Vicki Peel | HER Life Hacks

Do You Have an Abundance Mindset?

by Vicki Peel | Sep 27, 2021 | Lifestyle | 0 comments

Shifting to a mindset of abundance has probably been one of the hardest things for me to grasp and develop on my lifelong journey of self-improvement. When I first started reading about it, I knew I wanted it – an abundance mindset.

I grew up thinking about abundance in a very different way. Of course, as a child I didn’t think or talk about the term abundance, but I somehow knew I didn’t have it. It is something I have had to work at and be cognizant of. But it is worth it. ‘

As you read this post, stop and reflect about how you think and feel about what you read. It may be much different from typical thoughts about abundance

“An abundance mentality springs from internal security, not from external rankings, comparisons, opinions, possessions, or associations.”- Stephen Covey

When you live from a place of abundance, you feel gratitude for what you already have, are aware and constantly pursuing new opportunities in every area of your life and give to others freely.

Concept of Abundance

“The entire universe is conspiring to give you everything you want.” – Abraham Hicks

This mindset is the core of any area of your life. It focuses your attention on what you already have and all the possibilities that are available to everyone in the world. The problem, according to Covey is that most people are trapped with the scarcity mentality. They act as though they have to grab things in life before others get them, as if there is not enough abundance to go around.

The concept of abundance, or the theory behind abundance mindset then, is one of believing there is always enough for you and everyone else, that by taking risks and growing in all ways, you win and succeed in life.

Abundance: More than Wealth

Abundance is more than wealth, although that is a part of it. It is many things and can mean different things to each person. It is the internal belief that, regardless of your circumstances, situation, or skills, you are always provided for in every area of your life.

Real abundance is the physical manifestation of your true nature and how we are showing up in our world. It shows ups as:

❃ Love of family

❃ Support from friends

❃ An unexpected gift

❃ New friends

❃ A helping hand from a stranger

❃ Renewed energy and better health

❃ New opportunities to move you closer to your vision

❃ And sometimes cash

Abundance includes financial wealth, but it also includes having a rich, healthy, and fulfilling life, while living each day with purpose and passion.

🔷 Financial or Material

This can mean anything from having peace of mind that your bills are always paid to having actual financial wealth with unlimited funds. It can mean you are abundant in possessions such as homes, autos, jewelry, furniture, or other material things.

🔷 Personal Development

Being abundant in your personal development can be an abundance of confidence in your abilities, skills, and opportunities. It can be an abundance in learning and growing to be your best self. It means being fulfilled in personal enrichment activities you enjoy.

🔷 Spirituality

An abundance of spirituality means feeling a connection to your higher self often through your religious or spiritual practice. It means standing up for what you believe in and being comfortable with that.

🔷 Relationships

The variety of relationships you have that contributes to your happiness includes friends, coworkers, and of course family and loved ones. Abundant relationships enrich every area of your life.

🔷 Health

Having a health abundance starts with treating your body with love and respect by eating healthy foods, regular exercise, and physical exams. It means being at your healthiest level, free from disease and unhealthy habits.

🔷 Purpose

Although our career is often what we consider our purpose in life, it is more powerful to a think of it as a sense of belonging at whatever you do, whether great or small. It may manifest itself with a feeling of contentment with what you do in life.

🔷 Natural abundance

Abundance can be found all around you. It can be found in nature and your awareness of it.

Abundance is being able to recognize the riches of everything in your life, loving yourself, taking care of your health and doing what you are passionate about. Abundance is about feeling loved and loving others, about feeling peaceful and free.

Developing an Abundance Mindset

“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.” ~ Wayne Dyer

Developing an abundant mindset can be done with consistency and believing it will happen. Focus on your thoughts, actions, fears and how you react to events. Then make changes when you find yourself reacting from a place of scarcity.

The Next Step

Your thoughts, feelings and attitudes affect your ability to create the life you desire. This is your mindset. It can be one of abundance or come from a place of scarcity.

Bad things do happen in life. While you can’t control what happens in every situation, you can control how you react. You can shift your thinking and identify the positives that result from the event. At these times, it’s important that you actively to choose to focus on the positive aspects. When you learn to control and shift your mindset to abundance, you begin to recognize and experience more abundance and possibility.

In the words of Peter Diamandis, “Creating abundance is not about creating a life of luxury for everybody on this planet; it’s about creating a life of possibility.”

Is your mindset helping or hindering your creation of abundance in your life?

My ecourse, “Designing Your New Normal Mindset”, is a great place to start to examine your mindset and develop one of abundance. This course provides the guidance to help you enter the next phase of your life with awareness and confidence and ultimately, abundance. Consider how developing a new mindset can propel you to abundance by design! Check it out HERE!

Here’s to the peace and joy of your new abundance mindset!

5 Sources of Stress and 5 Things to Do About It

by Vicki Peel | Sep 20, 2021 | Lifestyle | 0 comments

Stress is an evil demon. No one is immune to its effects and everyone will suffer different symptoms resulting from being stressed out. One absolute fact: Stress will affect your mood, your job performance, your relationships, and your health if you don’t create a proactive plan for dealing with this devil.

I can’t imagine anyone not affected by stress in the last year. Just experiencing such drastic change over which you have no power is stress enough. But that was just the starting point for so many people who lost jobs and even worse, lost family members. I know I have worried over my children and grandchildren being exposed to the dangers all around.

But there are things we can do to manage stress, and the results mean you are managing your life, getting back on track and dealing constructively with issues facing you.

Let’s explore some of the most common stress symptoms and how to avoid the triggers that welcome stress into your life. Do any of these sound like you?

1. Inability to Relax

After a long day of work, what does your evening look like? Are you still in work-mode or can you sit down and relax while watching your favorite guilty pleasure on television? Constantly working doesn’t give your brain a chance to shut down and renew itself

2. Changes in Appetite

Some people overeat when stressed while others forget to eat because they don’t feel hungry during stressful events. Look at your own eating habits. Have you noticed a weight increase or loss? Are your clothes fitting differently? Do you notice any other physical symptoms that are affecting your productivity?

3. Feelings of Overwhelm

If you have too much scheduled on your calendar or your to-do list, you may experience an overwhelming feeling which leads to paralysis because you don’t know where to start. Overwhelming feelings of helplessness lead to stress, especially if you don’t have a strong support system of friends or family who can help you.

4. Feelings of Low Self-Worth

Stress often plays mind tricks on us, making us feel low, worthless, and incapable of great things. We may have the best idea ever but if one step goes wrong, the resulting stress makes us think we’re not cut out for this work, project, business, etc.

5. Inability to Focus

When your mind is stressed about other issues, focusing on the task at hand becomes difficult if not impossible. If you find your productivity is waning – either at work or at home – stress is weighing on your mind and you need to shift it elsewhere.

Try These Action Steps to Combat Stress

1. Avoid or Reduce Caffeine and Nicotine

Caffeine is a stimulant and when too much is ingested, can lead to heart palpitations and anxiety. Nicotine offers a quick fix to relax but that relaxing feeling soon evaporates, and you’re left with the anxiety and stress you were trying to eliminate in the first place.

I try to avoid caffeine, but if I can’t, I try to avoid it after 3:00 pm. Otherwise, I don’t sleep as well. Sometimes, it is just too hard. After all, chocolate is good for you, isn’t it? (Actually, dark chocolate in small amounts has been shown to have health benefits.)

2. Move Your Body Every Day

Daily movement helps keep your muscles toned, your ligaments flexible, your joints pain-free, and your mind more alert. Go for a walk, take an exercise class at the gym, or use some YouTube fitness videos to inspire you to move.

Use a simple timer or phone app to remind you to move at regular intervals. You don’t have to get in a 30-minute exercise routine. Just 5 minutes or stretching or 10 minutes of walking outside repeated throughout the day can work wonders.

3. Keep a Stress Diary

Similar to a daily journal, a stress diary can help you identify what triggers your stress. Whether it’s a work situation, toxic person in your daily life, or a situation at home, you’ll soon see a pattern if you jot down periodically throughout the day how you’re feeling emotionally and physically.

4. Take Control of Problems that Trigger Stress

Once you notice a trend of what stresses you out, do your best to take control of that trigger. Simple changes in routine and developing tiny habits to combat stress can make a huge difference. It doesn’t have to be a big change to impact your life.

5. Learn to Say No

It doesn’t make you a bad person to set some limits on how much time you spend doing what others want you to do. Set some boundaries for scheduling your time in ways that work for you.

Stress is present in everyone’s life but that doesn’t mean you have to be a slave to it. Take care of yourself by recognizing what triggers the stress in your life and by taking proactive measure to avoid stressful situations at all costs. Start living your best life stress-free!

If you are interested in more ways to combat stress, my friend Shirley Noah is an expert in dealing with stress. She wrote “Say No To Stress : A Practical Approach to Stress Management: The Essential Guide to Stop the Devastating Effects of Stress on Your Body”. You can get the Kindle version free on Amazon if you have Kindle Unlimited. But even if you don’t, the Kindle version is only $2.99! A small price to pay for how to “Say No to Stress”!

Another resource from Shirley is her Worry Journal Toolkit. Study proves these simple, natural remedies for anxiety will help you to dig deep and figure out how to let go of your worries and be mindful of your emotions. You can pick it HERE for only $12.99!

Shirley also writes about stress shares resources for dealing with stress on her website – https://ingoodhealthcoach.com/. You’ll find a lot of great tips there!

Take this FREE Self-Assessment: Is Stress Overtaking Your Life? Save the PDF and duplicate it to keep the original. You can complete it online and save it with a date. After implementing strategies to tackle your stress, open a new PDF and retake the assessment to see how far you’ve come!

I’m educator and blogger Vicki Peel, Ed.D. I support family members trying to live good-enough, intentional, and simpler lives by sharing life hacks and simple systems in the areas of Home Style, Lifestyle, and Food. Start by claiming your FREE report, Self-Care Hacks at https://HERLifeHacks.com

My shop in https://SimpleSystemsForLife.com continues to grow with products that support a simpler lifestyle and save you time, energy, and/or money. You can download the FREE “My One Thing Habit Tracker” on this site to help you develop and sustain tiny habits that will change your life for the better. Click HERE.

Thrift Store Finds to Home Decor

by Vicki Peel | Sep 14, 2021 | Home | 0 comments

I love finding and fixing home décor items on the cheap. In fact, practically everything in my house was either something old from family members, a great sale item, or something I found and fixed up.

Even if I could afford a designer to make my house magazine-picture-perfect, I wouldn’t want to. My home is a sanctuary that reflects who we are as a family. It is comforting to look around at items that evoke fond memories and the work involved in making it my own.

One of my favorite home bloggers is Lauren of “Bless’er House”. Lauren has a beautiful southern home that she has fixed up, thrifted and “diy-ed” into a warm, inviting place for her family. One of Lauren’s blog posts, “30 Home Décor Items You Should Always Buy While Thrift Shopping” is full of things similar to ones I have collected, upcycled and recycled for my home.

Follow along as I share some of Lauren’s items and similar ones in my home.

Whether you transform thrift store finds into beautiful home décor items or upcycle family treasures, you can easily decorate your home with meaningful and inexpensive items that reflect your personal style.

Do you have home décor that you have recycled or upcycled? What about incorporating family items into your decorating style? What treasures are part of your home décor that bring you comfort and joy? Reply to this email and tell me about them. I love hearing family stories and how you keep them alive through tangible items in your home.

Reference:

Bless’er House with Lauren

https://www.blesserhouse.com/16-must-have-home-decor-thrift-store-staples/

My shop in https://SimpleSystemsForLife.com continues to grow with products that support a simpler lifestyle and save you time, energy, and/or money. You can download the FREE “My One Thing Habit Tracker” on this site to help you develop and sustain tiny habits that will change your life for the better. Click HERE.

Priority #1 – Declutter Your Mind

by Vicki Peel | Aug 23, 2021 | Clear Clutter | 0 comments

When you start decluttering your home, you just may recognize how so much of the clutter in your house reflects the clutter in your mind. I already know that when my home gets cluttered, I am more distracted, cranky, and prone to brain fog.

If you’re hanging onto to clothes that don’t fit, or the ugly vase your mother gave you for Christmas or the exercise bike you’re using as a clothes rack, you don’t just have a problem with too much stuff. You have a problem letting go.

Chances are you’re also hanging onto a whole bunch of bad feelings, ill-founded assumptions, old grievances and future worries, too.

If it feels good to declutter your house, it feels even better to declutter your mind. These 5 expert tips will help you make some space in your mind.

1. Meditate

You don’t have to do the full sitting on a cushion in a darkened room thing to benefit from meditation techniques. If you’re feeling overwound, some simple breathing techniques can help you calm down and focus. For a few minutes, focus only on your breathing and nothing else.

Check out some meditation apps online. I’ve found some great ones that are so soothing. They really work! Just find one that works for you.

2. Write it Down

You may have heard (or been told!) that you’d lose your head if it wasn’t screwed on tight. Certainly not the best thing to say to anyone, but the point is that it is so easy to forget important thoughts that run through your head. I know I do!

Writing things down not only helps you remember them, but it can also help you sort out worries or concerns.

Check out some free to-do apps. I’ve found several that I like and use them regularly to remember to do or buy something.

Journaling is a great way to sort out thoughts and feelings. More and more people are realizing the value of journaling goes way beyond just writing things down. It can me a kind of personal mental health journey. It can also focus your energy and free up some of that mental space!

3. Live in the Present

I’m sure you’ve heard many famous quotes about living in the present, such as:

“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

“Remember then: there is only one time that is important – Now! It is the most important time because it is the only time when we have any power.” ~ Leo Tolstoy

“Living in the moment means letting go of the past and not waiting for the future. It means living your life consciously, aware that each moment you breathe is a gift.” ~ Oprah Winfrey

WhiIe they are inspiring, I know that doing these beautiful messages is much harder than thinking about how true they are.

But remind yourself that brooding over the past and worrying about the future take up a lot of space in your mind and precisely achieve nothing. Let go of regret over past mistakes or resentment of past slights and move on. Keep your focus on what you can influence right here, right now.

4. Do One Thing at a Time

Multitasking is not only overrated and inefficient it also leads to greater anxiety and rarely produces the best results

Focus on doing things methodically and thoroughly. As you finish one task, move onto the next. You will be able to do things faster and better.

And even better – finish one thing at a time. This is a huge problem for me. I start so many things and often forget to come back to finishing them. I’m especially bad at having too many tabs open on my laptop! I open something and plan to come back to it, but at the end of the day, my open tabs are ruining my productivity!

5. Control Incoming Data

We talk about being available 24/7 and the 24-hour news cycle, but there is only one person who can control that. You. You can choose to switch off your computer, smartphone, and tv and control the amount of data your brain is trying to process.

Decluttering your mind will pay off in all sorts of ways you hadn’t imagined. You will be more productive, less stressed and more motivated.

The importance of taking care of your mental health is an issue that’s been newsworthy during these difficult pandemic times. From athletes to celebrities to people like you and me, mental health has been promoted as something we should prioritize for our overall health.

So, where are you going to start? Do any of these ideas resonate with you? Leave your comments and thoughts below.

And – if you need a reset of your mind, check out my new course, “Designing Your New Normal Mindset”. It’s a great way to reboot your mind. Designing your mindset is the prerequisite for designing your life. Check it out HERE. Then let me know how you benefitted.

Here’s to the peace and joy of taking care of your #1 priority!

Cluttered House = Cluttered Mind

by Vicki Peel | Aug 9, 2021 | Clear Clutter | 0 comments

Did you know a few bad habits could be keeping your house cluttered, usurping your time, and cluttering your mind? I’m working on some of those bad habits myself!

Letting go of bad habits isn’t easy, but so worth it if you want to keep a clean and organized home, which could save you precious time, which could improve your mindset. So, are any of these bad habits keeping you down?

Never Making the Bed

One of the most important habits you can develop to keep a tidy home, is to make your bed every day. It may seem unimportant, but studies have shown that making your bed doesn’t just keep the home tidier, but it also does wonders for your motivation levels too.

I’ve always made my bed first thing in the morning. Well, at least since I became an adult. It makes me feel good, not only starting out my day, but when I get ready to go to bed at night.

Think about it, the minute you get out of bed you’re setting your intentions for the day ahead. So, if you don’t make your bed, you’re automatically starting the day off in an unorganized and hectic way.

It takes just a couple of minutes. Really! Time it and see if it’s not worth it to start off your day feeling good about something. If you’re not committed enough to do that, you’re going to struggle to keep the rest of the house uncluttered.

Leaving a Messy Sink

The sinks in your home, particularly the bathroom sink, are used daily. Yet, many people choose to clean them just once a week.

When the sinks are messy, it makes the rest of the room look messier too. So, get into the habit of cleaning the sink after each use. Just a quick wipe down will help to keep it looking shiny, plus it removes germs frequently.

Keep what you need for a quick cleaning under each sink, and it will take you less than a minute to do it. A quick spray with a disinfectant cleaner and a quick wipe with a paper towel is all it takes.

Not Putting Things Away

This is a “biggie”. And the key to changing that is to make sure everything has a home – a place reserved just for it. If you don’t know where to put something, you end up just putting it down – anywhere. And then you find yourself moving things around, which ends up being a huge waste of time.

A rule that works for me is to store things at point of use. That means that when you need something, it’s right there for you, because you made space to store it there.

Leaving Tangled Cables and Cords in Full View

A small bad habit that can make a big difference to how the room looks, is to leave tangled cables visible. I know, during the night when no one is watching cables tangle themselves! At least it seems that way! But tangled cables and cords really leave the home looking cluttered.

Start by untangling the cables, then create a way to hide them, like running cords underneath flooring or securing them to the wall. Check out the many inexpensive products that tame tangled cables and cords.

Are any of these clutter habits keeping your home unnecessarily messy? Start with just one that bothers you the most. I’ll bet when you get that under control, you can’t wait to tackle another issue!

An organized home goes a long way in keeping you sane in a chaotic world.

Need some ideas? Have you watched “Get Organized with the Home Edit” on Netflix! I binge watched every episode! This is a good place to start getting you excited to tackle some of your home clutter problems. And you can look forward to Season 2 in the series, possibly before the end of 2021!

And you’ll find yourself talking about Clea and Joanna as if they were your best friends. I have all three of their books! If you really want some inspiration to jumpstart your decluttering mission, just click on the titles to order!

The Home Edit: A Guide to Organizing and Realizing Your House Goals

The Home Edit Life: The No-Guilt Guide to Owning What You Want and Organizing Everything

And as if their first two books weren’t enough, their new workbook guides you through the entire decluttering and organizing process! Check it out below!

The Home Edit Workbook: Prompts, Activities, and Gold Stars to Help You Contain the Chaos

If you’re like me, your biggest problem will be spending more time reading the books and admiring the pictures of organized spaces than implementing the ideas!

But – stay tuned! As I declutter and organize my own home, I’ll be sharing before and after pictures and how I developed and tweaked systems I’ve used to create order and calm. And some of those before pictures are going to be pretty scary!

P.S. If you click on any of the links and purchase a product, I will receive a small commission. But rest assured, I don’t recommend products I wouldn’t use myself. And these books are three of my favorites!

Your 10-Minute Morning Mindset

by Vicki Peel | Jul 19, 2021 | Lifestyle | 0 comments

In only ten minutes, you can create a morning routine that will put you in the right mindset to conquer your day. Jumpstart your day with these simple routines to prepare your mind.

Minute 1 – Mind Set

As your feet hit the floor every morning, say to yourself “It’s gonna be a great day!” I have this phrase on my bedside table to remind me that if you start your day in a positive mindset, it propels you through the day in a positive manner.

Minute 1 – Drink the Water

Start keeping a large glass of water beside your bed. Before you even get out of bed, drink the water. Your body is dehydrated after a long night of repairing itself, and you need to replenish that. Drinking water will also help reduce the morning fog and grog that follows so many into their workday despite multiple cups of coffee.

Minutes 2-3 – Do the Breathing

Now that your body is rehydrating take a few minutes to do simple breathing exercises. This is as easy as timing your breaths to take six to ten deep breaths through one minute. Timing your breaths will force you to focus on your breathing and your body. Helping you to wake up and calm yourself for your day.

Minutes 3-6 – Stretch the Body

Gentle stretching will get your blood flowing and your body energized. This will also help to ease you into the process of getting ready and the day ahead. Stretching has long-term health benefits as well including better circulation and flexibility overall.

Minutes 6-9 – Give Thanks

Take a few moments to reflect on what you are thankful for. You don’t have to write these down or keep a record on your phone. Just take a few moments to single in on aspects of your life you are thankful for and why. This will put a positive spin on your day and keep you present through the difficult moments.

Minute 10 – Visualize the Success

Visualizing the successes you wish to have through the day will cement them in your mind and boost your confidence level. They don’t have to be big successes. Just see yourself completing daily tasks with ease to secure the outcome you desire.

You may not have hours to devote to morning routines, but you can spare ten minutes of your morning to starting off on the right foot (or mindset). Your personal morning mindset may take even less than ten minutes, but the benefits can last all day. Consistently devoting your time to these few minutes can change your life – for the better.

Need more help with setting your mind on your personal success journey.

Try my new course, “Designing Your New Normal Mindset”. It’s a great way to set your life course and it’s easier than you think. Designing your mindset is the prerequisite for designing your life. Check it out HERE. Then let me know how you benefitted.

Here’s to the peace and joy of your new morning mindset!

Vacation vs. Staycation

by Vicki Peel | Jul 9, 2021 | Lifestyle | 0 comments

“The idea of having a staycation instead of vacation isn’t something new. However, in the post-Covid-19 era, families might need to rethink what kind of vacation plans will be more suitable.”

The way that the Covid-19 pandemic shifted the routine dynamics of our lives is still unbelievable and sometimes even horrifying.

Take for example the case of staycation vs vacation.

While many things now are slowly and gradually advancing towards their normal routine, the post-covid-19 recovery phase is still in trial mode.

As such, if you are considering the options of having a vacation as opposed to a staycation this summer season 2021, let’s discuss the best option for you.

So, let’s begin finding out everything necessary about staycation vs vacation and help you experience the best from the one you stick to.

Staycation vs Vacation – The all-you-need-to-know guide

What is a staycation?

The word ‘Staycation’ can be broken into two words, ‘stay’ and ‘cation’ derived from the word ‘vacation’. Staycation has two slightly different definitions.

One describes it as time spent in your home country while engaging in domestic traveling.

The other description suggests staying at home but involving visits to local sightseeing and attractions.

What is a vacation?

Vacations, as opposed to staycations, usually involve visiting someplace outside of your home, state, or country.

Difference between a staycation and vacation

The following set of key factors briefly explain the main differences between a staycation and a vacation.

Staycation

They are comparatively much cheaper.
No need to formally plan everything. Plans are mostly spontaneous and depend on your mood.
No new kind of travel-related stress. You already know what to expect while riding towards your destination.
Very few chances of getting disappointed if you didn’t achieve what you had in mind initially. There is always a chance to redo everything.
No need to carry any luggage even if you plan to spend a night or two.
Freedom to carry your pets with you.

Vacation or traveling

Depending on how many members of your family are planning to travel and your destination, vacations remain an expensive thing no matter how basic your package is.
An average travel or vacation plan will at least take a month to plan and arrange everything. In some cases, more time might be needed. This is because there is much to research about especially when it’s your first visit to a destination, looking after your vacation budgets, arranging someone to look after your stuff, etc.
For some reason, if you didn’t find your vacation to be as good as you imagined, you may find yourself in great disappointment, especially considering the time, money, and energy spent on it.
Requires carrying enough luggage to last an entire trip. In some cases, you might have to even buy extra things just for the trip, which under normal circumstances you would never need.
You experience jet-lag issues. Some people are okay with it, but others might need a few hours to adapt.
Currency issues. There may be local and foreign currency carrying limits to adhere to while passing the immigration counter at an airport.

Benefits of choosing a staycation instead of a vacation in the post-Covid-19 era

While the concept of a staycation isn’t anything new, it is expected that more and more people in the early days of the post-pandemic or post-Covid-19 era, are likely to prefer it rather than going on a vacation.

Consider the following benefits of a staycation.

Start right from where you are

As soon as the clock ticks and your working hours for the last day of work before the staycation end, you have already begun. You know what to do, where to head, who to call, etc.

No time spent on planning or quarantine

Since you aren’t traveling abroad, you won’t need to spend any time in quarantine.

There isn’t any need to formally plan or ask everyone’s opinion before going out and indulging in an activity. Just start with what seems appropriate at that time and then subsequently each family member can get to decide something from their staycation bucket list.

You remain well-prepared for the unexpected

Since it isn’t somewhere new you are visiting, you already know what could ruin a perfect outing during your staycation. Therefore, you have less to worry about any unexpected events.

You never get exhausted

One of the prime reasons for a staycation is to rest and refresh your mind and body. This isn’t normally possible during a vacation as you have limited time and a bucket load of things to do.

But while on a staycation, there isn’t any need to hurry and you can fully rest and enjoy anytime you want.

While the concept of a staycation isn’t anything new, due to health concerns, it is bound to get major traction in the post-Covid-19 era. And really, staycations shouldn’t only be preferred for avoiding exposure to any health risks.

It is a great way to help revive your country’s economy in the post-pandemic period. So, staying local and spending local should also be a priority after Covid-19.

Don’t miss any life hacks designed to save you time, energy, and money! Start by requesting your FREE report, “Self-Care Hacks” at https://HERLifeHacks.com!

The #1 Thing You Can Do to Improve Your Life

by Vicki Peel | Jul 1, 2021 | Lifestyle | 0 comments

“See yourself living in abundance and you will attract it. It always works, it works every time, with every person.” – Bob Proctor

You probably don’t constantly think about how your mindset affects your life. You may have always thought this way, either because of how you were raised or through your experiences. Your mindset in fact not only affects your life, but it also directs your life. Changing how you think is the single most important thing you can do to improve your life.

It’s not easy to do. I know. I’ve been working on mindset shifts to improve my life for a long time.

Abundance mindset, scarcity mindset, fear mindset, fixed mindset, growth mindset, confident mindset and many others are all different types of mindsets we have. Do any of these mindsets sound like you? Each unconscious and conscious belief affects our lives every moment.

According to the research of Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, the power of our beliefs, both conscious and unconscious, is far greater than we imagine and changing even the simplest of them can have profound impact on nearly every aspect of our lives.

The world has changed dramatically in the last few years, especially in the last year. The pandemic has affected all of us in some way and has been devastating to many. There is speculation among leading experts that many people will not make the shift to new thinking and action until COVID-19 affects us personally. The impact of the virus will not become real for us until someone we know contracts the virus or dies from it.

The world has moved into what has been described as a “new normal”. But what that means is open to discussion. What some may see as limiting and disruptive may be seen by others as an opportunity – an opportunity to emerge in ways you define. Change has occurred rapidly and definitively. Are you moving around by the winds of change or defining your own change and how you can take control of your life?

The first step is becoming aware of our mindset and consciously choosing to develop a mindset that will help us move forward with creating our intentional life. If we allow ourselves to remain stuck in the flow of things, we are abdicating our choices to circumstances. All the advice in the world about how to get the most out of life is worthless if we don’t take responsibility for the choices we make, or we allow those choices to be made for us.

For us to emerge from these experiences and thrive, not just exist, we need to think about and plan for who we are now and who we want to be in the future. We can start by practicing mindfulness and reframing our mindset.

If you are totally happy with yourself and your ability to navigate the new normal, I suggest you stop reading here. But before you go, describe your strategies for being in control of your life and what makes you feel secure in your abilities to move forward with confidence.

If you’re still reading, here are five ways changing your mindset to an abundance or growth mindset can improve your life.

You aren’t afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Changing your mindset to one of growth allows you to see the many different paths available to you in whatever you are seeking, whether it is job advancement, creative outlets, or something more personal. This allows you to move forward rather than being stuck in the same place.
You become comfortable sharing ideas without feeling threatened or intimidated, which leads to better choices, environments, and relationships.
Changing your mindset to one of growth helps you build better personal and romantic relationships. You realize people will always have differences. You learn that a relationship involves learning about and from each other.
You’ll begin to judge yourself and others less. You won’t have time to waste on judging others are saying or doing. Instead, you’ll be able to focus on making progress in your life.
The change to a growth mindset allows you to accept constructive criticism for what it is and use it for personal growth. You become more confident because you won’t need validation to reassure you that you’re doing it right.

You can change your mindset. And it will improve your life. Your skills can be cultivated, learned, practiced, and grown. You no longer worry about what will happen. Instead, you will commit to the process of taking action and learning along the way.

Changing your mindset helps you to step out of your comfort zone to go after what you want and believe you will get it.

Is your mindset helping or hindering you at this point in your life?

My new course, “Designing Your New Normal Mindset”, is a great place to start to examine your mindset and define ways to change it to benefit you. It’s easier than you think. This course provides the guidance to help you enter the next phase of your life with awareness and confidence. If you’re interested, click on the Contact Me page of HER Life Hacks and request a coupon code, and I’ll send you a 50% off coupon code just for you!

Try on “Designing Your Normal Mindset” for size! Then let me know what worked for you and how you applied the course in your life.

Here’s to the peace and joy of your new normal mindset!

Is Your Clutter Creating and Perpetuating Overwhelm?

by Vicki Peel | Jun 16, 2021 | Clear Clutter | 0 comments

Two kinds of clutter can create chaos in your life – physical and emotional clutter. Both can derail you from achieving the kind of life you want and need. Clutter can create and perpetuate overwhelm in your home and in your mind.

A cluttered home can emotionally overwhelm you, making it harder to tackle the issue. And for me, clutter also makes me cranky! I’m going to be decluttering and organizing my home and sharing my process with you, including before and after pictures. See my featured image above? I didn’t get it from online sources of photos. It is an embarrassing true-life photo of my craft room! So – stay tuned!

There are a number of ways clutter can play with your emotions. Here, we’ll look at some of the most common emotional challenges that can keep you from de-cluttering the home and how you can overcome them.

Sentimental Value is Hard to Relinquish

By far one of the hardest challenges of de-cluttering the home, is letting go of items we don’t need. Just because we don’t necessarily need them, doesn’t mean it’s easy to let them go. This is especially true if the items hold some form of sentimental value.

Consider whether you really do need to hold onto the items with sentimental value. If not, don’t think about it, just let them go. If you’re still struggling, think about selecting just a few sentimental items, the ones that have the most meaning for you. As for the remaining items, maybe they would bring joy or comfort to someone else, which in turn could provide joy and comfort to you. Then the items you selected to keep would have even deeper meaning to you.

Clutter Can Provides Comfort

Although clutter does make the home look messy, it can actually provide some level of comfort. Some people unknowingly use the clutter to fill a void.

Whether you have difficulty letting go of items or find that shopping fills a void, the kind of comfort you find in either scenario is unlikely to be enough.

If you do find yourself buying new things to fill a void, list other ways that would comfort you. Ask yourself whether the items you’re buying are actually useful and how often you’ll use them. Do they bring you joy? If not, ask yourself whether you’re just using them for comfort, and find a replacement activity on your new list.

Find other things that bring you comfort, such as reading, doing yoga, listening to music or cooking a nice meal and add them to your list.

It’s Just Too Much

When there’s a lot of clutter to contend with, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Where do you start when absolutely everywhere needs to be de-cluttered?

If you often just look at the clutter and feel overwhelmed, you’re definitely not alone. However, the common thing to do is to put it off for another day. Then, when you attempt to go back to it, you’re met with the same overwhelming feelings that stopped you doing it in the first place.

When there is just too much to do, it can really help to start small. Break down the tasks into manageable chunks, focusing on things which take just a few minutes at first. Or set a timer for 15-30 minutes at a time. You’ll often find taking care of the smaller tasks boosts your motivation to continue with the larger ones.

Emotional Overwhelm is Real, but Can Be Overcome

If you find yourself becoming emotionally overwhelmed, there are some tricks you can use to calm the mind.

Taking a step back and utilizing deep breathing exercises is a great start. You can also remind yourself you’re in control of your mind and you will tackle the clutter. It doesn’t have to be all at once, and it doesn’t have to be today.

Ensuring you de-stress as much as possible is also going to help. So, take time out for yourself every day to relax the mind and deal with any outside stress you’re facing. The more relaxed you are, the less likely you’ll become overwhelmed emotionally by clutter.

It’s common to get overwhelmed when you start to remove the clutter from the home. However, think through which strategies will work for you, and start there. As your home begins to look clean and tidy again, that alone will boost your spirit and help you continue the process.

Need a jumpstart? One of my favorite new series in recent years was “Get Organized with the Home Edit” on Netflix. Now you can get “The Home Edit Workbook” to help you work through your own chaos of clutter! You can get it HERE!

What’s holding you back from getting control of your stuff? If you have control of your stuff, share your best organization tips in the comments below.

9 Ways to Find Extra Time in Your Life

by Vicki Peel | Jun 7, 2021 | Lifestyle | 0 comments

We’ve all heard it again and again – everyone has the same number of hours in the day. It’s all a matter of how you manage your time. You may have tried some of these time management techniques yourself. And maybe they worked for you for a while. But if you did not make the necessary changes to keep them going, you may have slipped back into old, and perhaps destructive ways.

I am on a mission; a mission to provide the right tools for the right people to learn to live simpler by having fewer decisions to make on a daily basis. And those fewer decisions translate into making the mundane and repetitive daily tasks automated. Making daily tasks automated means you create and implement systems that work for you, on their own and with little supervision so you will have more time to live your life the way you want. That means more time to do the things that give you joy and energize you.

Here are 9 strategies that can help you find extra time in your life, so you can spend it doing things you love. Embracing and implementing just one of these strategies can make a huge difference in your life.

I’ve already mentioned what I consider to be the number one strategy to manage your life in time-saving ways – create systems.

1. Create Systems

Anything that you do regularly needs a system. Whether that’s paying bills, bookkeeping, or taking a bath, it all happens regularly.

Setting up systems that use a combination of technology, delegation, and habit creation will help you organize and automate your life.

In fact, this number one strategy is an umbrella strategy that encompasses the remaining eight strategies. If you recognize and embrace the value of creating life systems – simple life systems, that mindset will make implementing strategies two through nine much easier.

2. Set Up Your Computer Properly

Your computer can maintain itself with the right additions of software. Set up your computer so that it automatically updates, automatically checks for viruses, and keeps the computer clean.

Whether you have a Mac or a PC, there are options for you to learn about. And many of these options are free. You just need to do a little research – Google it!

And managing your online files with a system that works for you will save you tremendous time, especially as you continue to add new files. Even with the system I use for filing documents and videos, I sometimes have difficulty finding specific files.

Whatever system you choose to keep up with digital files, it is a good idea to use an intuitive system that will be easy to retrieve later. You could start file names with a date or use keywords that describe what is in the file. It needs to be a system that works for you.

3. Pay Your Bills Via Your Bank’s Bill Payment System

Most credit cards and bills let you set up automatic payment options directly through them. You can also set up payments via your bank’s system. This works well because all your information is in one place, thereby saving you time accessing the data.

You can also automate the payment process, either through websites of your credit cards and bills or through your bank’s process. This is a great way to never forget to pay a bill, which could negatively affect your credit score.

4. Automate Meal Planning with a Meal Delivery Service

If you find that meal planning and shopping take too much time, you can automate much of this by signing up for a meal delivery service. Although this can be an expensive alternative to cooking at home, setting up your subscription to deliver a few meals weekly can free up some time when you need it most.

There are so many choices of meal delivery services now that you will need to do some research to find one that meets your needs. You can usually find very good coupons for first time subscribers.

Ordering groceries online is another option to save time, and you may be able to have groceries delivered or at least pick them up quicker than shopping in the store. If you use certain products on a regular basis and know when they will need to be replaced, online subscription services will deliver them to you regularly.

5. Go Paperless

If you have a lot of paperwork you’re always going through, try to find a way to go paperless. Paperless files are easier to find with a search than other types of files.

Simple phone scanning apps or even photos taken with your phone is a great way to save and file documents that need to be saved. Be sure to save your files on a backup drive or cloud drive so you won’t lose them in case of computer hardware failure.

Online options like Evernote or Dropbox are great for filing documents.

6. Learn to Use Your Smartphone

Learn about the features that come on your phone. Most phones will do so much more than most people could imagine. It is worth it to take a little time getting to know your phone and all it can do to save you time.

Check out the many free or inexpensive apps to help you save time. Just search your app store for the kind of help you need to see options available.

7. Make Your House Smarter

Today you can have a house that unlocks the door for you, turns on the light, preheats the oven, adjusts your thermostat and much more – all from a distance and at your command.

If you can afford to invest in this time-saving technology, it is a great way to ensure that things get done. You can even water your lawn or house plants using automation technology. e

8. Hire Household Help

Automate your household chores by hiring someone to do it for you on a regular basis. Even if you can only afford someone once a month, that can save you a lot of time. It would at least lighten your cleaning tasks in between monthly cleanings.

9. Develop Tiny Habits to Organize Your Life

Once you spend time organizing to simplify your life, you can make it feel automated if you just turn organization and cleaning into a habit. This is how most people learned to brush their teeth. It became a habit.

Throwing away your trash each time you get a fresh cup of coffee can become a habit too. Incorporate little habits into your day, and it’ll feel as if everything is happening automatically.

What’s Your Plan?

Which strategy or strategies resonated with you? You can probably think of other ways to save time that works for you.

If you need a little help setting up some systems, check out my shop of digital products at https://simplesystemsforlife.com.

If #9, “Develop Tiny Habits to Organize Your Life”, is your choice to find extra time, check out my free habit tracker, “My One Thing Daily Habit Tracker”. Just click on the title!

I’m adding new products monthly to help make your life a little simpler. You’ll find checklists, workbooks, planners, journals and much more. Keep checking back from time to time to see what has been added.

And leave a comment below to share your thoughts about finding extra time in your day. I’d love to hear what you think.

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