Time to Reflect: Inventories & Audits

The holidays are the busiest time of the year for many of us. Our calendars are so weighed down you can almost see the activities dripping off the paper. But in spite of all the busyness, we still need some quiet time to regroup and refresh. That’s where Audits and Inventories can help. But these aren’t your typical audits and inventories of what you still need to do or the contents of your cabinets. Listen in and discover different types, and how they can help you learn to slow down and enjoy your simple life!

Transcript

The holidays are the busiest time of the year for many of us. Our calendars are so weighed down you can almost see the activities dripping off the paper. But in spite of all the busyness, we still need some quiet time to regroup and refresh. And after listening to this podcast, you may just discover you have a great excuse for why you need a longer than normal quiet time session!

In Episode 37, we talked about finding quiet time during the holidays. This year let’s look at combining that quiet time with an Inventory and Audit list. 

And don’t worry – I’m not going to make you inventory everything you have in your pantry or closets. I’m not even brave enough to do that right now. Instead, we’re going to do things a bit differently. The purpose of these Audits and Inventories is to give you an opportunity to see the life you are currently living, find the things which are most important, and get a bird’s eye view of what things you may need to let go of in order to live a more simple, peaceful, and even intentional, lifestyle. 

First up, you’re going to do an audit of your spending habits. Nope. You don’t have to grab your checkbook or budget, although making sure your finances are in order should be a priority. Instead, you’re going to do an audit on how you spend your life’s Currency in the form of time. Think of time as money. A minute may represent a penny, an hour as $10.00, and a whole day as $100.00. If it was real money, you would think twice about how it was spent. But we don’t always look at our time like it was cash we’re spending. 

Just as you would your finances, you would break down your time into where it’s being spent and if it aligns with your goals and values. When it comes to money, you first want to make sure you have a roof over your head, food to feed your family, and clothes to wear. When it comes to spending time, your first thoughts should be with those things which are most important and require a sense of necessity. For me, my first ‘item’ of value would be my family and faith, so I make sure I have plenty of time allotted for both of them. Next would be making sure my family is fed, so I spend time quite a bit of time in the garden growing fresh food. But I also have to work, so when I do my Time Audit, I consider how much time I need to spend in that area. 

You could also think of Time in terms of boundaries and think of those boundaries as a big rubber band. For each thing you do that takes up time, place it in the center. When you have everything you do sitting inside the circle, are your boundaries too tight? Are they stretched to the breaking point? Or is it a comfortable fit?

If you still have some breathing room, don’t be tempted to fill in the spaces with busyness. Instead, consider that as time that can either be filled with an unexpected necessity, or just as extra room for some much-needed quiet time. But if your rubber boundary is stretched so tightly it’s threatening to shoot off into the stratosphere, then you may need to take time to figure out what can be eliminated. 

And here’s another thing to consider when you’re doing a Time Audit. When it comes to those quiet moments, consider how they are spent as well. Are they comfortable and soothing to your mind, heart and soul? Or are they filled with thoughts of what you still have to do, or an opportunity to dwell on problems and worries? Yes, there may be things in your life that need some serious thought or contemplation, and some quiet time may be needed to work them out. But you still need the time to settle in, calm your spirit, and just breathe. It’s these quiet moments that may help you clear the excess clutter out of your mind in order to help you resolve the issue or give you the wisdom and strength to just ‘be still’ and understand that the problem may just need some time to be fixed.

Now that you have your Time Audit done, it’s time to do an Emotional Inventory.  An emotional inventory deals with recurring emotions or ‘themes’ if you will, in your life. Take a look at what emotions you feel most often. Think about the picture these portray. Is it an oil painting of angry, sad, or frustrated colors? Or is it a canvas filled with the soothing watercolors of peace, joy, and contentment? It may even be a blend of the two. 

Next, look hard at the artwork you have created. The patterns you are painting may signify areas where you may need healing, or change. They may also represent areas where spots of colorful gratitude or encouragement may be added. 

A great way to approach your Emotional Inventory is to divide it into a two-part process we’ll call ‘Release and Renew’. Process One will be reflecting on the emotional burdens you may need to deal with and let go of, and Process Two would be the emotions you want to cultivate and allow to grow into healthy perspectives. 

Now for the Personal Growth and Resilience Inventory. Think back to the challenges you’ve gone through in your life. Look at not just the outcome, but how you maneuvered your way through them. Consider the lessons you learned, the creative ways you found to get around the detours, or even the hard work you did and persistence you had to overcome the obstacles. 

We often don’t realize the sheer depths of our resilience and abilities until we look back at what we have overcome. This inventory not only helps you apply the lessons you’ve learned in future difficulties, but it is also a powerful tool to use to build your self-confidence.

You may also want to add an Unexpected Growth section to this inventory. Some of the trials we go through help us to become a more patient person. We may learn the lesson of forgiveness or be encouraged to live a simpler life. These are what are called the ‘invisible’ achievements, and all too often go uncelebrated. However, it may be time to bake cupcakes and have a party for these invisible achievements, as they can be an amazing addition to your overall lifestyle.

The last Inventory you need to take is your Simple Life Inventory. This one starts with looking at all the ‘stuff’ you have accumulated. Look at what you hold most important in your life, and which things you can take or leave. This exercise may help you when it comes to decluttering your home from material items, and also the emotional, mental, and physical things you are clinging to. 

When it comes to material items, we often have a ‘just in case’ attitude towards some things. You know, we have all those plastic containers ‘just in case’ we happen to have a small army stop by for dinner, and everyone needs leftovers to take home with them. Or we have a closet full of clothes ‘just in case’ we lose weight and can fit into those pants we used to love so much. 

I grew up with a generation before me who lived through the Great Depression. Their ‘just in case’ mindset was based on a reality where there really wasn’t enough to feed or clothe their family. And to a point, their thinking was justified. But eventually, the ‘just in case’ mentality can become a situation where there isn’t enough room for you to live in your home due to all the things you have accumulated. 

It may just be time to pack up all the ‘just in cases’ and donate them to charity. Instead of worrying about what you ‘might’ need, learn to encourage a mindset of trust over scarcity. 

The second part of your Simple Life Inventory is to reflect on your passions, hobbies, or interests that you enjoyed at one time, but were set aside due to time and money constraints. Which one of those still holds interests that you could reconnect with now?  

You may want to include a Passion Audit in this portion of your inventory. Take a close look at the activities you’re involved in. Are you still doing them because you love them, and they bring you joy? Or are they done out of habit or obligation? If this is the case, rather than continue to engage in them, let them go and use the time to delve deeper into the ones you love. 

The final part of your Simple Life Inventory is to do a review of your priorities. Ask yourself if these still make the cut. When I first started living a simple life, it took me a while to settle on my priorities. The end result was faith, family, home, gardening, passions, and community.  These categories have stayed the same. Some of the sub-categories have needed a bit of shifting, such as the gardening area. At one point in time, my goal was to grow at least 80% of our food sources. But I also had to consider there are only two people living on this farm, and to grow everything we want to produce, it would be an 18-hour day to maintain it all. It didn’t take long for me to figure out something would have to give – and I didn’t want to sacrifice time in the other categories in order to fulfill that dream. So, instead I scaled back on what we grow.

Now that you have completed your Inventories and Audits for the simple life you love, it’s time to get back to all of those holiday preparations that still need to be done. But remember, if you’ve chosen to simplify your Christmas this year, you may just still have plenty of time to stay where you are and just enjoy the peace and quiet. And won’t that be a relaxing and enjoyable thing to do?

If you want to learn more about living a Simple Life, just visit my website at www.thefarmwife.com/ . If you’re enjoying listening to these podcasts, please consider supporting the show by clicking the SUPPORT button in the show notes. When you do, you’ll be helping me continue bringing you fun and helpful ideas for living the Simple Life you love!

If you have questions or just want to stop in for a visit, you can do that through email at thevirtualporch@gmail.com. And be sure to subscribe – you don’t want to miss a single conversation. I'll be sitting on the porch every Monday morning waiting for your visit!

Thanks again for stopping in. I will see you next week on Living a Simple Life with a Back Porch View. And while you are waiting for the next episode, grab that glass of refreshment, pull up a rocker, and sit back for a while. It’s time to relax and enjoy.