the space we live in

ideas for living a stress-free, organized and fulfilling life

riv lynch and susan fireside

the space we live in

We decided to collaborate on this book because we found that many people are searching for a source to inspire and motivate; a source that reminds them that life is not about being perfect but about getting to live a life that is authentic.

We wanted to help you live a simplified, stress-free, organized and fulfilling life, beginning with the space you live in. riv lynch and susan fireside

John Petit-Senn, poet

“ Not what we have, but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.”

Vision | 6 Time | 8 Holding On | 10 A Green Home | 12 Household Command Center | 14 Creative Spaces | 16 Relationships | 18 Friendships | 20 Conscious Gift Giving | 22 No Resolutions | 24 The Absolute No | 28 The Absolute Yes | 30 About the Authors | 32

6 Le Corbusier, architect

“ Space and light and order. These are the things men need just as much as they need bread or a place to sleep.”

vision We invite you to create a vision for your space.

By creating a vision we mean looking into the future.

What is the future of the room you’re in and what will it create for you? Peace of mind? A retreat from the chaos of family life? A quiet place to do the bills or plan your next vacation?

A vision can keep you motivated, inspired, and on task, especially when the saboteurs arrive, “I don’t have time today”, “I’m overwhelmed”, “I’ll do it another time”, “I’m too tired”, “I don’t have the money”.

Here are two first steps to getting the space that works and that you love.

Step One: Create a written vision for that space, use words that not only physically describe it but also express the experience you want in that space. For example: calm or energized, clear, beautiful, sunny, open, productive, etc.

When you’ve completed your vision, place it in a visible location in your space to help you keep focused and your determination high.

Step Two: Create a vision board. A vision board is a collage of images put

on a bulletin board, cork board or poster board. A vision board pulls images of colors, textures, people, words and objects that describe the space you want and the experience you want to have in it. These boards have transformed from describing the spaces we want to the life we are working toward; values and experiences we desire in our lives.

You can be as creative as you’d like and use a variety of supplies, such as magazine, paints, markers, glue, fabric and 3-D material. Invite your family to create one of their own along side you. Have fun and remember it’s the experience, the journey of giving a visual presence to your Vision, it’s not necessarily the quality of your final result. There is no good or bad. There are no judges. When you’re done, display it in a prominent place in your new found space.

Have your vision and finally create the space you deserve.

8 Diane Ackerman, author

“ I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it.

I want to have lived the width of it as well.�

time

or the lack of it, is one of the top reasons given for not spending more quality time with family, completing projects around the house or fulfilling goals at work.

Creating a vision for your time and schedule is important. Forget being realistic or practical, what would that time look like?

Schedule your most productive time to work on your goals. Work on your most important task first. Spend an hour, even before checking your email.

If you can’t get the whole thing done in an hour, you’ll be more likely to return to it later.

Never open your email first thing in the morning. Email is a huge time eater and will destroy your time to focus on your top 3 things of the day.

Consider choosing 2-3 times a day to check your email AND turning off the ‘email has arrived’ notices.

Remember you have a choice. Saying “my clients want me to be reachable at all times” to yourself is detrimental to your mental and physical health.

Clear your desk at the end of every day.

Stop - Working long hours isn’t the same as being productive. Stop working/ doing at least 2 hours before bedtime and reserve that time for relaxing activities such as reading, taking a short walk or seeing a movie.

Purge - Remove or delegate activities that don’t serve your vision at this point in your life.

Sort - Sort your current tasks into categories. List them all! Laundry, exercise, carpool, work, sleep.

Delegate or outsource things you really hate spending time on (billing, filing, etc.) The more successful you are, the higher up the ladder you climb, the more valuable and in demand is

your time. Learn to give away any task that can be efficiently completed by someone else.

One In-One Out - For every item/responsibility that enters your home/schedule, one must leave.

Only pick 3 things a day to focus on - all other items on the ‘to do’ are ‘nice to do’ items. Studies show that salespeople with a daily three to do list are happy because they can FINISH the list, leading to actually getting more things done and increasing productivity.