Terry Murphy

The best thing to come out of this whole challenge ... my 15-year-old niece decided to become a vegan and opted for consignment shopping over hanging at the mall. I have been beating this drum since birth ... now on to the youngster sister ... 

Worked from home and purged papers, boxes and assessed what was left to be done. Hired cleaning service 2X a month to assist in keeping clutter down; considered it an investment in all areas. I won't re-buy what I simply can't find and it will help me spend more time with family and less time with the vacuum cleaner.

Working hard to simplify, reduce, reuse, recycle. Even tried to sell jewelry I don’t wear to buy something I need ... used, but necessary for winter. Took the day off from work. 

I made simplicity my keyword and watched my budget. I continued to record expenditures (unexpected travel threw it off). I started using a meditation app on my phone (free), Every day I have been able to meditate with others and this simple practice of discipline has helped me in other areas. I am coming into work earlier and spending a few minutes purging my space and cleaning as simplicity and organized space go hand-in-hand. I am studying "the kaizen way" for an upcoming class at work. Glad to be back in the loop, too.

I had a family emergency that threw a lot of my efforts out the window, but I am back on board and was able to pick up a new "habit."

I recorded the cost of the cleaning service and will be creating an overall budget that will include them as part of my efforts to keep the clutter down, even if it means skipping dinners out. Worth it to me!!! I did negotiate the price and the time they would need ... so it wasn't just tossing money at a problem. (Not on my list, but I need to tell my girlfriend not to buy me takeout food ... a waste of money and resources. Like I said, our difference in values will be the biggest challenge ... that and an 8-hour day.)

I hired a cleaning service (gulp) not my style but this place needed a good scrubbing. With that done, I have started to gather the knickknacks and place them in a box for Goodwill. A clean surface is a beautiful surface!

De-clutter my home. Somewhat easy since I moved -- but into a larger place. My concern is NOT to fill this new space with stuff after discarding "old" stuff. The less I have to take care, the less stressful my life is. So this Challenge is more discipline than anything else.
Work-life -- OK a tough one. An 8-hour day is nearly impossible but I am going to use my meditation app to signal breaks. Tracking purchases. I am broke after the move so this one has to happen. My partner doesn't share my same values so that is where the challenge begins!!!