March 26, 2023. Find your productive time.

Tiny actions work well for me-hence the book I wrote. However, even tiny actions cant always fight against my “down time.”

I have the majority of my energy in the morning. By the end of the school day, I am kind of like a wet noodle with not much energy. So tiny actions I accomplish in the morning now are

  1. Washing/putting away any dishes from the night before.
  2. Hanging up clothes from the night before.
  3. Tidying up the house/bathroom/bedroom.
  4. Grading papers.
  5. Practicing French.
  6. Cleaning out my car (before I pick up the carpool)
  7. Folding any laundry that I washed.

This may seem like a lot but I usually get ready in the morning and then have about 20 minutes left until I have to be out the door. Before implementing tiny actions, I would simply leave a lot of these tasks for after school/evening. Then, I would get home and be tired and not get anything done. Therefore I learned to maximize my energy in the morning and give myself a break in the afternoon/evening.

Do you know when your “peak energy” occurs? Can you maximize what you do during that time and cut yourself some slack for the rest of the time?

To my 110 subscribers and 336 followers-THANK YOU!

March 5, 2023. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”

No, my husband did not cheat on me (or do anything else wrong). This saying (for me) is referring to cleaning-specifically a cleaning person. The original saying has roots of expressing that when a woman has been wronged by a man, you better get out of her way because her anger/fury will destroy everything around her.

I am choosing to be a bit less dramatic (and it doesn’t relate to my husband) but I still like the saying and it has pushed me into my current situation, so I thought I would explain.

I dislike cleaning. Cleaning is different than tidying/picking up the house. I enjoy tidying. I also enjoy doing the laundry, organizing, cleaning the toilet, and running the vacuum. I DO NOT enjoy sweeping and mopping floors or cleaning showers. So at the start of 2023, I reworked my budget a bit to include a house cleaner once a month. Here is where the fury comes in. I CAN NOT FIND ANYONE TO CLEAN MY HOUSE!!!!!! (When I get mad, then I turn on turbo mode and figure out how to do it myself-hence, my current situation)

On two different occasions, I have emailed, texted and set up a time with a cleaner. Then, when it comes time to confirm the appointment, they “ghost me.” (ignore me.) At this point, I have two choices-1. I can continue to contact people who may/may not show up or 2. I can pay myself to clean my own house. I have chosen option 2 for the moment.

Some of you are reading this and thinking, “why dont you just clean your house and not pay yourself?” Well, like other things in life, when you are not specific, then things tend to get a little loosie goosie. The money would probably just get worked back into my budget and my house would stay dirty. So here are the tiny steps I have come up with.

  1. I made a spread sheet of all the tasks that I would like a housecleaner to do. (this will also come in handy if I can find a cleaner some day)
  2. I took the amount (plus tip) that I was going to pay someone per month and split it up between the chores.
  3. After I complete that task, I put down the date of completion and transfer the money to a separate account (I am saving up for something specific so the money is adding to that savings)
  4. Yesterday I paid myself $7.00 to sweep and mop my kitchen floor. It was a lot more fun knowing that I was making money by doing it)

As I get older, I realize more and more that you just have to find what works for you and go with it. This is working for me. Some of you may think the idea is crazy and some of you may think it is genius. I LOVE watching the cleaning videos on youtube. I am not that girl. I am NOT going to work all week and then clean on the weekends. This system allows me to do small tasks when I feel up to it, and then get rewarded for them. Other examples are “vacuum the bedrooms, wipe down all the appliances in the kitchen, declutter and clean the kitchen table, sweep the basement floor, dust the upstairs, etc…”

By spreading out the tasks into smaller ones (and giving myself a reward), I have been able to achieve two things I want-a cleaner house and money toward a specific goal (I should be able to accomplish the goal faster now with this additional money.)

To my 108 subscribers and 336 social followers-THANK YOU! What tiny actions do you put into place for cleaning? Are there any tasks you could make smaller in order to get them done quicker, easier? Have an AWESOME week and stay tiny!

2/26/23. Increasing your steps for health, weight loss, and strength.

So I first did Keto a couple of years ago and got amazing results.  I dont know what I have been doing differently this time around but I am not getting those same good results. I have lost only a couple of pounds (which would have probably happened anyway) and so I am changing course. I am going back to my roots of tiny actions instead of bursts.  I wrote my book about tiny actions. I use tiny actions in other areas of my life and so when a burst isnt working (like right now) I have to go back to tiny and see if I can tweak things in order to succeed.  

So the first tiny action is to increase my step count. Luckily I am in a challenge at work that is forcing me to workout 12 times in the month of Feb for 30 min each time.  I have participated 9 times so far and I feel really good about my progress. My 30 min workout is a walk (sometimes its 40) and they have been outside when the weather is decent, treadmill or track at work when the weather is not decent. 

My daily step count is about 8150 for the last 5 weeks (I averaged with the help of my fitbit) so I am increasing my step count by 125 steps a day so that I get to 9000 by Spring Break (first week of April)  I think that will help me be on track to get to 10000 by the end of the school year. Some people balk at the 10000 step goal and say that it doesnt matter and yet a lot of people say it does. I used to know a woman that when she would walk 5 miles a day (about 10000) steps, she was at her healthiest weight.  I also know that last time I was doing the keto/low carb diet, I was averaging closer to 11000 steps a day and sometimes 14000 or more (coaching after school) so if I JUST simply look at step count and add that to the weight loss (if nothing else changes) it should start to improve things.

As always, I will keep you updated on this blog. 

until next time…stay tiny!

THANK YOU to my 106 subscribers and 335 social followers!

2/19/23. Weird dreams with carbohydrates.

I have been eating low carb/keto for the past 5-7 weeks and I was trying the technique in the book “Carb Nite Solution” where you eat what you want one day a week. Well, two things. The first being, I dont think I am really losing much weight so that is disappointing. However, its the second reason that I need to stop/modify what I am doing.

After I eat carbs and dessert (on Saturday nights), I have the WEIRDEST dreams that night while I sleep. Last night, my two cats were in the parking lot of a furniture store. I kept picking them up to bring them home and they werent my cats. They looked similar to my cats but they werent my actual cats. Then, my husband was wandering around the parking lot with no sock on one foot. When I would ask him what he was doing, he would reply with “just trying to get comfortable.” It was sooooooooo weird. Also, I slept 10 hours last night AND fell asleep on the couch watching TV before bed.

I believe this blog should be honest so I am being honest. I am not sure if I am going to continue to follow this program. Here are the things I do know for sure.

  1. I feel better with lower carb eating.
  2. I think it is weird (and unhealthy) that you cant eat fruit on Keto.
  3. I am not sure how sustainable a really strict diet is for me.
  4. If this carb nite is causing weird dreams, what else is it doing to me?
  5. However, It is nice to feel like I have a treat at the end of the week to look forward to.

So where do I go from here? Well, I made low carb lasagna with egg wraps (my new discovery!), I ate eggs for breakfast and I will eat a salad for lunch tomorrow and yogurt for breakfast. So, at this point, I am continuing to eat a lower carb diet. I am also “upping my steps” which I will post about next week.

To my 105 subscribers and 335 social followers…THANK YOU! You give me a reason to keep writing and for that, I am thankful.

February 5, 2023. Do tiny actions matter? If you aren’t sure…

Move your trashcan in your bathroom.

In my bathroom, the extra toilet paper is on one side of my toilet and the trashcan is on the other. The trash can is hard to get to-it is kind of jammed against the wall and not easy to access. I don’t throw away a ton of stuff in there but the occasional cotton swab, tissue, and disposable contact does need to be thrown away.

So I switched it with the toilet paper and guess what? It is SOOOOOOO much easier to access now! The same items are still in the bathroom but they are just in a different spot. It has made my life easier.

What other tiny actions am I taking this week?

I spend 2 minutes each night after dinner sorting through a paper pile to find tax documents so that I can file my taxes.

I move a few dollars a week into a fund for washing my car.

I walk up and down the hallway at school (the long way) so that I get more steps in during the day.

What tiny actions are you focusing on?

THANK YOU TO MY FOLLOWERS! All 104 of you make me smile every day! Stay tiny!

Keto week 3 update-“Carb night solution”

I have been eating a lower carb diet for about 3 weeks now and I feel a lot better. I read a book called the Carb Nite Solution and his whole idea is to eat low carb all week and then have a “high carb” meal on one of the weekend nights. Then you get right back to eating low carb on Sunday morning.

I picked Saturday night and have done this 3 times so far. Results?

Wow.

First, I have eaten some REALLY good food on these Saturday nights.

Second, the food tastes super rich and delicious (much more so than it used to taste)

Third, it is starting to become fun to pick out my “Saturday night indulgence.” Last night was Steak Frites and Apple Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream. Super yummy.

I will continue with this because I feel go0d and it is kind of fun right now. One disclaimer-I don’t eat as low carb as he recommends during the week. (He says to stay under 30). I stay under 50.

So what do I eat? Cheese sticks, nuts, caesar salads, Egg burritos with low carb tortillas, chicken, avocados. (Not a ton of variety but I feel pretty good and that was one of my goals for this)

Is it always easy? No. Some nights I am tired and would like to just eat something easy. It is especially hard when you are on the road. I had an Unwich from Jimmy Johns (a sandwich wrapped in lettuce leaves.). It was fine, not great.

However, my body doesn’t hurt as bad as normal so I am hoping that fewer carbs leads to less inflammation. We will continue to see.

To my 102 followers-I AM OVER 100! WOW! THANK YOU!. So which mode are you in right now? Burst mode (like I am with Keto) or tiny action mode? (going to talk about that in my next post.)

Have a great week!

1/15/23. Tiny tip-Don’t use valuable real estate as storage.

I teach teenagers for a living. If you live with a teenager, you know what I am about to say-their bedrooms are disaster zones. (Unless you are super strict and require it to be clean all the time.) I think the problem is that they are trying to cram too much stuff into a small space. I think that is what we sometimes do with our houses as well.

For example, my husband and I received a blender for our wedding. It is great and we use it a few times a year (I just made Cauliflower soup with it this week.) However, we do NOT need to store it in our kitchen-it takes up valuable space 98 percent of the time-space we just don’t have. Same with Crockpots and fancy dishes and platters and bread makers and muffin tins and… The list goes on and on! So, this Christmas break (we got snowed in for 3 days), I decided to move EVERYTHING we don’t use daily to the basement. It has made a world of difference in my kitchen. It goes back to the saying, “a place for everything and everything in its place.”

I have room in my cupboards. I have room in my drawers. It is a tiny little change that has made a big difference in my kitchen. Now when I tidy up the kitchen, I don’t have to shove things into places and hope the doors close. (I took out unused Tupperware and glasses a few weeks ago)

This tiny action has reaped big rewards. When I need my blender or crockpot, I will walk downstairs to the basement and get them. They just don’t need to be stored in the kitchen.

To my 99 followers-THANK YOU! What tiny organization tips do you use to keep your house in order? Have a great week!

1/7/23 Keto/low carb-one week down (how is it going???)

So, I hate to even mention this on this on my blog because this diet is more of a “burst” than tiny steps. Yes, leading up to starting the new way of eating was all tiny steps (more water, cut down on sugar, more steps, cut out chips, etc…) but the actual low carb diet itself is a maj0r “burst.” You have to go all the way to get into ketosis, and so you cant really tiny step your way there (there are other diets like weight watchers that are more conducive to tiny changes) but Keto/low carb is not one of them.

Why do I like a low carb diet? 1. It is easy as far as what you can/ can not eat. 2. It REALLY curbs my hunger. 3. It seems to provide me with more energy than other diets. 4. It brings down my cholesterol, sugar, and triglyceride numbers. (I have been able to avoid medications by eating this way)

Why don’t I like a low carb diet? IT IS NOT FUN-It is boring and repetitive and strict. It is difficult to eat with others (like if everyone is ordering pizza)

So…in order to make it more fun and hopefully stick to it long term, I am trying a technique called the carb nite solution. It is a book that professes you can eat low carb for 6.5 days and have what ever you want for dinner at the end of the week and it wont derail your progress. (I am picking Saturday night.) Tonight will be my first try at this. I will let you know how it goes.

Also, I am taking part in a lot of other bursts today such as deep cleaning the house (need to reset before school starts again Monday), taking down and putting away Christmas decor (including tree), washing all the laundry, towels, and bedding, washing the carpets (our cats like to dribble their food).

Today isnt really a tiny action day. It is a day of many bursts but it is a day I feel needs to happen every once in a while in order to have tiny actions work the other 99 percent of the time.

THANK YOU to my 99 followers-got a new one this morning so thank you to that person! Stay tiny my friends!

1/2/23. I spoke to female high school athletes today about tiny actions!

I was invited to a local high school to speak to the women’s wrestlers and basketball players today. It was awesome!

All of the girls were great, and I am thankful that I was able to speak to them and give them a few ideas to improve their performance in sports, school, and life.

However, the most impactful part of the day happened AFTER all of the girls left. One girl stayed behind. We started chatting and I found out that she was a state champion in wrestling last year. Even though she is one of the best, she wants to constantly improve herself. Here are some of the tiny actions she is already practicing

  1. Shows up early
  2. Contacts coach about how she could improve
  3. Stays off social media
  4. Watches her old matches and critiques them.
  5. Is working with mom (a nurse) and coach to eat even healthier
  6. Works out all summer for 3-4 hours each day
  7. Drives to GR to wrestle in a sports club (womens wrestling is still a pretty new sport in Michigan so not all high schools have teams)
  8. Is aware of her weaknesses and is working on them
  9. Is developing a prematch routine and post match routine
  10. Lets herself be vulnerable with a new person so that she could learn from them (me)

If you want to know why some people succeed and some don’t, here is the proof. The concrete proof of actions she takes that others do not. She is outworking people. She has put a lot of tiny actions into place and was talking with me today about how she could incorporate even more of them into her life.

THIS is what it is all about. Tiny actions to get you to your goal.

Stay tiny my friends!

1/1/23. Happy New Year! Easing into Keto in a tiny action way.

I feel better when I dont eat a lot of carbohydrates. I just do. I also know that my “health numbers” are better when I eat a lower carbohydrate diet. Sooooooo…back to Keto I go. However, instead of jumping in with both feet (which is a real burst that burns out quickly), I am easing into it this time. Here are the steps I have taken or will be taking.

  1. From Dec 10-28 I drank more water and got more steps in. That is all. Very tiny.
  2. On Dec 27 I bought a magazine with a lot of good looking keto recipes.
  3. On Dec 28, I went to the grocery store and bought eggs, cheese, meat, avocados, vegetables, nuts and seeds, etc…
  4. On Dec 29 and 30, I made egg burritos with low carb tortilla shells in my sister’s air fryer (it is on loan from her to see if I want to purchase my own) and cut out the chips and cookies I had been eating a few days prior. I still ate some popcorn.
  5. On Dec 31 I ordered a steak and asparagus for dinner. I had a glass of red wine and about 3 bites of peanut butter pie.

Today is Jan 1, 2023 and I KNOW that a ton of people start diets today and a ton of people burn out by February. I had an omelette for breakfast (no toast or potato) and am heading to the treadmill after writing this post. We are eating chicken for dinner. I have already had 3 glasses of water on top of my morning coffee. As you can see, I have been “starting this diet” for about 21 days now. Little tiny actions. I am ready for the next step of cutting out carbs.

I challenge you today to try something new-DONT start the new diet today. Start the tiny steps that will prepare you to start the new diet in a few weeks. Get yourself ready. Think of it like an adventure. Take the pressure off of today and of trying to be perfect. What are all the little itty bitty things you can do to get you ready for the better eating plan? I believe it will help you to not burn out and to stay the course. You cant go from 0 to 100 in 24 hours which is what almost everyone tries to do. You will flame out. Make this year different! Make this year a “tiny action year” and keep chugging along slowly.

To my 98 followers-THANK YOU! I hope you have a restful and inspiring start to the new year! Stay tiny!