Category Archives: Blogging

Thank You & Snippets

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I cannot reply to all of your individual comments but please be assured I read them all and am touched by your support and kind wishes.  Thank you for taking the time to comment and I am looking forward to a fabulous second year of blogging at Organised Castle.

Things are pretty quiet here on the home front as I have been busy working.  However, by having the house reasonably decluttered and keeping things simple it is ticking along well.  We had a simple but delicious meal tonight – grilled salmon with lime and sea salt on potato mash with peas, carrots and broccoli.

We have also started some preliminary holiday planning for later in the year but more on that another day.

The decluttering continues – every day I usually manage to move at least one thing into the op shop bag.  I have 2 bags full to drop off tomorrow when I go into town to pick up some supplies.

Til next time.

Time to Celebrate

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It is one year ago today that I started writing this blog.  I am really pleased that I have managed to stick at it for a whole year.  It is due, in no small part, to my dear readers.

Your regular visits that keep that little stat counter ticking over, the thoughtful comments and the inherent knowledge that there is someone out there in cyberspace waiting to read the next installment of my ramblings are the things that inspire me to write another post.

The stat counter is about to hit its own milestone.  By this time tomorrow the will be 20,000 hits.

The WordPress platform has proved to be much more to my liking than Blogger which I used for my previous couple of short-lived blogging attempts.  I know that many bloggers of long-standing use Blogger but I am happier with WordPress.

Speaking of WordPress, they have just introduced statistics by country which is very interesting.  I knew I had some readers from the USA but have discovered that I have had visitors from no less than 36 countries!  WOW!  Please introduce yourself and where you are from.

Finally, although he has no idea idea who I am, I must also thank Bryan Allain for his book, “31 Days To Finding Your Blogging Mojo”.  This little volume which I downloaded to my Kindle helped me to understand why I was writing this and what I wanted to achieve.

I will continue to write and hope that you will continue to read and join me on my journey to a simpler, more sustainable and organised life which leaves space for the things I really love and value.

Until tomorrow.

Pinterest – Friend or Foe?

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I am probably way behind the times but about a month ago I took a look at the latest phenomenon sweeping the online world – Pinterest.  I became aware of it because of several threads about it on the forum of Simple Savings.  I had a browse and I just didn’t get what all the hype is about.  I discarded any ideas of Pinterest as an inane waste of time with no redeeming features.  I thought nothing more about it until I stumbled across 2 blogs in the last week.

Joshua Becker at Becoming Minimalist took a close, first-hand look and came up with this post about the pros and cons of Pinterest.

Yesterday, one of the ‘Freshly Pressed’ featured blogs on WordPress was from Never Contrary about the same subject.

Please read these links as I think they probably put their thoughts far more eloquently than I will but here are my thoughts on Pinterest:

It can be addictive – this is almost the first comment from anyone who has joined.
The concept feeds unrealistic aspirations and can easily promote jealousy and envy.
It is an insidious form of clutter.
There could be serious legal implications.
It promotes consumerism and the acquisition of stuff.
Like everywhere else on the internet the advertisers are tracking your every move.

I have not joined and do not envisage being sucked into this unrealistic, time-wasting world of pinning.  The blogs I have linked to have helped to crystallise my views.  I would rather be creating something of value in my own home than be living vicariously through random images on the internet.

Have you joined Pinterest?  What are your thoughts?

 

Space When You Need It

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I have previously written about the benefits of living with less.  By having less stuff in our homes we immediately benefit by having less maintenance – less washing, less dusting, less cleaning and so on.

Doing less allows us more time and freedom to choose what we do with that time.  This can be time to volunteer, exercise or indulge a variety of passions.

Sometimes things that are completely out of your control happen that require time and attention from you at relatively short notice.  This has happened to me and I have been able to easily adjust my schedule to accommodate these changes.

It made me think how much more stressful these situations would be if my days were completely crammed with commitments and I had to struggle with finding the time for important things that require my attention.

Do you have spaces available and what would you do?

As an aside, I will try to maintain my blogging routine but please bear with me if there are some interruptions to the regular service.

Are You Hiding?

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Slowly but surely more of you are choosing to follow this blog.  Some I know through your blogs but others of you remain a mystery.

Then there are those of you who are not followers – please consider subscribing.  To subscribe you can just click the button ‘Sign Me Up’ on the right hand side of the blog.

The best part of the blog is being able to have a conversation with you about topics that are raised and share ideas.

So, my challenge for you today is to post a short comment and introduce yourself.  Information you could share may be:

  • How you found this blog
  • Your location (in general terms)
  • Ideas for future posts
  • Your interests

I look forward to hearing from you and creating a dynamic community where we can learn and share.

What are you waiting for?  Just click on ‘Leave a Comment’. 🙂

Another Book

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Tonight I want to tell you a little about a book I read recently. It is an ebook which I found at Extra Organized, by Kim Woodland.  No disrespect to my American friends but it is refreshing to read an organising book written by an Australian author.

The sub-title of the book is, “How to use the best of organizing to shape a meaningful life”.  This sums up the essence of the book beautifully.  Organising is not about buying more boxes to put things in.  It is about using your organising skills to manage all facets of your life and really living your life today, in the here and now.

I love the simplicity and clarity of purpose used in the book.  I have read the book twice so far and I know it will continue to be a reference and source of inspiration for me.

If you are interested in organising to make a real difference in your attitude to your possessions and relationships I would thoroughly recommend this book.  Just pop over to her blog to find out more.

A Book Review

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As I promised some time ago, I wanted to give my thoughts on a book I have read recently.  It is ‘Simplify’ by Joshua Becker who also writes the blog, Becoming Minimalist.

I have the book on my Kindle and have now read it 3 times.  Why did I read it 3 times, you ask?  I kept looking for a blinding flash of inspiration but it was not there for me.  This is a straightforward little volume that contains many good, solid ideas for setting out on the road to minimalism.  I just couldn’t get excited about it like I did with ‘The Joy of Less’.  I spent $2.99 on the Kindle edition so it will not break the bank, nor add any more clutter to my bookshelf so I do not regret getting ‘Simplify’.

I have taken a bit of a look at the blog which Joshua writes and I find the offerings on the blog of more value to me.

Have you read ‘Simplify’?  Do you have a minimalism book?  Look forward to your thoughts.

While You Were Sleeping………………

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I am not sure what you were doing, but during the short hiatus in posts over Christmas I have done a bit of housekeeping and (hopefully) improved the features of the blog.  The links which were in the sidebar are now listed in the pages under the header photograph.  Roll your mouse over the black bar to see your choices.  I hope the categories will help you to find the particular things that interest you.

There are some new blogs to check out and more will be added in the future.

There is now a search function on the sidebar so you can find posts relating to a particular word or topic.

Please let me know what you think and if there are any other changes that would make it better.

I know some people are seeing ads and pop-ups on the blog.  This is annoying and I will be working to stop this, however, I don’t expect it to be a quick fix.  Please bear with me.

Closed For Christmas

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A short final post to wish all of my readers a very Merry Christmas.

When I began writing this blog early this year I had no idea whether I could really blog consistently, what I would write about (apart from a very general idea of the topics I might cover) or if it would be of any interest to anyone.  You have all inspired me to keep going and develop the themes of organisation and sustainability which is what underpins all of my writing.

I hope we can continue to inspire each other and make a difference to our own lives and the lives of others in 2012.

Please have a safe and joyous Christmas season.  Wherever you are, I hope you can take time to relax and recharge yourself.  Enjoy the company of family and friends.

I hope you will come back and join me in 2012.  I am looking forward to the new year with anticipation.  I love the thought of a blank canvas waiting for me to put my mark on it.

Best wishes for the festive season and 2012.  May it be everything you desire.