[PODCAST 270]: Creating Space for Family and Friends – Encouragement + Real-Life Examples!

Learn | Do | Become

In today’s podcast, I’m sharing some amazing community examples (and personal experiences) that give hope and show that it is possible to create space for your family and friends in addition to getting organized and completing everything else you have going on in your life.

And we have an exciting announcement!

As of the time this podcast is going live, we have an upcoming live event/accountability group called STEP Momentum that is starting January 8th, 2025!

Click here for the full details!

And now onto the podcast!

One of our team members, Taryn, shared this great advice to someone who was feeling discouraged recently:

“To add to this great advice from your fellow STEPpers, it’s normal to veer off track when life gets in the way or when we get sick. The STEP Program and the Command Central offer a structure that can help us to get back on track. It takes time and practice, but it’s well worth it.”

She also shared some words of wisdom from one of our STEPpers:

“Many of us have started and restarted the program. But I’ll bet 99% of us HAVE made progress. We’re not perfect. We’re not finished. But we’re further ahead than we were before STEP. And that’s how you want to think about it. It took you years to get here – you won’t change overnight. But you CAN change – 5 minutes at a time. Each action you take brings you one step closer to control in your life. Keep asking questions. Now set the timer for 5 minutes and DO something.”

I love this! When we give ourselves these 5-10 minute invitations to make a change in our lives, the results can be tremendous!

Maybe we spend 5 minutes clearing a small space on our desk so we can start building our Command Central and creating a more calm, organized life.

Maybe we work with our family members to clear space on the dining room table for 5 minutes so we can all eat dinner together and start having more connection with one another.

Maybe we spend 5 minutes emailing our co-workers to better establish work boundaries so we don’t end up with so much on our plates or we don’t feel burned out.

I also included 2 audio testimonials from some of our STEP Momentum graduates that went through the whole program with us this summer.

Diana first shared how she was able to start working through the items in her childhood home after her mother passed away. Once she learned how to process the items/papers that awaited her, her life transformed! She was no longer afraid to have people over to the house and she was able to start clearing areas of the house that had been untouched for a long time.

Barbara then shared a great experience about having to heal from some health issues at the same time her family was hosting an exchange student. She was able to look at everything she had going on in life and put several items on her Next in Line and Someday Lists. She realized that she needed to prioritize her health and not take on too many additional things in order to best take care of her family and this exchange student.

I loved these examples so much because I, too, have been taking a lot off my plate lately and adding those items to my Next in Line and Someday Lists. I’ve been in a busy season of life and didn’t have a lot of energy the past couple months, so I have been really intentional about what things make it on my Current Projects List for the month and my weekly Next Actions List.

This has enabled me to spend more time with my husband and son–while still being able to complete the most essential work and family-related projects–without feeling stretched too thin.

My mom, April, sent me two awesome testimonials from our Facebook groups that go along perfectly with this topic.

This first testimonial is from Cathie:

Isn’t that beautiful? I loved reading how Cathie was able to give her papers and other items a home in her Command Central. And in doing so, she was able to create a physical space that allowed her son to invite friends over and create wonderful memories.

My husband and I have been developing our own personal home reset routines that we do together each night. I love knowing that no matter what is going on in our lives, we take just 10-20 minutes to reset things and make sure that we’re putting away the clutter and working together to finish the dishes, laundry, or general cleanup from the day.

Our apartment isn’t perfect by any means, but it gives me so much peace knowing that things are generally tidy and that we can welcome loved ones into our home on a regular basis.

This next testimonial is from Christine:

We all have a lot going on behind the scenes, and it can sometimes feel like things are just too overwhelming.

I’ve had a few moments over the past couple months that have been pretty tough, but I knew that I could give myself the time I needed to regroup–and I knew that things were safe in my STEP Command Central.

I knew exactly what routines I needed to focus on each day/week, and I made sure to keep my other commitments and projects as streamlined as possible. This allowed me to complete the essential projects that needed to be done, while also spending enough time with my husband and son. We were even able to welcome several different friends into our home as we prepared for the holidays.

If you have any other examples of ways you’ve used your STEP System (or STEP principles in general) to create space for your loved ones, I’d love to hear from you in the comments on this post!

Related Links:

UPCOMING LIVE EVENT:

STEP Momentum is starting January 8th, 2025!

Click here for the full details!

Podcast: What I Do (Productivity-Wise) When I’m Sick

Video: When LIFE Gets In the Way of Getting Organized

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