December 23,2022. Update on “Declutter December” and a few holiday tiny actions leading into a big burst.

Declutter December started out great. I was able to get rid of/give away/recycle about 35 items before I started to fizzle out. This might have been a super aggressive task considering the upcoming holidays. I didn’t follow through with the whole month, but the stuff I did get rid of, I feel really good about. Maybe I was being too ambitious? Maybe I don’t have as much clutter as I thought?

What am I most proud of? The tea that I wasn’t drinking and took into school and someone who loves tea took all of it and it is making her happy!

What am I most disappointed by? The fact that I kind of fizzled out mid month.

So what is next?

Well, tiny actions to get through the holidays are drinking more water and trying to get more steps in any way I can (we are currently experiencing a blizzard in Michigan so walking outside is not an option).

A burst after the holidays? I am going Keto again. I have a LOT of plans for this summer and I need to be in better shape. I will keep you posted on my progress.

Keto works well (in my opinion) if you have total control over your own food at all times. You may be asking…well when dont you have control over your own food? Well, get togethers where there are carbs, pizza dinners with friends, traveling (fast food usually has carbs), etc… I am going to embark upon “modified keto” and see if that is effective. I also dont love that true Keto cuts out a lot of fruit so I may try to figure out how to incorporate that.

To my 96 followers-thank you! May you incorporate one tiny little action that keeps you happy and healthy!

December 4, 2022. The start of “Declutter December”

In many parts of the world, people are starting to celebrate the holidays. Those holidays bring parties, food, presents, etc… It is a time of excess and celebration. This year, I started a challenge of decluttering my home, classroom, and car BEFORE bringing in more stuff.

The first day I took tea bags into work that I wasn’t going to use/drink (they disappeared before lunch). The second day I got rid of old receipts and expired coupons in our kitchen. The third day I cleared out a shelf at school and relocated everything back to where it should be or I gave it away. Today I cleaned out my coffee cupboard and found coffee beans from BEFORE Covid-so those went out with the trash.

We don’t have a ton of junk in our house and I am pretty good at keeping things clean and organized. However, the last 4 days have taught me that there is always more that can be cleaned out and donated, sold, or tossed. It helped to reveal things we can donate to others (measuring cups, pens, old towels to the animal shelter.) Hopefully as we come into the holiday season, we can keep ridding the house of excess stuff so that any new presents/food items/clothes/etc… have a place to live.

I really believe this will help with the inevitable holiday stress that always crops up around this time. My goal is to continue each day with one or two items that we can throw away, pass on to someone else, recycle, or just get out of the house.

Next up is Tupperware containers without lids, old bills/mail/magazines, any clothes that dont fit, etc…

To my 96 followers, thank you! How have you decided to handle the stress of the holidays? Remember to stay tiny in whatever endeavor you pursue.

November 27, 2022. Going backwards.

This is what you hope to never do. We set goals and tiny step our way to them. Easy right? We know there will be hiccups along the way. I liken it to mountain climbing. You climb and climb and sometimes rest but then you keep going. Well, what happens when your foot slips and you fall halfway down the mountain? You end up where I am now.

I threw my back out about a week ago. I wish I knew exactly how I had done it, but unfortunately it seems to have happened from turning over in my sleep. (The joys of getting older)

So I haven’t cared about steps. I haven’t cared about writing. I haven’t even really cared about school or television or anything. I care about the pain I am in and how I can get myself out of it.

Slowly, I am improving. I am frustrated. Things were going so well! And now…I feel like I am at the base of the mountain and have to start all over again. Then I am reminded that this is life. Things don’t always go the way you planned them.

So what advice do I have for you and for myself?

Start where you are. Go ridiculously tiny. Don’t quit. (So for me that means tiny stretches to try to ease the pain. Small, slow movements at work. Lots of hydration and healthy food so my body can heal. Visits to the physical therapist.)

So if you (like me) are at the base of a metaphorical mountain, just know that I understand. I am here with you. And we have to keep going, one tiny little step at a time.

To my 96 followers-thank you so much! I hope your back is strong and pain free. Have a great week!

November 20, 2022. Ask a question

Last week at work, I had a misunderstanding with a colleague. After a few days of stewing, I finally decided to ask why this particular issue was happening. It was so insightful. There was a deep history behind the decision that ultimately affected me.

A tiny question. A tiny clarification. In a few tiny moments, I understood. I felt better. I relaxed, accepted it, and moved on. So simple and so tiny.

So this week I encourage you to ask a question if you don’t understand something. It may be a really complex issue. It may have nothing to do with you. You may be the end result of a lot of other decisions. OR it MAY have something to do with you that you need to change. However, you cant feel better by avoiding it. Another colleague said (at lunch) nothing gets better with avoidance and she is right.

Thank you to my 96 followers! My new book is available on Amazon under Jessica Riley Beebe. The kindle version just launched a few days ago!

Get your copy of Tiny Actions Big Results today!

November 13, 2022. Be kind-it is a little thing that can make a big difference.

Kindness is a tiny action. Its baking a potpie for a neighbor who has been traveling. Its picking up some groceries for you wife while she is on her way home. Its complimenting someone on a new hairdo, car, outfit. Its writing an Amazon review for a book or product that you enjoyed. Its saying “thank you” or “I’m sorry” to someone.

Kindness is one of the original tiny actions. It is often overlooked in the hustle and bustle of life-especially in the holiday season where everyone seems to be rushing around.

So as we approach the holidays, I challenge all of you (myself included) to find tiny ways to be kind to others. It doesn’t have to cost money. It doesn’t have to be planned out. It just needs to come from your heart. Making others smile should be one of our biggest goals every day.

To my 96 followers-THANK YOU! To everyone that is following me because of my new book-THANK YOU! The ebook should be on Amazon by tomorrow! Have a great week! Stay tiny.

November 9, 2022 My book has arrived!!!!!!

2-3 years of daily notes. Countless hours of reading and experimenting. All the tiny little actions that I tried, discarded, tried again, kept, improved. They have all led me here! My book is here! It is on Amazon! It is an accomplishment that is both exciting and scary.

You can either search Jessica Riley Beebe in the Amazon search bar or follow this link https://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Actions-Big-Results-Together/dp/B0BLGDR9R8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=35LYDEF8R716P&keywords=jessica+riley+beebe&qid=1668034764&sprefix=jessica+riley+beebe%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-1

I have already given one speech. I am booked to give another one in a month. Some authors may dread this. I find it exhilarating. Thank you to all the people that purchase a copy of the book, read this blog, email me Congrats! I appreciate all of you dearly.

To my husband who has been a source of encouragement from the beginning-THANK YOU!

To my sister who has taken up the social media side of being an author-THANK YOU!

To the others that have encouraged and helped me-THANK YOU!

To those that criticize-is it perfect? Probably not. Will you find an error? Maybe. Is my life full of ease and comfort because I have everything figured out? No. But guess what? I tried. And anyone who tries to do something to help people in this world is just fine by me. I can sleep at night knowing I tried.

My next book is in the works. Stay tuned and stay tiny! To my 94 followers-thank you and have a great week!

October 30,2022 Maintenance is just as important as tiny steps

When working on achieving a goal, most of us want to make progress at it every day. We tend to become impatient and want things RIGHT NOW (Hello, Amazon!) However, maintaining progress is just as important so that we make keep charging ahead when we are able. We don’t want to wind up completely back at the start and lose all of our hard work!

I had a step goal of 10000 steps by November 6, 2022. I am holding steady at an average of 9000 steps per day. I could beat myself up and be discouraged. Instead, I am choosing to look at where I came from (7000 steps a day) and realize that I have held this number for a few weeks now. (I have even made it to 11000 on a couple days!) So, I am going to focus on maintaining it (I would try to increase it but right now, 9000 feels difficult for me so I want to wait until it feels a bit easier).

This maintenance is important. It is important to stay here and not slide back to 7000. or even 8000. It is important to not lose all of the hard work I have been putting in and the progress I have made.

A burst I have been working on is “no candy, sweets or desserts until Halloween.” Well, Halloween is tomorrow and I feel kind of “meh” about indulging in sweets tomorrow. I have felt pretty good the last 20 days and I am not sure that I want that to go away. There have been tempting moments but overall, it hasn’t been too bad. So, I may pick a day to indulge (Thursday night cheesecake factory) and then wait again until Thanksgiving.

Also, I may reduce how much bread I am eating. I am not ready to go full keto ( I love bread and missed it so much during my keto diet time). However, my husband suggested that maybe I could cut down how much I eat. So this week I will count all the pieces of bread I eat (chips and tortilla shells count) to evaluate where I should place my goal using tiny steps. For example, if I am eating 5 pieces a day, I will not reduce it down to zero but maybe reduce it to 3 instead? I will keep you posted on this.

To my 90 followers, THANK YOU! Have a great week!

October 23, 2022. You should have people over to your house every once in a while…

I am an introvert. The longer I am on this earth, the more I am convinced of this fact. It does not mean that I hate people. Instead it means that I need time away from people to get my energy back. My husband is the opposite. He LOVES being around people and that is what energizes him.

Being married involves compromise and my husband would love to have people at our house every night and every weekend, celebrating something. I would rather just have the quiet. So in true compromising fashion, he winds up going to the houses of other people sometimes and other times we have people to our house.

Today is one of the days we are having people over. It is an NFL Sunday and we live in Michigan. People are coming over for the Detroit Lions game. They are eating, drinking, and having fun. I have been cleaning for over an hour. So has he. Normally, our house is very tidy but little things can tend to get away from you sometimes. When you have people over, you see your house with fresh eyes. Here are some examples.

The coffee grounds around the coffee maker. (They don’t bother me, but it looks dirty)

The kitchen sink is uncluttered but could be wiped down.

The stove has come crusty bits on it from a pot that boiled over.

The mirror in the bathroom needs cleaned.

The kitchen rug could use a vacuum.

The crockpot (which is clean) needs to be put away.

Little things that don’t bother my husband and I but need to be attended to before we have company. Some of you might argue that if they are truly our friends, they won’t care. That is true. I don’t think they would care, but I care. And the house looks a lot cleaner all of the sudden with just these few items being taken care of.

So suck it up and have some people every now and then. Your house will thank you!

Thank you to my 90 followers! Hope you have a happy and healthy week!

Oct 16, 2022 The problem with tiny actions

If you have been following this blog for a while, you know that I praise the “tiny steps, habits, actions” way of accomplishing goals and tasks.

So what is the problem? When you think that something is so tiny, you sometimes stop doing it. I haven’t felt well this week (school crud that everyone has), so I haven’t attended to all the little steps that I talk about. And here is what happened.

My sink is full of dishes.

The laundry is washed and dried but just sitting on top of the dryer.

I found a chair to put clothes on that need to be hung up and now they have filled the chair.

The dining table is covered in stuff.

The coffee table is covered in stuff.

My bathroom has stuff all over the counter.

My suitcase from the weekend is still packed.

I have shoes in every room that need to be returned to the closet.

So I started working on the house this morning when I woke up and in 30 minutes, I am still no where near done with picking up all of these areas. The sink is full of even more dishes because I made beef stew. The laundry is now on our bed but there is more that is washing as I type. The clothes still need to be hung. The dining table is halfway cleared. The coffee table is cleared and the shoes are returned to the closet. The suitcase is unpacked.

It feels overwhelming. It makes me grumpy. THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I CAME UP WITH MY SYSTEM IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!!!!!!!!! Instead of resting today, I feel as though I have a lot to do to get the house ready for the week. This week I will put the tiny little systems back into place and get things back on track.

To my 90 followers-THANK YOU! What tiny little actions do you focus on to keep your life together?

My book is still being edited (it is taking longer than I thought) but I will put the link here as soon as I have it!

Oct 2, 2022 Don’t move too quickly

I wanted to have an average of 8500 steps a day this week and next week. However, this week is a funeral and parent teacher conferences. The time after school will not be my own. Therefore, I will do the best I can but I will also give myself some grace during a tough week.

One small tip, since I won’t have time to workout after school, is that I will park farther away and will walk to the farthest bathroom at my school. Every little bit counts. If I park in the farthest parking spot away from the door, it adds an additional 250 steps a day to my step count. Over a week that will add up to 1250. That is an extra two miles per month without doing anything else.

These little steps matter. Keep that in mind.

To my 89 followers, have a great week!