Hey! Welcome back on this beautiful September day!  If you are new here,  I’m Monica and I love to simplify and streamline everything and I enjoy sharing all I learn with you, so grab a cup of coffee and enjoy! After a summer of probably saying yes to too many things and feeling exhausted, I realized I needed to be reminded of my own advice to keep things simple with less stress.  If you know me at all, which you probably know me pretty well if you have listened to any amount of podcasts here, but I’m sure you know I like to do all the things, I love to learn and sometimes that comes with getting too much on my plate.   If you want to reduce some of your mental load & enjoy a slow and intentional life, the first step is to create it by centering your life around what is important to you.  For me, it is my faith, family, and time for being present.  To me, time is our precious commodity and I don’t want to get to the end of life and wish I would have done things differently.  Depending on what season you are in, living intentionally may look different than slow living, but you have to know what you really want life to look like and make a plan so you can stop spiraling out of control and feel like you are going backwards.   Next, you need to start saying no to some of what you are doing.  If you are saying yes to please others or just because you think you are supposed to do something, you will burn out fast.  I remember when my kids were in elementary school, I thought that I should volunteer just because I stayed at home (because most people done understand what WFH moms do!), but I whenever it came to going, I just dreaded it because I had so many other things I needed to do.  I have always had side businesses as I’m not someone that ever sits around, so I have to plan my time carefully.   I have learned to say, thanks for thinking of me, but right now I am unable to …..whatever it is.  You don’t have to say any more or try to make up excuses.  Just imaging what all the things you will be able to say yes to because of the no’s you had to tell people!   And the last way you can lessen your mental load is to declutter.  There is a direct correlation with mental stress and clutter, so make sure you are clearing spaces in your home.  Since we have moved into our home 2 years ago, we have done so mych outside, but I still have totes with my hobbies and it bothers me everytime i see those totes because it is something I just haven’t had a chance to get to yet.  As my business has grown, it is something that got put on the back burner!  I know when I have clutter on the counter or around our home, it makes such a difference in how stressed I am.  If you do 1 thing today, start with clearing off your cupboard and getting the dishes done every night.  After a week or 2 add in another thing and try to clear your space you are in most of the time first.  You will wake up feeling much better when you go to make your coffee and don’t have the stress of the mess hanging over your head.     I want you to start implementing this right away and let me know how it goes for you!     Remember Keep it simple and have a great week!    Love ya friend! Monica   Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/ Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com