by Vicki Peel | Jan 5, 2023 | Home, Lifestyle |
Does your home evoke “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being”?
In other words, is your home a haven from the chaos of the world, a place that nourishes your soul and uplifts your spirit?
If so, your home has hygge!
What is Hygge?
And your first response may be “what the heck is hygge”? (It’s pronounced “Hoo-gah”, by the way. I know – how can something spelled like that be pronounced “Hoo-gah”!?)
“Hygge… is a Scandinavian way of life that celebrates coziness, shared meals, and companionable interactions with loved ones. Emphasizing warmth, kinship, and an appreciation for the little things, hygge is a perspective on life that started in Denmark and has contributed to the nation’s consistently high happiness ratings. Now, Americans are turning to hygge as a way to find happiness from within.” ~ Brinton Parker, (December 10, 2019),11 Ways to embrace the hygge lifestyle this season. PopSugar
Hygge is a great way to embrace self-care that extends to all family members. Think about all the things you love about your home and the things you like to do there that provide that much-needed extra layer of comfort.
How to Get Hygge
While there many ways to create hygge in your home, here are a few ways my home has hygge, supporting and comforting me:
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- Time alone in the comfy leather chair in my office for journaling my thoughts and renewing myself spiritually
- Sipping on a warm cup of cocoa with mini-marshmallows
- Decorating my home with items of personal family memories (I’ll show you around sometime and point out all the “old things” that are so special to me!)
- Watching HGTV – any shows on HGTV (personally, I love Ben and Erin on Home Town, among many others!)
- Putting on an eye mask and listening to soothing music as I take a short afternoon nap
- Curling up (OK – I mean metaphorically curling; it has been a long time since my knees allowed me to actually curl up!) with my iPad to play Candy Crush, Soda Crush, Spades and Castle. (I’m ashamed to tell you how high I’ve gotten on Candy Crush. I am working to curb my “addiction”.) And I love playing Sudoku and Kakuro. There is just something satisfying about being able to solve one of these puzzles.
Now, how about you? What makes your house hygge, even if you don’t call it that? How is your house a haven from the outside world. Comment or email me at vicki@herlifehacks.com and let me know one or two things on your hygge list
Want to know more about hygge? Here are links to a couple of resources about hygge.
Coloring books are very comforting activities on the hygge list of a lot of people. Check out this hygge coloring book:
Think about your home and hygge. Is it hygge in its current condition? What could you do to make it more calming and comforting?
Disclosure: My blog posts sometimes contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, which is at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, look for the Subscribe block (below right) and submit your contact information. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything!
https://HERLifeHacks.com
by Vicki Peel | Sep 27, 2022 | Lifestyle |
What do you want? What do you really, really want?
Can you answer that question, or is it one you don’t dare to even think about? Maybe you think you can’t have what you want. Or you don’t deserve more than you have. Or maybe, just maybe, your religious upbringing tells you that you are selfish to want things when others are suffering. Or is there another reason?
I remember daydreaming a lot when I was a child. I would go into a rarely-used room in my home, lie across the bed and look out the window, and daydream. Or I would climb upon the roof of the chicken house and look at the clouds and daydream. I thought about what my life would be like as an adult, who I would marry, what my children would be like, and the kind of house I would own. I even picked out names for my children!
Did you daydream as a child?
But what about as an adult? Do you still daydream? Or do you dare?
I admit that dreaming about what I want is something that I would not allow myself to do for most of my adult life. I thought it would be selfish or that it would be wrong to ask God for things I merely wanted and didn’t need.
But why not have dreams and expect them to materialize? And how can you do that?
Visualization
First, you need to practice visualization.
Connie Ragen Green wrote this in “Morning Routines and Visualization”.
“Visualization is the technique of picturing a goal in your mind in detail so that you can manifest this change in your life. Sound hard? Really, it’s not.”
Visualizing what you want is a major first step in getting what you want. See yourself in the future and how you would feel having achieved your dreams.
The Visualization Process
The Visualization Process is this simple:
- Start with a goal
- Imagine the goal
- Revisit the goal
- Accept the reality of the goal already completed
- Experiment with different techniques (meditation, vision board, etc.)
A great way to implement the visualization process is to create a Vision Board. Vision boards are how you can use your creativity to let your dreams grow.
What Exactly is a Vision Board?
The most basic definition of a vision board is just this: It’s a collection of images, quotes and symbols that have meaning to you and which bring out feelings of joy, peace, love and happiness. They represent your dream life.
Vision boards come in many different formats, both digital and physical.
Images. By far the most common item to find on vision boards, images can be photos, drawings, mind maps, sketches or anything else that has some meaning for you.
For example, if world travel is one of your goals, you might include photos of historic landmarks you want to visit, or airplanes or ships (imagine the feeling of freedom associated with those). If you dream of retiring young, then a photo of you and your family relaxing on the beach will serve as a happy reminder of what life will be like when you no longer have to work.
Motivational messages. You’ve seen those motivation posters that say things such as, “Challenge: Always blaze the trail; never follow the path.” For some people, these messages can be extremely powerful. When you face a rough patch, simply remembering that phrase can be enough to get you fighting again.
Inspiring quotes. Inspiration is different for everyone. For some, the greatest source of inspiration is the Bible. For others, words of encouragement from industry leaders or historical figures is uplifting. You can have fun with these, too. Maybe your best inspiration comes from the notes inside a Dove candy bar or a fortune cookie. Whatever makes you smile or brightens your day is a good fit for your vision board.
Everything else. What else inspires or motivates you? The blue ribbon your grandmother’s quilt won at the state fair? A small vial of sand from that secluded beach you’ll retire to someday? Your daughter’s baby shoes? Vision boards can include these treasures as well, you just might have to be a little creative when it comes to adding them.
The Power of a Vision Board
That which we focus on we attract more of. We’ve known for decades that daydreams have power, and that purposeful visualization is the key to greater success in every area of life.
If you spend all your time worrying about money, it seems to slip right through your fingers. If you obsess over your weight, the pounds stubbornly hold on. And if you daydream about relaxing in the Caribbean sun, well, you’re a lot more likely to find yourself on a beach chair in the near future.
Like anything though, effective visualization takes practice. A vision board can help kick start those creative visualization skills.
When you create your vision board, regardless of which of life’s aspects you’re focusing on, be sure to look for images and words that make you feel the way you imagine you’ll feel when you achieve your goal. It’s not about what you want to have. It’s about how you want to feel.
Creating a Vision Board
Creating a vision board can be as simple as cutting photos out of a magazine and tacking them up on your office bulletin board, or it can be as complex as a hand-made frame with personal photos and trinkets.
- Digital: Created with software designed for the task. Ease of use is the obvious benefit with this kind of vision board, because you can quickly add and edit your board.
- Physical: Paper, bulletin boards, whiteboards, or even a wall in your home with hanging pictures. Your creative options are endless here, but your vision board will obviously be less portable.
- Mobile: Created on an app made for tablets and phones. The advantage here is that you’ll have your vision board with you everywhere you go.
Before you begin though, here are the most important things to remember about your vision board.
- It’s yours. There is no right or wrong way to create your dreams.
- Dream big! Your vision board should not be filled with things that you could easily attain next week. A new cell phone has no place on your vision board.
- You have to spend time with it. A vision board is a living document, and it will work better when it has your attention for at least a few minutes every single day.
Whether you choose to create a stunning collage of individually framed images you carefully collect over the course of a year, or you build it on your iPad from stock photos, give vision boards a try. You might just be pleasantly surprised at the power they can wield in your life and your business.
Here’s a beautiful printable journal to get you started: “My Life – My Vision”. Click on the title or Image below to get your FREE copy!
Disclosure: My blog posts sometimes contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, which is at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, look for the Subscribe block (below right) and submit your contact information. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything during our July through September focus on LIFESTYLE!
https://HERLifeHacks.com
by Vicki Peel | Sep 12, 2022 | Lifestyle |
How happy are you with your life? Did you know that anything that isn’t making you jump for joy can be fixed or changed? The key, however, is that only YOU hold that power to make your life joyous. It’s not up to your spouse, kids, parents, or boss.
To the extent that anyone’s life can be controlled, you are the one with the most control. And you deserve to live the life of your dreams. So how do you do that?
Your brain is crucial and food either enhances and sustains your brain or food slowly kills your brain and your body. But that is another blog post for another day.
Today, we are focusing on the brain and the mindset you hold. Having a growth and positive mindset is a critical foundation upon which we can build tiny habits that help you to put that positivity into action, and thereby change your life.
Sometimes it seems as though we have been stuck in “Groundhog Day”, the movie where we live the same day over and over. After a while, you don’t even know what day it is. It stagnates the mind.
Mindset (coupon code CARE50 for 50% discount!) and mindfulness are buzz words we hear a lot about. They refer to those learned attitudes we hold about absolutely anything. We have a money mindset, a career mindset; in a business setting you’ll hear terms like ‘fixed’ or ‘growth’ mindset. Starting with a mindset (coupon code CARE50 for 50% discount!) that works for you is certainly important to how we perceive life and being mindful of how we think affects what we get from life.
As I’ve said in previous posts, to make real and lasting changes in our lives, we need to embrace the development of tiny habits. Tiny habits that combine over a period of time become automatic habits that we don’t have to think about. These automatic habits compound into many small successes, which can also help change our mindset. It’s a huge cycle but one which can be changed at any point.
How to Add Tiny Habits to Your Day
Since every person’s goals will be different, so will every person’s tiny habit choices. These are just a few ideas and certainly not a comprehensive list. Choose whichever tiny habits make you happy and more fulfilled (and moving toward your goals) and continue building on those.
To begin, decide what exactly makes you unhappy then think of a resolution. Now, what is one small thing you can do to start to change the situation? It’s not enough to just THINK about a resolution; you must then take action. Creating tiny habits one at a time will change your life.
Some general tiny habits that anyone can add to their routines include: meditation, yoga, cardio exercise, writing a gratitude journal, journal about all areas of your life or your goals, listening to empowering podcasts, praying, and healthy eating.
If you’re specifically unhappy at work:
- Spend 5 minutes a day looking for a new job; apply for a new position inside your current company; rewrite your resume; seek a mentor for advice; get active with business networking groups; upgrade your skillset; write down a daily work goal and cross if off the list when achieved.
If you’re unhappy with your relationships:
- Start venturing out with groups of friends; reconnect daily with spouse or partner; go on regular date nights where you don’t talk about work or kids; try a new hobby or activity together; reconnect with old friends or family members.
If you’re unhappy spiritually:
- Start keeping a Bible planner, such as My Bible Planner (click to see + coupon code CARE50 for 50% discount!); create a meditative morning and evening routine; spend time every day doing self-care routines; seek advice from religious or spiritual leaders; listen to spiritual podcasts or music; volunteer to help the less fortunate.
If you’re unhappy with yourself:
- Start taking better care of yourself. This is something I’m consciously trying to do. I often find myself sitting and working on the computer hours upon end. Then when I get up, I realize I need to move my body more. And my “addiction” to sugar is contributing to the “fog” in my brain. Here is a methodical way to guide this self-care process: Taking Better Care of Me in 30 Days journal. And here’s some incentive to get started! Use coupon code SELFCARE10 to get $10 off the already low price!!
As you can see, there’s no magic wand that can change your level of happiness. It’s up to you to take the action and to implement these tiny steps toward your ultimate goals. Need a system to work through this process of creating tiny habits to change your life? Here’s an excellent book that helps you define the exact process that works for you – Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by B.J. Fogg. You can do this! Time to get your life on track and come out of the fog (no pun intended, B.J.) of living by default.
Disclosure: My blog posts sometimes contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, which is at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, look for the Subscribe block (below right) and submit your contact information. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything during our July through September focus on LIFESTYLE!
https://HERLifeHacks.com
by Vicki Peel | Sep 4, 2022 | Lifestyle |
Think back to the last time you set New Year resolutions. How did it go?
So many times I’ve written out elaborate goals of what I wanted to achieve. But it usually meant I had to basically change who I was for that to happen. And the outcome was most likely what you expected. I failed.
But I recently established a habit of which I’m very proud. I decided I needed to drink only water – no Pepsi, Coke, or the Southern lifeblood of choice – sweet tea. I used a simple habit tracker to keep up with my progress.
Each day that I drank only water, I colored in the box for that day. And guess what! I have not had a Pepsi, Coke or sweet tea for over 2 months!! After a while, I didn’t want to break the streak of coloring in the day’s box on my habit tracker. Now I don’t even think about drinking anything other than water. I never would have believed I could do that! But I did.
“Our brain circuitry is actually wired to adapt to incremental changes and repetition. If you start taking small steps toward a bigger goal, your brain will begin to develop new neural pathways that make achieving that goal easier. As these pathways are created, you’ll notice that what once seemed difficult becomes more routine.” Small Habits Lead to Big Changes by Connie Ragen Green.
And that is exactly what happened to me. As you start to establish a habit, it becomes easier and easier to do until you don’t even have to think about it anymore. Just being aware of this process helps us stick it out.
While we’re in that transition period of establishing a habit, we can use tools to make it easier. Use a to-do list or set a reminder to help stay on track. Find an accountability partner so the two of you can motivate each other and help bolster that willpower when it starts to fade after the first enthusiasm wears off. Even something as simple as laying out your running clothes the night before and keeping your sneakers by the door will make it a little easier to go out for that run.
And that’s the simple version of creating a new lifelong habit. There is much more to creating new habits that stick. Interested in more? Then check out Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by B.J. Fogg. Over 77% of over 5000 readers rated this book with 5 stars on Amazon. If you’re serious about developing better habits, this book needs to be your guide.
And to track your progress, pick up my free “My One Thing Habit Tracker”. It is what I used to develop my habit of drinking only water daily. You can get it HERE!
What habit or habits do you want to develop? Just a tiny step with one habit can change your life!
Disclosure: My blog posts sometimes contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, which is at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, look for the Subscribe block (below right) and submit your contact information. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything during our July through September focus on LIFESTYLE!
https://HERLifeHacks.com
by Vicki Peel | Aug 31, 2022 | Lifestyle |
Top 5 Habits of Organized People
Do you consider yourself an organized person? I used to think I was. But it’s so easy to fall into habits that sabotage my efforts to get things done efficiently.
Ever wondered how some people stay a lot more organized than others? Well, the secret is habits!
Those who appear to have it all together tend to follow the same habits day after day. They aren’t born super-organized, it’s a skill that can be learned by absolutely anyone. So, what are these habits that can make your life more organized?
Keep reading to discover the top 5 habits of organized people you can adopt today.
Organized people write everything down.
To be organized, you either need to have an extremely good memory, or you need to start writing things down!
You’ll notice one of the main traits of an organized person, is that they appear to remember everything. They never miss sending out greeting cards on time, they’re always early and they know exactly what needs to be done and when it needs to be done. So, do these people just have a better memory than you? No! They simply make sure they write everything down.
I have an everyday notebook where I “dump” everything – things I need to remember to do, bright ideas of projects to develop later, or household tasks I need to do. Then at a time when I have some time, I go back through the day’s entries and do something with them, such as move to a specific list for taking action later or take action now.
So, start making lists for your shopping and always mark down important times and dates. And do it in whatever way works best for you to retrieve the information.
Organized people have a set routine.
Another habit organized people is having a set routine. If you’re a parent, you’ll know just how important routine is when it comes to managing a household. Kids and adults who develop good organizational habits have an easier time of managing their lives.
Just because we’re older, it doesn’t mean we don’t need a regular routine to keep ourselves happy and healthy. Organized people know this, and they use it to their advantage. They have a routine for everything, not just for bedtime or exercise. For example, they’ll also set aside 10 minutes each day to carry out specific chores or tasks.
One of the good things about setting routines is that you don’t have to exert energy making decisions about what to do. Setting a morning and evening routine can help set the tone for your day and help you end it relaxed for a good night’s sleep.
For example, my morning starts with what I call a “vitamin cocktail”, a blend of water or almond milk with polyphenols, flaxseed oil, vitamin B12, and vitamin D3. It actually tastes very good! Then I have a quiet time of meditation. Then I map out my day and what I need to accomplish.
So, if you’re looking to become more organized, getting into a routine is going to prove crucial to your success. Developing habits of organization help you accomplish your goals.
Organized people create schedules and goals
Those who are organized don’t waste time. They schedule their time and set goals to work towards. What’s more, they don’t stop until they achieve them.
When you have a schedule, you know exactly what you need to do and when it needs to be done. This reduces the risk you’ll miss anything important. It’s important to remember that when you are making goals, you’ll need to make them as short as possible to ensure they’re achievable.
For example, you want to become more organized, so that’s your main goal. However, there’s a lot of smaller goals you need to reach before you can achieve the overall goal. So, start by writing your main goals, then work on splitting them down so you have a clear idea of the smaller tasks you need to work on in order to achieve them.
They don’t put anything off
Do you tend to put things off for as long as possible? Organized people don’t! To an organized person, their motto is “Why put off something until tomorrow when it can be done today”. This simple rule can help you to become so much more organized.
Sometimes when I find myself putting something off, it’s because I don’t see a way to address the issue. If I simply stop and quietly think about what needs to be done and how to do it, a plan emerges that can efficiently get it done.
If you want your life to be much less stressful, getting things done as quickly as possible is sure to help. So, stop procrastinating and start getting things done.
They know when to seek help
Finally, out of the many habits organized people have, knowing when to ask for help is a crucial one.
These days, it’s common to feel like you need to do everything by yourself. Social media has played a large role in making people feel like they need to be super human. You should be able to easily juggle your work, family, financial and social life without any help from anyone else. It’s a myth! Organized people know when to ask for help in order to maximize their time.
This is probably the hardest habit for me to develop. I’ve always relied on myself to do everything. I grew up thinking self-sufficiency was a most admirable goal. However, I am learning that people are very willing to share what they know with you. It feels good to help someone else. So, give people a chance to help you and let them feel good about themselves.
These are just 5 habits of organized people. While there are many more, if you focus on developing these habits, you’re going to become a lot more organized. How are your habits helping you?
Ready to take it one step further? How about the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey? If you haven’t read it, you should, and HERE is where you can get it.
How are your habits helping you?
Disclosure: My blog posts sometimes contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, which is at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, look for the Subscribe block (below right) and submit your contact information. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything during our July through September focus on LIFESTYLE!
https://HERLifeHacks.com
