Passions Ignited - My Life is Crafted World!

Many of you know I am going through a rebrand of the Savvy Sassy She to Arienne Gorlach - Luxe Life Adventuress at the moment. This site will be going through a revamp over Christmas time to bring it in line with inspiration and education around life design (yeehaa!). There will be more how-to posts and ways to become an Adventuress in the biggest journey of all...your life!

In the meantime, here's a video to share some of the passion that I have around implementing the gorgeous life you are creating.The reason behind my diary/planner line, Life is Crafted :) Enjoy!




 Make is as you wish Adventuress!
Arienne

10 Minute Trips: The Wheel of Life - Where you at Girlfriend?

Ahoy Adventuresses! Let's go on a Ten Minute Trip into your Life!

The image above shows The Wheel of Life, a really powerful exercise. It will provide you with a birdseye snapshot of where you are in the big areas, at this moment in time.

I often use this with my clients as it provides a clear starting point of where they are at and starts to provide them with insights of where they want to go, where there is balance (or lack of balance!), where they are happy and where their priorities lay.

We don't need to get into that much detail in 10 minutes, so we'll be using this tool to see where you're at now girlfriend!

Ready to take off?! Take some action!

1. Grab a blank piece of paper and draw a circle with a dot in the middle and 11 spokes coming out.
2. Label each of the spokes as per the image above with the different sections:

• Love - Your romantic relationship. Your lovelife. How happy you are in your relationship, looking for a relationship or flying as a solo superwoman.
• Family - How your relationship is with your family? Your immediate members - siblings, parents, children.
• Social/Friendships - How are you feeling around your social activities and friendships?
• Health/Fitness - Where are you at with your health and fitness in your physical body?
• Self Image/Love - Self confidence, self esteem, self talk. How are you feeling towards yourself?
• Spiritual - Your connection to The Universe/God/Higher Power/Something Bigger
• Giving Back - Your contribution back to society - volunteering, donations, charity
• Finance - Money levels, financial understanding, savings, budget, investing
• Career/Business - your studies, job or role, your career path
• Fun/Hobbies/Interests - Do you have and spend time on things that are fun and add to your life?
• Personal Development/Growth - your growth as a whole person - emotionally, intellectually, physically spiritually
• ? - I left a question mark in case you wanted to add an area of your own that is important - ie creativity, surroundings (the physical environment you're in). 

3. Now, rate each section from 1-10. 

'1' being 'holy-moly, it's crap, a schmozzle I tells ya.' 

'10' being 'blissly divine, so freaking amazing, I'm rocking this area!'

The one is in the center of the wheel and the ten is the outer rim.

Don't over think it! Just start at one spoke and go around the sections putting an 'X' where you feel you are now. Be honest, you can't lose anything and you won't get a gold star for all 10s,  you'll get more out of the exercise with your truthfulness

4. If you want you can connect the dots and it looks like a web and you can clearly see the peaks and troughs.

It is such a simple but eye opening activity! Step one is done!

If you want to take it to the next level, start jotting down or thinking why you gave the score that you did to a particular area.

I'll go into more details next week for our next 10 Minute Trip.

Make it as you wish Adventuresses!
Arienne

Philofaxy 360/30 Lists: October 2012

I believe there exists a high correlation between loving stationery and loving lists… If you love one you gotta love the other… I don’t know which one comes first. You love stationery therefore you love lists or the other way around??

Anyhoo, the understatement of the day or realistically, the understatement of the decade is that I love lists. I also love planners, diaries, journals and notebooks (surprise!). So when I came across the fabulous Facebook group 365/30 List: Philofaxers I couldn’t resist!

I know I’m starting late, but didn’t want to let that stop me!

I’m writing the lists here on the blog and/or in the notebook file I’m carrying around at the moment while I set up my own system.

Are you a list lover too?

Make it as you wish SSSs!
Arienne

My Portable Office

I mostly work from home, but also work at the 10thousandgirl shared space once a week and then at random places on an ad hoc basis when I just need to get out!

This means I have to have all my important stuff together so I can do what I need to wherever I am.

Some people are very minimalist. I am not one of those people.

I am visual - I need paper.
I need lists I can see and schedules that are in front of me.

So here are the items that make up my portable office (and yes, sometimes I am really daggy and I cart them around in a wheelie case - it was not sexy enough to photograph for this post.):

Phone & Headphones

I love listening to podcasts on the go and the headphones are also good for handsfree conversations.

iPad

I gave up on my internet dongler because it really was hopeless! Now I just quickly check and send emails from the iPad if necessary.

 

 Laptop & Mouse

I don't like the mouse on the laptop so I always have my wireless mouse on hand. It is especially helpful when I'm fussing around with excel spreadsheets and jumping between different programs.

Diary/Organizer/Planner

I cannot live without my planner. It has all my important information in it and its where I schedule and prioritise what is going on in my week.

 

Blog Planner

Since I created my own blog planner I wonder how I survived before! It helps me plan what posts should be ready when and keeps it altogether and clear for my chaotic mind.

 

Notebook

While my diary keeps me on track I use my notebook to scribble out plans and details of the projects I'm working on. I prefer paper first and then I put things together and edit on the computer.

Pencil Case

It makes such a difference writing and planning in colour with nice pens as opposed to just boring old blue or black ink. That's why I carry around my pink polka dot pencil case. It holds all the important writing and work tools including:

Whiteout

Pens

Coloured markers

Highlighters

USB stick

Post its

So, that is my portable office!

Do you lug around as much as I do or are you much more minimalist or digital??


Make it as you wish SSSs!
Arienne

How to: Review Your Year and Create the 12 Months Ahead

 Found On

Sometimes we charge through the year. Time flies and we can't even remember what we did last week let alone last month.

We're on automatic pilot just doing, doing, doing.

Running from one to-do to the next. Meeting deadlines. Scrambling around last minute for things.
Sure, there may have been some fun holidays, great dinners with friends, nights out (that you, ahem, may not remember) and you went to that gym class. But then you realise that the year has passed and you didn't achieve x, y OR z.

And what the hell was this year about anyway? What did you really do?

Sound familiar? Feel familiar? Imagine going through the rest of your life like this - Not clear on what was good or bad. Not having the highlights jump out at you. Not seeing the lessons so you could make it better the next time round. Not really reaching or achieving anything that is important to you.

Icky isn't it!

One of our favourite concepts at 10thousandgirl is that you spend time planning a party, a house renovation, a garage sale, your shopping list and the wedding, but how much time do you spend planning your life?

It is simple to change but it takes effort...

Bringing some attention to what you have achieved! Pat yourself on the back for accomplishing something. Review the events, highlights and lessons learned in the previous 12 months. This can be done at any time - not just at the end of the year.

Then create priorities and intentions for the year. Focus on what is important. Set goals. Put plans in place to reach them. Have fun. Celebrate milestones. Then look forward to reviewing the year with a greater sense of satisfaction and joy.

To help you do this Zoe Lamont and I put together (drum roll please!):

The Little Book of Year In Year Out Goodness!
 
Download the Free Review Your Year and Create the 12 Months Ahead Workbook

It's a series of fun exercises to help you gain clarity and purpose around the year ahead after processing the reflections from the past 12 months. The booklet covers areas such as:
     Reviewing the events and highlights of 2011;
     Collating in one place the things you are grateful for;
     Building or amending your bucket list;
     Reassessing your goals and creating new ones for the upcoming year;
     Setting your intention and priorities for 2012;

Here’s to a 2011 that taught us a lot and to a 2012 that will be packed with whatever you want it to be!

Print it out and brainstorm away - follow the exercise, fill in the blanks.

Make it what you wish SSSs!
Arienne xo

Travel in Your Own Style

 Photo Credit

I have been having an absolutely marvellous time in London. A month is a great amount of time to see things and to immerse yourself in the culture at a slower pace than a 4-day tourist rush around town. It totally suits me better because I'm not a great tourist: You mean I have to wait for an hour or more in that queue to see x??!! Well, I'd rather sit in a cafe and watch the locals go by...

When you go on holiday, work out an itinerary that suits you and your traveling style. I prefer to have a few things scheduled in and then allow for spontaneity to fill in the rest of the time. You never know when you will stumble over a gem of a suggestion from someone you've just met or find a hidden treasure that you've found at the end of a pretty alley way. And it just feels so wrong for me to rush from monument to statue to other attraction, spend 10 minutes there then, tick them off the checklist.

I think organised tours have their place - especially when you don't have the luxury of much time - but I prefer to go at my own pace. I also like to sleep in accommodation that has less than 6-12 strangers in close proximity. I prefer having a place booked before I arrive somewhere. I'm not spontaneous or brave enough to find somewhere on arrival! But that is just me...

It is really important to understand what you want and need out of your travels. Set your intentions for your trip and organise yourself in a way that will make your travels as comfortable and as authentic to you as possible. Consider who you're traveling with and make sure your expectations are similar.

Make it as you wish SSSs!
Arienne xo

Carry-On Calm Travel Packing List

 Photo Credit

Long-haul international travel can be taxing on the body and the mind. I'm off to London next week and that means a lot of hours on the go, on the plane and in transit. Probably about 30 hours door to door with very little sleep!

But there is an upside. I have to say that, for some reasons, I like travel. I always find it exciting. Everyone going somewhere with some sort of purpose. The arrivals hall of airports is one of my favourite places. Seeing families and lovers reuniting, I always wonder what their story is. Plus it is my opportunity to catch up on movies that I never get around to seeing at the cinema (and then forget about when I'm at the video store)!

I thought I'd share with you my clothing suggestions, carry on luggage list and what the necessities are to bring with you when posing as an international jet-setter. I sometimes wish I could be that guy that you often see that just carries on his book, boarding pass and passport (but I'm not). It may be overkill but when I'm in a different place I like to have things on hand (and just in case my checked-in luggage ends up at a different location than I do) - add and subtract to suit you :)

Photo Credit

Clothing Suggestions To Wear Aboard

• Wear something that is absolutely comfortable. Now is not the time for that tight pair of jeans.
• Bring layers - the temperatures vary so much so you want to control what you can. Scarf, cardigan, jacket.
• Wear closed shoes that are easy to slip on and off (remember, feet often swell at altitude).
• Not very sexy but I wear compression socks because I had sore elephant feet once and I don't want to scare myself like that again
• Think about the weather at your destination too and bring it with you or pack it at the top of your suitcase to take out and change at the airport
• A watch - I don't normally wear a watch as I use my phone for the time, but if I have to switch my phone off to conserve battery, I still want to know how much longer I have left on the flight!
  

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Check-In Luggage
Make sure it has wheels or something that makes it easy to move around (have you ever had to walk from one terminal to another at Heathrow?! Lesson learned!)

Photo Credit

Carry On Luggage
Roller Bag - if you have a lot of heavy stuff it's easier to wheel than carry!
Handbag with sections so things don't get jumbled up.
Travel Document Wallet - to keep all the important docs together (tip - keep a copy of important docs in carry on and in checked in luggage)

Photo Credit

Important Things

• Passport
• Ticket/Itinerary/Boarding Pass
• Wallet (don't forget to take out all the loyalty cards you won't be using overseas to lighten the load)
• Some foreign currency (you don't want to take the chance that your cards don't work and you haven't got any cash while you sort it out!)
• Hard copy version of important phone numbers, addresses and travel confirmations
  
  
  

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Entertainment

• Book
• Magazine
• Crossword/Sudoku
• iPod - for my audio books, podcasts and music
• iPad/Kindle - to read books/play games
• iPhone - I don't suggest reading or using your phone for too much while travelling. You want to save your battery for phone calls/text messages
• Headphones
• Apple USB charger (some planes enable you to recharge at your seat)
• Laptop
• Laptop Charger
• Camera
• Journal/Notebook - for musings and idea scribbles
• Pens
• Organiser
  
  

 Photo Credit

Personal

• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Deoderant
• Perfume
• Hand Sanitiser
• Face/Body Wipes
• Moisturiser
• Lip Balm
• Eyedrops
• Hairbrush, pins, hairband
• Mints
• Panadol
• Vitamins, medicine
• Melatonin or other sleep/jetlag remedies
• Rescue Remedy
• Blow up neck pillow - it takes less space than the other ones
• Change of underwear and top to stay fresh :)
• Snacks - because I hate being hungry!!!
  
  

Optional
Eye mask - I'm not a big fan but some people swear by using them
Personal hair and makeup artist to arrive in style (I wish...)

Happy Travels SSSs! Print out your own list and tick it off as you put things in. Don't forget to charge all your electronics before you board and double check the important things (passport, wallet, ticket) before you leave. You can buy everything else if you forget them.

Make it as comfortable as you wish!
Jetsetter Arienne xo

Inbox Overload Craziness

So when my email inbox was getting up to 2400 unread messages and the emails that I wanted to read from friends and family were getting lost, and worse yet, unseen and unresponded to, I knew I had to do something.

Well, I'm still in the process of doing it. Many of you are probably way ahead of me on this front!! I'm trawling through my emails and working out what is worth keeping and what I should unsubscribe from.

Then I'm going to be opening a new email account and using that for all the sign ups etc and keep my private one for the important emails (banking, flights and of course the people I really want to be in contact with!).

On a side note, is it only me or are we getting less personal emails because so much communication happens through facebook? Or am I just getting unpopular?!

Any tips or suggestions?

Make it as you wish SSSs!

PS this post is for you Bartek, I felt guilty about not posting something... :) 

Streamlined Chaos

This is a post I wrote for The 10thousandgirl Campaign. I hope you enjoy!

I have an admission to make…I am messy…

Not in the filthy ‘there might be mouse under there if I move it’ messy, more in the ‘most surfaces are covered with something’ messy.

My handwriting is messy. My hair is messy. My desk is a shambles. But I’m pretty sure I know where everything is. Sorta pretty sure.

Someone help the person who tries to tidy up my piles of stuff (however good intentioned it is visiting mother). Because I know that piece of paper I was looking for was in pile #3 on the left hand side of the table. Now you’ve stacked them all on top of each other and put them in the cupboard and I’m fuming because my filing system is now out of sync.

Now, I know the benefits of tidy minimalism – clarity, ability to focus, efficiency etc, but while I attempt to achieve this (see below) I somehow revert back to piles.

(this is the below) I have another admission…I am an organising fiend. I have beautiful stationary. I create folders with carefully labelled tabs. I read blogs and books about organising. I create my own systems and routines. I even created my own paper diary – designing and printing out the pages myself with well-thought out columns and collating them into a beautiful organiser.

Zoe Lamont, generous founder of 10thousandgirl, often lovingly teases me about this (well, I’m assuming it’s lovingly!).

I set up weekly routines and plan out my days and months in advance (see another post I wrote about this). I go through spurts of delicately crafting how my wardrobe is set up, rearranging a drawer and filing all the bits of paper on my table.

Do I always stick to it? Um, no… But it makes me feel good to know that I’ve organised and planned out the most important things. It makes me feel a little more together. A little more ready to tackle the myriad of projects, tasks and goals.

I am a juxtaposition of streamlined chaos. Am I satisfied with that? Sometimes…

Sometimes I think that having everything in its place would give me more focus and productivity; additional effectiveness and efficiency. Getting organised excites me and I have experienced first-hand the benefits. Organising your financial paperwork is particularly important so you don’t miss opportunities or deadlines (listen out for our podcast interview with Lissanne Oliver of Sorted.net.au coming out on 27th September).

Other times I feel I have much better things to do with my life than be perfectly organised. Like actually living life in all its messy, chaotic, fun and crazy glory!

Do you get organised and stay organised? What are the benefits? Can you relate to being in streamlined chaos? Do you embrace ‘messyness’? What are your tips on being organised? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Arienne Gorlach is 10thousandgirl’s content manager. She owns a few books on organising. They are not filed in alphabetical order. Neither of the desks in the photos are hers.

Photo Credit 1
Photo Credit 2


http://www.10thousandgirl.com/2011/09/06/streamlined-chaos/

Reconnecting with My Dreams

I always find that the busier I am in one part of my life, the less I connect with my overall dreams and goals. I feel the need to make some space to reconnect with the big picture right now amidst this frantic pace.

This lesson comes to me time and time again. That the busy moments are the moments I need to have my schedule and routine together to ensure that I am tracking with things that are most important to me. Otherwise they get lost in the doing sphere of one area.

During these busy times date night, exercise, my focus on relationships, on other interests and activities go out the window. Of course we all have weeks where certain priorities take precedence over others.

And then the minute you don't have things scheduled that feeling of overwhelm creeps up where all the other things I should have done or should be doing rear their head. And I feel frozen in inactivity while my mind churns. Where shall I start? What should I do? Is this thing more important than that? Wait, they're all important...

The mental battle of spending some quality time with The Man (who I feel I have neglected a little, and feel even worse for because I also go away for five days next week including his birthday...Poor boy :( ) and sitting at the laptop to churn away on The Week in Review, Things I Love Thursday and February Review/March dreams. And the struggle between going to Yoga with a gal pal and sitting down and shifting through my finances. Between setting myself up healthily and sitting down to do some work to get a jump start on next week. To trying to clean the kitchen, do the laundry and working out job description roles and salary scales...

Can I fit all of that into the Sunday I have left and still feel refreshed and on top of things for a Monday of a crazy week ahead (coordinating workshops, doing the many final details for our launch event, going to Canberra and then Wagga for workshops and speeches, celebrating The Man's birthday a bit early, enjoying a relatively quiet hen's night out, having some meetings and doing all the other day to day work and trying to catch up from last week). Phew...

There are only so many things we can realistically do, so is it fair to beat ourselves up when we don't achieve them all? Plus ensure that we are looking after ourselves and ensuring that we are giving our souls the nourishment they need?

What a journey our lives are ladies!

So I'm going to pen this, go to yoga, come back and clean the kitchen and do some laundry. Spend some quality time with The Man. Reconnect with my dreams, plan the week ahead. Anything else will be a bonus. And I'm not going to be too hard on myself.

How do you feel during these times? What do you do?

Make it as you wish SSSs!
Arienne xo

My Handbag Organisation

I love sorting out my handbag. I can't promise that it is always so well organised, but the intention is there! I love the idea of a really organised life and having on hand whatever I need. So it is a little idealistic since my handbag is already too heavy for a healthy should to carry!

Plus I got some awesome handbags from my mum for Christmas (and yes, that is Handbags plural and I'm not testifying to their 'realness'). I hope I have enough space in my luggage to carry them all home! I received (pics to come!):

• A stunning brown leather (huge) medicine bag
• A matching brown leather shoulder bag that my laptop fits wonderfully in to
• A cute classic black Chanel purse that is ideal for across the body evenings
• A really cute Cath Kidston saddle bag
  

In an ideal world this is what I have with me:

NECESSITIES

• iPhone
• Wallet (ID, credit and debit cards, receipts, change, I learned the hard way to have people's phone numbers written down)
• Keys
• Water bottle

WORK/RESOURCES

• Diary/Organiser
• Pen
• Notebook
• Laptop
• Business Cards

ENTERTAINMENT

• Music and headphones (either my iPhone or my iPod)
• Book (this is often on my iPhone too)
• Camera (once again mostly on iPhone now)

BEAUTY/COMFORT - I put these in a little zippered bag (I've been using some cute bags from Pretty in Pink)

• Small Hairbrush
• Lip balm
• Make up bits for touch ups only - eyeliner, blush, powder
• Hand sanitiser (I love the smell of the Radox cucumber one)
• Compact Mirror
  
• Tampons
• Panadol & pills
• Hair tie and bobby pins
• Tissues
• Nail cutter/emery board
• Moist towellettes
• Deodorant
• Small perfume
• Sunscreen

MISC

• Sunglasses
• Mints

GENERAL TIPS

• Minituarise things for portability
• Clean out your handbag and wallet regularly
• Keep things to a minimum
• Buy one of those handbag organisers for each handbag switching
• Choose a handbag that suits your needs and personality
• Have enough pockets for you to keep organised but not to lose everything in

What do you have in your handbag?

Make it as you wish SSSs!
Arienne xo

Photo Credit

I Love...Planning, Organising, Systems, Routines!

For many, many years I have loved systemising, routines, getting organised and been on a journey to finding the perfect daily organiser.

I have so many ideas and ways that I am still on the journey to implement and really see what works for me and what needs to be tweaked. I just read a post that Gala Darling wrote about routines and I thought I should finally post mine too!

There will probably be a series of posts about this, but I want to start somewhere. So I've decided to start on Routines because I've already created my Ideal Routine for 2011. The pics that accompany aren't the best as I took them with my iPhone, but I'll clarify and it should give you a good idea.

There are many different types of routines you can create, write down to having a Morning Routine (which I love - have a look at flylady.net for cleaning and great morning and evening routines!).

The overview I've created is trying to be realistic and not over planning a million 'ideal' actions that I will never get around to doing every day/week/month year and end up feeling like a failure. Here is a snap of my routine that encompasses day, week, fortnight, month, quarterly, 6 months and yearly actions. It is still a work in progress.

1. Before you create your routine, its good to be clear on what your goals are as there are repetitive actions that can be incorporated into your routine.

2.I started with thinking about the actions and tasks that would help me achieve what I wanted to do and how I wanted to feel. Not all of them will go into the routine, some of them will be guiding principles. I wrote down the two lists below that would help me develop my routine.

HABITS I WANT TO CREATE
Write more - Morning Pages/Journal and Blog
Complete tasks
Put things away
Capture moments with photos and thoughts in journal
Exercise
Breathing Freely
Get more artistically creative
Slow down and be present with the person/situation in front of me
Focus and stop 'busy work' distractions
Do what I say I will

THINGS I WILL DO DAILY
Get up early
Exercise
Write my Morning Pages/Journal
Look at my goals
Review and plan with my diary/organiser then take action
Take a photo daily
5 minutes of decluttering/clearing
365 day, 1 sentance journal
Zero Inbox
Clear work desk at the end of the day
Gratitude and Breathing

3. Then think about things you have to do because you're a human being (cleaning, food shopping, dentist etc)

4. Grab a scrap piece of paper and write the headings down of different timelines that work of you (daily, weekly, etc). Then start writing down the different activities under the different headings. You can make it all organised and pretty later. A lot of the activities from my two lists above can be put into tasks of the different time frames.

Here you can see my Daily Activities (pretty much the list I wrote above) and Fortnightly.

FORTNIGHTLY ACTIONS
Hair treatment
Date outing
Artist's Date
Cleaning Session
Creative time
Massage
Contact Dad

5. I also created an ideal work day breakdown that I put below the weekly schedule. I don't know why the pic won't go the right way up! But I've written:

IDEAL WORK DAY
6am-7.30 Exercise
7.30-8 Get Ready
8-9 Morning pages and breakfast
9-10 Emails and Zero Inbox
10-12 Project work and phone calls
12-12.30 Lunch
1-3 Project Work
3-4 Creative Work/Planning Work
4-4.30 Ad Hoc
4.30-5 Plan Next Day
5-5.30 Emails and Clear Desk


6. I put the things that i want to do weekly into a Monday - Sunday schedule with a general idea of when they can be done - refer to the 1st pic to get an idea of the scheduling.

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES
Management meeting
KPI's
GTD Planning
Blog Roll and Reading
Shopping
Plan next week
Week in Review
Write blog
Date Night
Errands and Appointments
Cleaning
Plan Meals
Shopping
Family Dinner Night
Face Mask

MONTHLY
Finance summary
Monthly Dreams/review
Friends catc up
Mani/Pedi
Pamper session
Newsletter
...

7. Then you make sure you diarise the different activities on a regular basis and refer to the routine regularly during the day to keep on track.

8. You can always revise and tweak on a regular basis to make sure your routine is working for you and you're not setting yourself up for failure with the tempting task of overscheduling!

9. The most important thing for us 'Planners' is to TAKE ACTION. Do it!

Make it as your wish SSSs!
Arienne xo