Are you caught up in a world where you feel like it’s running a million miles an hour? You feel like you are drowning in all of these things on your to-do list. The many commitments you have, errands to run, responsibilities at home, deadlines at work. Your life gets overwhelming, and as a result, you just want to get away. Take yourself out of the situation. Better yet, take yourself out of the situation entirely and re-evaluate your life. How can I change things? What can I do to live more simply? How can I get my life back? Plan a self retreat.
Why Plan a Retreat?
Simply put, simplifying your life requires some planning. Not something you can decide one day and implement the next. It tends to be a process in the making. You need to have some time to evaluate all the activities that take up your time, and then plan to either simplify or eliminate them. Going on a retreat is a way of removing yourself from the distractions you encounter in your daily life. This will give you the time and space to focus on what changes are important for you moving forward. Plan a self retreat. It’s a step in the right direction. This whole concept came to me while I was reading what would become a book that started my life’s transformation! It was a book called “Living The Simple Life” by Elaine St. James. She explained how simplifying your life can cut out the distractions and allow you to focus on the things that are REALLY important. Planning a retreat was an idea that she presented and worked so very well for me. You can read my post on “Living The Simple Life-25 Years Later” to learn more on the process.
This book is available through this link and can be an added benefit in your desire to “Living The Simple Life”
Self Retreat Plan
- Will I go alone or will my spouse be going with me? If your spouse or significant other is “on the same page” regarding simplifying your lives, it would be helpful to make plans together.
- When will I plan on having this retreat? How long should it be? You need to plan this in advance and to have enough time, you should plan on a weekend if possible. If you can’t manage a weekend, try and schedule some time where you can be alone to start planning. Go to a library or coffee shop for a few hours. You can plan on going for a walk to think things through. Hire a sitter to care for your children for an afternoon. You may need a few sessions in this way to start simplifying your life.
- Where will it be? You want a place to have some time to yourself. Spend a weekend away at a hotel, Airbnb or a bed and breakfast. Go camping. If your home is free of family or friends for a weekend, you can always have a home retreat.
- What do I need to bring? Remember, you are trying to simplify your life. Just pack the essentials. A few changes of clothes, a workbook and a pen. Keep digital distractions to a minimum. Remember, you are on this retreat for a purpose. Be mindful of why you are there and plan on some short breaks to stay refreshed. Go for a walk. Have a nourishing snack. Plan on a nice meal. Be good to your body. A retreat like this is a life changing one. Make it memorable.
Get Your Free Clutter Solution Workbook
This workbook will be invaluable, helping you identify what your clutter is and help you develop your plan of action to reduce or eliminate it. This step by step guide will methodically work you through the process and allow you to come away feeling like you have a plan and can act on it! By simply signing up to my email list below, the workbook will be on its way to you. It’s that simple!
Time For Self Evaluation
Okay, the stage is set. In my blog post, “Living The Simple Life-25 Years Later”, I referred to on the idea of determining the points of clutter in your life. The post included a free downloadable “Clutter Checklist” with several examples of clutter you could be experiencing in your life. This will be highly valuable to give you tangible ideas on your areas of clutter. Go through this list and give each point some thought. Does this create more work in my life? is this causing me stress? Does this affect my personal relationships in a negative way? If you have answered “yes” to any of this, it could be a form of clutter in your life. Determining what clutter you have in your life is an essential part of coming up with a solution.
Clutter To Solutions Process Examples
Once you know what clutter is in your life, you can determine how to combat it. Let’s look at a few examples:
CLUTTER: I can’t keep up with the house cleaning.
REASON: We have too much stuff. No one helps out. We have no routine.
SOLUTION: Reduce the amount of stuff. Setup chore schedules. Set up a routine.
CLUTTER: Not enough family time.
REASON: Too many kid activities. We volunteer a lot. Long work commute.
SOLUTION: Reduce
The first step to identify what the clutter is. The second step is to pinpoint the reasons it disrupts your life. The third step is to identify some possible solutions. Make your decisions. What solutions do you intend to implement? Are other people involved in the decisions you have made? Make a plan to talk to those involved. Be totally aware of why you want to do this and explain your case. Chances are, it affects them as well and will be beneficial to everyone. Some plans will work out and others may not. Some tweaking of your plan may be needed. As I said, this doesn’t happen overnight.
Be sure to sign up above, and take advantage of the free Clutter Solution Workbook. It will make your life easier on the retreat. It clearly identifies clutter in your life, identifies the problems it creates, and the solutions to reduce or eliminate those problems. Invaluable resource-just for you!
The Takeaway
There is no magic answer to suit everyone. Everyone’s situation is different and affects us in different ways. What could be a big problem for you, may not be for someone else. The solution for you may not work for someone else. Soul searching is really needed in a process like this, and having the opportunity to set yourself up in a place of very limited distractions (like a retreat) is very helpful. The process of simplifying your life is not done overnight and depends very much on how much you are dealing with and how many people are involved in the equation. Re-evaluating your situation at various intervals may be required. Plan a self retreat and get the process started.
I hope you consider a self retreat. You will begin the retreat with a lot of unanswered questions. At the end of the retreat, you will have a plan. A plan to simplify your life. That’s a very good
After years of weight issues, I have finally found the formula of combining healthy food choices, regular exercise and positive behavior change to lose weight for good. Coupled with, exploring self-development, being productive and living simply, I am now maintaining a healthy lifestyle and in a good place. I enjoy writing articles to help my readers to become the best they can be!
I knew a retreat would help me get back to what is important and to plan steps to keep myself on track. But, it’s easy to put it off! For the very same reasons I need a retreat! I unplugged this past weekend and worked in my garden. It really helps me to connect with who I am and what is really important. Then I went on a 4 hour road trip while I listened to a very inspiring audio book with the focus on assessing why we get overloaded. The mini-retreat was exactly what I needed. I have reset my priorities. Thank you for the reminder.
Hi Debbie,
I think it is so true that we need to remove ourselves from the situation either literally or even what we happen to be doing at the time, in order to gain focus in areas that we need. I can see why your gardening would be very therapeutic for you. Making the decision to have this retreat was such a game-changer for me. I lived alone at the time and just had it at home, but you could easily go away for a weekend to a B&B or something comparable. Even if a whole weekend doesn’t work, a few hours away to just think things through can really help. Thanks again and I’m so glad you enjoyed the article.