The Process of Osmosis

I have long believed in the process of osmosis as a self-help skill. If I am consistent in reading Shape Magazine, then I will start eating right and exercising without much thought - kind-of like being on auto drive, right? I've gotta say: I've believed in this philosophy since, probably, high school and I have never really been the healthiest, skinniest, most in shape version of myself - not with the kind-of intention this belief suggests, anyway.

I am inclined to blame the busyness of life on my lack of intention, to date, but these days: my son is 22 months old, and as long as I direct (and often redirect) him onto the right tasks, I can feel pretty productive on my own task list! And so I have taken my long-belief in the process of osmosis, but instead of applying it to my own health and wellbeing (excuse #2 comes straight out of my Protagonist personality type (ENFJ) - helping others, as in not always putting myself first), I have found a way to apply it to my family's health and wellbeing: housekeeping!

Last year's Netflix put me on the Tidy Up path of Marie Kondo, and I think I re-built my stacked bed-of-clothes three times in a year! (Always donating more each time... I'm sure I am due to put this action into practice again!)

This year it's The Home Edit - OMG!!! My mom and I are basically dreaming of color coordinated, labeled closets in a DIY-inspired AirBNB... oh the dream!!!

But binge-watching aside, I have found that the BEST motivator for this tidying-organizing-dreamer is listening to my Simply Clean Audible over the Echo with my 10-15 minute timer set the background! I will literally tell Echo to, "play my Audible, Simply Clean", while I shower and listen to the daily to-do's, ready to take action as soon as I am dry and dressed!

I pretty much re-do the 7-Day Quick Start each week, then add the monthly to-do's on a daily routine. My bathrooms, light fixtures, and inner semi-minimalist are beaming with joy, despite the cluttered corners that still need attention after having decluttered yesterday - welcome to The Conte Family, where the chalkboard quote, "The house was clean yesterday, sorry you missed it", is our mantra!

I just know that if friends or family stop by, I am doing better! I'm getting there! My husband comes home from work and I feel accomplished because I am keeping up with my own personal commitment - and what's the difference? Yes. I read (listened) to the book for a good month before I got past re-doing Day 1 every Monday with no progression in the tasks, but at least I was doing something! - I can hear the life-coach chants in the distance, "consistency is key" - that it is, my friends. Consistency, as in: doing the same task every Monday... but it was (truly) enough! It got me started! A fresh start every Sunday as I planned for the next day... and then, finally, Day 2... Day 3... I missed Day 4, but opted to just stick with the plan - Day 5 came next and on Day 6 I could have gone back to do Day 4 again (dusting day, when Day 5 was vacuuming day), but decided to give myself grace in anticipation of dusting day to come again next week.

Week 2 now, I've moved past my kitchen (Week 1) and onto the living spaces. My mom, who is temporarily living with us, has started noticing - both my actions and the results. It feels rewarding! Like the runner who has to run - not running leaves a similar feeling to not brushing your teeth (yuck!) - and that's me... Disney's Dori playing in the background, "Just keep (cleaning)".

And while I haven't been doing any of this long, and this post has so much more to do with "just getting my blog going"... there also seems to be this accountability piece being put out into the universe as I celebrate my little accomplishments that seemingly feel big. So I'll keep this up... and where else can I apply this idea?

Meal Planning!

If listening to a book while I'm in the shower can get me into gear for cleaning, there's got to be a Meal Planning book that will do the same. I've been a Pinterest-(step)mom for years!!! But there's something passive about reading the magazine and hoping to apply what I read via osmosis, or sitting on the couch scrolling through Pins. Having the Audible talk to me, allowing me to absorb while I am taking other action, preparing my thoughts for the next action on my mental list - there's momentum in the actionable that I'm going to continue using to my advantage.

Google, here I come... nope, wait! Audible, here I come... <<Sorry, y'all! Learning as I go and not sure the book recommended here is quite what I was looking for. Removed.>> I'll let you all know how it goes - can I still maintain the housekeeping routine I'm working towards and build upon it with meal planning? Or will one naturally dominate the other? To be continued...