I decided to turn off phone notifications. There, I said it. After my post last week about creating a tech detox rhythm of renewal I knew that this was the next step. To be honest with you, I didn’t think that I had many notifications on my phone at all. But, they were there, perhaps not as many as most people, but still, they were there.
I had a couple of caveats on my notifications. First, I decided to keep the notifications for both apps my membership community uses turned on. I will revisit that at some point in the future, but for now I felt better about keeping those notifications on. And my fitness notifications. But, every other notification that you can turn off on your phone? I did that.
It was a little strange to first, see how many apps I actually have. It reminded me I probably ought to go in and start deleting some. And second, that so many random apps had notifications. Why exactly do we have all of these notifications?
What are phone notifications used for?
You have to figure out what phone notifications are used for.
Continue reading Why You NEED to turn off Phone Notifications at Townsend House. |
Tech detox. It sounds lovely doesn’t it? A time when you don’t have to be on screens. Notifications aren’t constantly dinging in every room of the house, or when you are out and about. Or maybe it sounds stressful to you. What would you do if you couldn’t scroll for a time, or didn’t know what was going on in the neighborhood, or the world for that matter?
I am a millennial, but I am one of the elder millennials, the Oregon Trail generation, the xennial. That means that I remember growing up before email, before social media, but we use those things constantly today. We were still part of the latchkey kid generation, being out until the street lights came on. We fully use technology, and are good at it, but we also remember a time before tech that seemed simpler. That is part of the reason so many of us feel the pull of a tech detox.
Generational differences aside, I believe a tech detox is important for everyone.
It is something that Rebekah Lyons explores in her book Rhythms of Renewal. This is the book I am using this year to help me create my own rhythm of renewal.
Continue reading How to Create a Tech Detox Rhythm of Renewal at Townsend House. |
How to create a clean slate – January is all about newness. It is a new year, a new month. We have the opportunity to come in with a completely fresh start, a new plan for the new year. It’s exciting, isn’t it? To think of the newness, and have the opportunity to dream a bit. But, it can also be overwhelming with all the change you want to see in your life.
While there is a lot that you want to add to your life – who doesn’t start the new year with an idea of a new habit or rhythm to implement – there may be things that you also need to take away in order to feel successful.
That is where we are going to start today. How to create a clean slate is one of those questions that is going to be answered differently for everyone. However, as you take stock of the rhythms and plans around you, you will see that you too can have a clean slate and move ahead with your ideas and plans for the year ahead.
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How to Create a Clean Slate: Evaluate
You may think we are too late in the year already to be evaluating your life, but I believe that the process of self-evaluation is ongoing.
Continue reading How to Create a Clean Slate: Rhythms for January at Townsend House. |
Have you decided to take an inventory of your life lately? An interesting thing has happened as I have gotten older, I have started to revisit some of the dreams I had when I was first married. It is a fascinating deep-dive, especially with all the baby-raising and homeschooling I have been focused on for so long now. It is almost like it comes in cycles. Every five years or so I feel the pull to simplify, to slow down.
This year, my word of the year is simplify. In the past simplify has meant back to basics, back to the land, self-sufficiency. And honestly, it still does mean that to me, to an extent. But, it also means to really consider my time, to consider my relationships, the things that I say yes and no to.
How do you decide what the most important things are?
Every year I do a pretty large reflection. A reflection on my year as a whole, the goals I set for myself, as well as what I hope to accomplish in the year ahead. But, sometimes, that can be really challenging, especially if I am trying to slow down, to simplify.
Continue reading Take Inventory of Your Life at Townsend House. |
We have figured out why we need a budget how to go about categorizing our spending and hopefully you have printed out my budget workbook. Now, it is time to sit down and work on creating a budget for your life.
I use a zero-based system, so that is how I will be discussing budgeting throughout this post. When you give each dollar a name, you are more likely to stick to what you plan. Why? Because you are giving yourself permission to spend and save. That takes some of the decision fatigue surrounding money out of the equation.
Where do you start with a Budget?
I will suggest that you go over to the spreadsheet that I have created in order to start your budget. You are going to want to pull out your spend tracking categories list, and you are going to want to see if there is anything different on your list than what I have pre-filled in the budget worksheets.
Remember, this is a budget for YOU. It is not for me. In order for you to have the most success with your financial plan, it needs to be individualized.
Continue reading Budget: How to Create a Stellar Financial Plan at Townsend House. |
Do you categorize your spending? I used to think that I did. Why? Because I had a budget that listed all of my bills each month. Clearly categorizing my spending, right? Actually, I wasn’t. I would pay my bills each month, and then whatever was leftover I would assign some to savings, and the rest to all the other expenses I had each month – groceries, gas, incidentals, personal care items, fun. But, I had no clue how much I was spending on those other things.
I have always been relatively conservative with my spending, which is great, but not knowing how much you spend in different categories can make your savings goals challenging to meet.
I love what Dave Ramsey says about budgets:
You’ve got to tell your money what to do or it will leave.
Categorize your Spending: But Why?
It is one thing to understand where your money is going, it is something altogether to get down to the nitty gritty and categorize your spending. We want to know where our money is going, and in order to do that you need to look beyond your monthly bills to see what you are spending that money on.
Continue reading Why you need to Categorize your Spending at Townsend House. |
Did you know that you need to budget? It is one of those adulting things that ought to be at the forefront of your mind. However, it often is not. You think to yourself “I’m no good with money,” “I don’t have enough money,” or “I don’t have the time.” But, regardless of how good you perceive yourself to be with the money, or whether you have enough money or time, you still need to budget.
Over the next several weeks I will be walking you through a budgeting series that I have been considering for quite some time. I have had many people email me over the past year as I have shared a bit about my own budgeting journey. I am not a financial adviser, anything I share with you will be from my own personal experience.
Grab my budget workbook & printables that go with this series HERE
Why do you need to budget?
The main reason why you need to budget your money is because if you don’t, your money will still leave your hand, you just won’t know where it has gone. Is there more month left at the end of your paycheck?
Continue reading Why YOU Need to Budget at Townsend House. |
Have you wondered how to create and implement a home management system? This seems to be an area that I have to revisit year after year. Why is that? Well, the main reason is that each season is different. A home management system that worked before I had kids, no longer worked when I had babies. And the one that worked when I had toddlers needed to be adjusted when my kids were in elementary school.
This is one reason that I never consider my goals “complete.” There are always new growth opportunities in the areas of life I like to work on. One of my big goals for 2023 was this little gem:
Create and implement a clear home management system that allows me time to pursue my passions.
If you saw my fall goals refresh you will know that I have done quite well in this goal. Well, at least the first part of the goal. And because of that, I wanted to share with you some tips on how to create your own home management system.
But First a Caveat
I want you to know that not every step that I take in my days will work for you.
Continue reading How to Create & Implement a Home Management System at Townsend House. |
The time has come for the 2024 Power Sheets Goal Planner release. This is one of my favorite parts of the year. Goal setting has been something that I have shared here on Townsend House since I started writing here back in 2011. And even before that, on my very old blog, I would share my yearly intentions.
You can get 10% off your purchase at Cultivate What Matters by clicking here or using code TOWNSEND-HOUSE at checkout
This year there are several options to choose from for the 2024 Power Sheets. First is the classic yearly version which is their signature goal setting system. This is the one that I have used for my own goal setting. I started using the Power Sheets back in 2015. The reason that I like it so much is because it really made me consider what was most important.
2024 Power Sheets Prep Work
When you are setting goals to live a life of intention, you obviously need to know what your priorities are. This is where the Power Sheets goal planning process comes in.
Continue reading 2024 Power Sheets: How to Live a Life of Intention at Townsend House. |
That is the golden question isn’t it? How do you create healthy boundaries in your homeschool? What even are healthy boundaries? This is something that I have been considering a lot lately. I think part of the reason is due to outside commitments that have come up recently. Commitments that aren’t bad, but were not in my yearly plan. And unfortunately, when I don’t follow my yearly plan things can get a bit messy.
What do you mean Create Healthy Boundaries?
Let’s start here, shall we. What exactly does it mean to create healthy boundaries in your homeschool? First, you need to acknowledge that homeschooling takes time, and because of that, you ought to treat those hours you are homeschooling like a job.
Have you ever had this experience? You start your homeschool day, but then a friend calls you and you answer. Or someone stops by? Perhaps someone needs an errand run, and since you are “home all day” it makes sense that you are the one to do it. Now, if you were at an office working, would people stop by your office, or ask you to run out and do an errand, or call your work phone?
Continue reading How to Create Healthy Boundaries in your Homeschool at Townsend House. |