allie designed a logo and a drop-dead gorgeous website for my staging business. She brought all her delightful listening and talent to my project – and it was a dream. I couldn’t have been happier.

As my business grew, I had conversations with other web people who looked at the back end of her work (Greek to me!) and were impressed with her attention to detail.

When I started Inspired Home Office, Allie created the website you’ve come to know – along with my daisy logo. We’d been talking for months about a blog and I finally bit the bullet. Right before she got married, in fact.

Am I ever grateful.

Because, in addition to converting my website to a WordPress blog, Allie went above and beyond as usual. For once in my life, I let go of control and Allie created a redesign that’s elegant, simple, and functional. I couldn’t love it more.

Now I’m a fan forever.

For me, starting a blog feels immensely personal. You come here looking for ideas, solace, and encouragement… if the blog were ugly and testy, I wouldn’t feel comfortable writing. You wouldn’t want to visit. How it feels and looks matters.

And so, my debt of gratitude is to Allison Towers Rice – web designer extraordinaire and owner of Allie Creative – for her impeccable eye, for all the listening and ideas, for sharing her gifts and time, and for making a place for me and readers to get to know each other.

I’m so very grateful to you.

Even though I’m pretty savvy with computers, I needed to get this idea on paper. BIG paper. I wanted to scribble and draw and use my whole body in the creative idea-generating process. I was so jazzed.

Then I looked around my office and crud! - there was nothing to write on!

Lemons into lemonade

So, I got out an old roll of wrapping paper and taped it to the wall, white-side out.  Tentative at first, I scratched out the basic idea and then excitedly filled in the gaps with broad, colorful strokes. It was great! It was huge!

This was the first step I took in getting my business, Inspired Home Office, off the ground. That wrapping paper stayed up for the first 6 months of my business’ life, serving as a guide. A visual reminder. A map.

When I stopped needing it, I took it down, rolled it back up and used it for holiday presents (talk about recycling!).

If you can see it, you can do it.

Have you ever had the urge to plan a big project, but got stuck?

Anytime you’re planning something big and involved, you need three things:

• A clear, invigorating idea of where you want to go
• Specific steps to get you there
• A way of reminding yourself what’s next and tracking what you’ve completed

Personalizing what you need

With these 3 things as your guide, you can plan and execute a project any way you like. How would you like to track your big projects?

Here are 3 tracking variations I’ve seen – and the basic elements that each one entails. Which one sounds most like you?

Neat and tidy

• Big picture plans turned into into specific, measurable goals
• Breaking goals down into steps
• Put all of the steps in your system with timelines
• Follow up at the end and evaluate

Big and messy

• Huge wall charts on butcher paper with markers
• Dry erase boards, cork boards, and lots of stickies
• Ideas represented by colors, symbols, and shapes
• Oversize calendars with important dates circled

A combination of both

• A map or mindmap that’s broken down into smaller steps
• Aspects of the neat and the messy, tidy and big mixed together
• Systems that blend your creative mind and your planning mind

Reflect and listen

Do any of these 3 descriptions sound like you – or how you’d like to be? Have you attempted some of these, but feel disappointed with either the lack of clarity or results?

If your projects feel haphazard at best or remain incomplete for long periods of time, ask yourself:

What do I need that would help me love staying on track?

Listen deeply and you’ll be surprised by the ideas that come to you.