Almost everyone procrastinates. There are always things you might not want to do, even though you know it may be necessary or in your very best interest to accomplish them.

The good news is you can avoid living like that. You can change the way you look at your tasks and make procrastination a distant memory.

There are all kinds of reasons why people procrastinate. Some do it because they don’t like the task, others do it because other things mean more to them, and still other people might be struggling with depression, sickness, or just feeling down.

No matter what your reasons for procrastinating, you can take control and get things done.

Find What Matters to You

It’s important to be able to do things that you want and enjoy to do, but the reality is that someone has to take out the garbage, wash the dishes, or complete that long-winded business report.

On the other hand, there should ideally be a healthy balance between things you really want to do but not pressingly enjoy, and things you do simply for pleasure.

Of course, what you like to do won’t necessarily be the same as what someone else enjoys, and that’s perfectly fine. Some people like to clean their homes. Others prefer to pay someone to clean so they can do something else. Neither person is wrong, nor should they try to convince the other person to change. They are both focused on what they enjoy doing.

If you want to stop procrastinating, your first step is to determine:

• What you really want to do – whether you enjoy doing these things or not
• What others have told you that you have to do
• What you can get others to do for you – either volunteer or paid

When you’ve been honest with yourself and determined what matters to you, you can focus on the tasks that you truly want to accomplish.

Be Sure to Reward Yourself

Ensure you get something when you give something. In other words, avoid doing a lot of tasks that you don’t enjoy without treating yourself.

It’s important that you reward yourself for doing things you don’t like doing. The reward should be simple and realistic, but also something that you can look forward to. A treat can be anything from a scoop of ice cream to your favorite movie to taking a walk under the stars – whatever you feel joyful about.

For example, you can tell yourself, “When I finish cleaning the kitchen, I’ll read another chapter in that book I enjoy.” You’ll be more likely to finish cleaning faster if you know you can do something fun afterward.

More Tips to Stop Procrastinating

Rewarding yourself – or using positive reinforcement – is only one good way to stop procrastinating. Making unwanted tasks more enjoyable so that you’re more inclined to get them done also works.

Try these techniques to convince yourself to complete those tasks:

1. Get others involved. Need to paint your house? Get your family or friends involved and then enjoy some time together afterward. Order a pizza. Watch a movie. Play in the yard. Do something that you feel joyful and connected about. This way, you can actually look forward to it!

2. Do one thing each day. Divide the task up into more manageable bits. For example, rather than cleaning your entire house in one day, just clean one or two rooms each day, on a schedule of your choosing. When you do that, the smaller tasks seem much easier to handle and you won’t spend your entire weekend cleaning.

3. Set realistic deadlines and goals. If you set unrealistic goals, it’s easy to make yourself discouraged. Avoid discouragement by setting goals and deadlines that are attainable. Your confidence and motivation soar when you know you can achieve what you set out to accomplish.

Overcoming procrastination takes work, but it’s something that anyone can do. Make a commitment today to stop procrastinating and start moving forward with your life. You can take control, and you’ll be glad you did as you find yourself accomplishing your goals and enjoying more free time.

“Practice what you preach”

“Be your authentic self”

“Living in integrity”

“Actions speak louder than words”

What the heck does that actually mean?

In this advanced technical world where most communication is electronic, where you may never even meet your best friend in real life and have a face to face conversation… how do you create a REAL version of yourself?

How do you not get caught up in the illusions and exaggeration, how do you live passionately and fully self-expressed?

Do you create a persona?  are you just a mask that people hope they know?  Do you act differently around some people?

Here is what I think…

• “Practice what you preach” – tell the truth and tell it often, be transparent
• “Be your authentic self” – Communicate openly and honestly
• “Living in integrity” – Follow your passions and your truth, with unwavering faith
• “Actions speak louder than words” – Show your heart with your actions

My Core Values and How I know I am following them

• Passion – I am writing here… I am sharing my story so that others know they are not alone.
• Integrity – My actions speak louder than my words
• Authenticity – whether you chat with me online, on the phone, at a workshop, or just for coffee…. I am me
• Spirituality – Every day I am filled with gratitude for all I have
• Creativity – I spend 16 hours a day brainstorming new and exciting things
• Responsibility – I happily choose taking care of my family over all else

So what does it mean to be “Passionate and Fully Self-Expressed”?

To me…

… following your dreams passionately and communicating  your journey so others can learn with you…

Time Management has been on my mind lately and I have read quite a few really great articles.  So I wanted to share them with you.

7 Steps to Get it Out of your Head and into a System by Ciara Conlon

Getting Started

Take a pen and paper or open a note on your computer and start writing, all tasks, responsibilities, ideas and dreams. Leave no plan or idea unwritten. Keep writing until you run out of ideas. If you need some prompting download this Trigger Sheet adapted from David Allen’s book Getting Things Done®. This will help you to pull everything out of the recesses of your brain.

Read More….

My 40 Time Mastery Tips By Margo DeGange

Time mastery is different from time management. Time management is simply managing the time you have to work with each day and sometimes involves getting more done in less time. Time mastery on the other hand has first and foremost to do with being proactive and deciding in advance what you want (goals) how you will set up your days (your life really) and then choosing the best ways to execute that.

Read More…

Zap the Procrastination Bug! By Chantal Beaupre

Did you ever feel like you wanted to join the Procrastinator’s Club, but never quite got around to it? At some point in time, procrastination plagues us all, some more than others, but everyone at some point gets a bite from the bug.

Read More…

Find Time Using Soft Deadlines by Paula Eder

Soft deadlines?  That sounds like an oxymoron!  What are they?” you ask.

Soft deadlines are due dates that you set for yourself, ahead of whatever your final deadlines may be.  You can think of them as brightly colored buoys bobbing over rocks and shoals, marking the entrance to your harbor.

Read More…

Confronting Your Time Management Excuses By Karen Southall Watts

The challenge of time management is not new. Increasing pressure to “do more with less” is the hallmark of modern life. At some point everyone faces issues about how much to do or how to prioritize the items on their to-do-list. And the resources we need are all around us. There’s a wealth of information on the internet (much of it free), thousands of self-help books and CD’s and legions of gurus willing to tell us how to get it all done.

Read More…

21 Things You Could Do In Just 5 Minutes by Craig Jarrow

Life moves pretty fast.

Often, we let it slip by.

Bit-by-bit. Minute-by-minute.

Are you letting your time slip by?

Read More…

Time: How to Stop Hating the Clock and Find Inner Peace By Blaze Lazarony

Time goes by and the world impatiently beats at our doors, begging us to come out and play before the street lights come on at nightfall. Although the offer to go out with friends sounds tempting, part of us longs for some good old-fashioned alone time, a holy moment offering inner peace and tranquility.

Read More…

Awesome Articles to really get you moving on your time management.

Photo Credit: Matt Callow via Compfight

Henri from Wake up Cloud has written a great guide to turning your passions into a Lifestyle business called “Passionate Living: A Simple Guide to Doing What You Love?”

Of course I was attracted to it because I love anything that dives into how “passion” and “lifestyle” go together.  The guide is a 92-page page program that guides you from the beginning to the end in starting your journey toward your passion.  The part that I enjoyed the most was very actionable worksheet that takes you through the process.  There are a lot of extras as well!

I asked Henri several questions about that guide and he was happy to give us the inside scoop!

Q: What led you to write, “Passionate Living: A Simple Guide to Doing What You Love?”

It came from the questions my readers where asking me. I was receiving emails about the same topics over and over again, so I conducted a survey to confirm my suspicions, and then wrote a guide to cover all of those questions.

I have a feeling that that is what has made the guide so successful. Now a few years after I’ve written it, I still receive emails from people saying how it was one of the catalysts for changing their life.

And that’s something every writer/creator wants to hear!

Q: What do you feel is the #1 reason that people don’t follow their passions?

Belief.

And when you do not belief you can follow your passion, you don’t take action, which is one of the keys to making progress. It sounds pretty obvious when I put it like that, but it’s true.

It’s not by getting things perfect that you make progress, but by starting and moving forward even before you think you’re ready.

You learn as you go. You have to be willing to face you fears, make mistakes, and hit your head against hard objects to really succeed.

Stop waiting for something and start today.

What can people do to overcome this fear?

I haven’t yet found a way to completely eliminate fear from my life, so what I do is take things one step at a time.

What often happens is people start imagining worst case scenarios and then they keep playing their imaginary movie until they became so scared they do nothing.

But the truth of the matter is that you don’t know what will happen, which is why you have to take action.

If you do one thing each day, you will make progress.

Accept the fear and do it anyway. Stop trying to figure things out, and … yup, you guessed it — start!

Q: In the chapter “How to Find Your Passion Once and For All”, talk about the steps to finding your passion; Brainstorming, Elimination and Experiment. Do you find the most people stop at step 1?

I’d say that most people are more than happy to brainstorm, but when it comes to actually doing something (experimenting) they stop.

Many have dozens of passions they would never want to live without, and the good news is that you can often combine many passions (if you’re building a business around them), but sometimes you can’t.

And we have to be practical, at least in the beginning.

But the good news is that even if you pick one passion to play with today, it doesn’t mean that you eliminate the rest from your life.

Look at it like a buffé. You have all this food in front of you, but you have to start somewhere, so you pick one, taste it, and see if you like it.

Then you can go back for more. But if you do nothing, nothing will happen, and you will, in essence, be forfeiting all of your passions.

Q: I love how you are supporter of keeping your day job, until you are better able to support your lifestyle, do you feel this would eliminate the average persons fear of following their passions?

It definitely eliminates a lot of stress. I like to be practical, because what really matters is that you make progress toward your goals.

If you feel like you could do better without a day job, then go for it, but for most of the people I’ve come across, that isn’t the case.

We have to bargain with our fears. There’s no need to face them head on and scare the living daylights out of yourself if there’s an easier way.

Keep your job if you feel like it’s the best choice, but keep taking action toward your passions every day.

Q: Once you have found the intersection between money and passion AND you are doing it in a non-desperate way, what do you feel is the easiest or first way to start making money?

The first thing anyone should do is build a platform, which usually means a blog or a website.

Then build an audience around the topic of your passion (hopefully where you’re solving a problem). And remember to build an email list.

Once all that is in place, you will have people telling you what they have trouble with, and the way you make money is by helping people eliminate or alleviate those problems.

You make money by helping people. Sometimes that means affiliate marketing, sometimes it means putting together a coaching service, and sometimes it means creating a simple ebook.

Q: I love that you address the “time management” factor, especially for people that are starting out WHILE maintaining their day jobs, what do you feel is the biggest time waster? and what is the easiest way to get back some time?

The biggest time waster is lack of focus.

If you’re short on time, you have to learn what 20% of tasks give you 80% of results.

You don’t have time to play on social media just for fun. You either do it effectively, or you don’t do it at all.

One of the most important things you can do in the beginning is to build your email list (at least if you want to have a profitable online business).

If you aren’t doing that day in and day out, you’re (often) wasting time.

So to get back some of that time, you have to know what to focus on and what gives you results. Then you have to schedule that time and eliminate distractions.

Q: Blogging or really any small business is really about “10 years to overnight success”, what are some great ways to stay motivated when the going gets tough?

For me it’s always been that I really enjoy what I’m doing.

I don’t see myself as super successful, and I don’t think about the money that much as long as I have a place to live in and food on the table.

I keep taking things one step at a time and I enjoy where I am right now.

It’s easy to start daydreaming and look at how far you have to go, but instead direct your focus to the present moment and learn to cherish what you have right now.

Yes, things aren’t perfect, but they never will be. There will always be another goal to reach, another thing to have, or something to improve.

In short, find something you enjoy doing, take things one step at a time, and enjoy the process.

Q: Any final motivational thoughts for the reader? 

The most important thought I can share is that of taking action.

You have to be ruthlessly focused on taking one step each day toward what you want.

You will face obstacles, run into fears, and feel like giving up, but if you take just one step each day, you will reach your destination.

Getting paid to do work you love takes hard work, which is why most people never get there.

They end up complaining in a job they hate, but that doesn’t have to be you.

You can start today.

But will you?

Thanks so much for stopped by Sacred Earth Partners!  We enjoyed having you here.

If you would like to learn more about Henri and his work over a Wake up Cloud, you can find him here:

Website: http://www.wakeupcloud.com

Twitter: @henrijunttila

“Don’t count every hour in the day, make every hour in the day count.”

Throughout the course of history mankind has sought to develop new ways to record, track and make better use of time. From the invention of the sundial to the introduction of the modern calendar, the need to responsibly understand and manage time has been a concern to individuals, both in their professional and personal lives, for thousands of years.

Modern methods of time management incorporate various ways of recording time, to help an individual identify barriers to the effective use of time. Long and short term goal setting is encouraged. The term time management also applies to any number of methods which may be employed to help an individual organize and prioritize the goals to be accomplished.

I often wonder if I manage time or if it is managing me.  I am not sure how you would really know.  I have said in the past… “time un-management” time is really passing us by regardless of what we are doing….

3 Simple Tools

There are no hard and fast rules about what tools you must own, if you are going to embark on a mission to improve your time management skills. The following simple tools, however, are inexpensive, and can help make the process of tracking, planning and organizing your time easier and less burdensome.

Time Monitor Journal: This resource comes in both the digital and traditional varieties. It is useful in helping you to monitor and record your own use of time, in order to identify key areas for change. I like to recommend a person use this process for a week or two consistently; I believe that most people don’t really have a clue as to what they are spending their time on.

Sure you know that you spend time getting the kids ready for bed and then watching TV, but how much?

Planner- Available in digital and traditional formats, planners are wonderful for recording goals, making notes, keeping track of appointments and more. A planner is a must have to help you stay organized and on target, when working toward your goals.

There are many different kinds of planner, from spreadsheets to simple post it notes, you need to experiment to discover what works for you.  You might have to try several different to find the perfect one for you, but it is worth the effort when you it works well for you.

Organizer- These can be useful for planning a specific project, or managing a number of projects all at the same time. Digital and traditional versions of project organizers are available that can help you stay on top of the job.

I actually like using an online tool for my organization, this allows me to access it from any place that has an internet connection, allows me to access from my computer, iPhone or iPad with ease.

Identifying Obstacles

When you first begin to undertake a time management program it is beneficial to record your daily activities for one week or two as I mentioned above. One option for doing this is to keep a journal or notebook with you throughout the day, for the period during which you will be doing the recording.

You can create a simple Time Monitor Journal by using both the front and back of a plain sheet of paper in your journal draw 12 rectangles, several inches wide. (You will have 6 on each side.) Each rectangle will represent an hour of time, in a typical 12 hour day. Label each rectangle with hour increments, such as 700 to 800 am for the first, 900 to 1000 am for the second, and so on. You will do this everyday for one week.

Each block is reserved for you to record the activities that you perform during that specific time period. An example of a block of time could be;

“7:00 to 8:00 am, Monday- Showered. Brushed hair, teeth. Made and ate breakfast. Dressed for work. Applied Make-up. Balanced check book. Drove to the office.”

Make notes as often as you can, and be specific in the details that you record.

At the end of the week look back through your journal and make note of any blocks of time that you could have made better use of.

Some amount of fun and quiet personal time is important to your overall health and well-being, most people forget or are too busy for this.  You need to ensure balance with your personal time with your busyness.  Many forget that it is just as important as dinner time.

Be on the look out for continuous blocks of time that are not being managed wisely, this is a good place to start to make some changes in your daily time management habits.

Goal Setting

Time Management methods most often incorporate some element of the goal setting process, as a key ingredient for overall effective use of time. Whether in the personal or professional realm, goal setting is an important aspect in becoming a productive individual, who effectively manages time. Effective time management skills include setting deadlines for when you will meet your entire goals, as well as thinking through all of the small steps that you will need to take along the way.

When speaking of “goals” this term will include any number of specific tasks which need to be completed, from household chores to major business proposals. Tasks to be performed are referred to as either short, medium, or long term goals, depending on the available time the individual has to complete them.

Short term goals may be thought of as daily goals. These often include everyday chores, as well as projects which need to be completed immediately. In effective time management a list of short terms goals is formulated, and each goal on that list is completed, on a daily basis.

Medium term goals are often goals that need to be completed within one week to one month of time. Depending on the amount of time required to complete the goal, a medium term may be broken up into smaller pieces, to be accomplished daily. For instance, a project which will take 6 to 7 hours to complete can be broken into pieces, requiring only 1 hour per day.

Long term goals can reflect major undertakings, such as obtaining a college degree, building a new home, or any number of other such goals. These goals are broken down into daily, weekly, monthly and even yearly goals.

When evaluating the number of goals to be completed, planning when, exactly how you will meet your specific goals is one of the most important steps in the process.

This is when you want to pull out your Planner from above. Create you long term goals and create your short term steps to reach your big goal.  Write everything in your planner.   Make sure you are thinking about all your short and long term goals with an eye on the SMART methodology.

Non-Renewable Resource

When time is viewed as a non-renewable resource it often becomes easier to understand the importance of managing it wisely. As with any resource, there is a direct relationship between the supply of, and the demand for, that resource.

As the Tim McGraw songs says “live like you are dying” we need to be more aware that life is short and can end at any time.  When there is an overabundance of time, it is more easily wasted. Likewise, when there is a shortage of the resource – in this case, of time – it becomes necessary to more effectively manage even the smallest amount of it.

Beginning to effectively manage time often begins with a change in perspective regarding time.  How much time to you really have?  I have 12140 days left!  wow, get me thinking about how I am using that time.  You can check it out for yourself here.

Each day provides only a specific number of hours, minutes and seconds, in which to accomplish goals, and complete tasks. We all have the same 24 hours, it is all about how we use that time.

Are you (and I) selecting the best use of that time resource?  From you Time Monitoring Journal were you able to see areas that you can change to allow for greater personal freedom and fun? or maybe you would like to start a new project or hobby that you need more time for?

So many thought provoking questions for you today so what can you do to become better at time management?

Inspired Actions

Step 1 – Complete you Time Monitor Journal for 1-2 weeks

Step 2 – Plan your long term and short term goals

Step 3 – Eliminate those time wasters that are not productive or are not a priority for you

Step 4 – Organization yourself to take advantage of the time that you have.

I love to hear what methods you use to management, plan or organize your time!  Leave a comment below.

Related articles by my Diva Sisters!

My 40 Time Mastery Tips by Margo Degange

Zap the Procrastination Bug! by Chantal Beaupre

Time: How to Stop Hating the Clock and Find Inner Peace by Blaze Lazarony 

Photo Credit: Βethan via Compfight

“When you follow your bliss… doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors; and where there wouldn’t be a door for anyone else.” – Joseph Cambpell

Many days and nights I have sat at my computer reading blogs of inspiring women and there are many many!  Knowing you are surrounded virtually by such amazing people is awesome.

I wanted to share just a few of the Sizzling Female bloggers that I am spending my time reading lately! (in no particular order)

You ladies are truly Inspirational Sisters!

	Christine O’Dell – Founder of The Feminine Leadership Quest. Creator of The Feminine Power Marketing Formula. Empowering women to express creativity through their businesses. Website: http://www.christineodell.com/ Twitter: @christinebodell
	Sarah O’Leary- Story Weaver, Word Wizard, Herbalist, Wellness Entrepreneur, Avalon Woman, Curious Explorer. Website: http://www.wellnessthenaturalway.com/ Twitter: @SarahoLeary
	Claire Kerslake- Founder of Loving Life with Diabetes, a website for people with/at risk of diabetes wanting to create healthy habits & have fun along the way. Website: http://lovinglifewithdiabetes.com Twitter: @ClaireKerslake
	Tess Marshall – Passionate about supporting people who want to lead a fearless and bold life. Website: http://theboldlife.com/ Twitter: @TheBoldLife
	Mary Jaksch – Zen Master, Blogger and passionate about supporting people who want to lead a happier and more meaningful life. Website: http://goodlifezen.com/ Twitter: @Mary_Jaksch
	Cathy Taughinbaugh – Writer, teacher and mom who has been on a journey with her children, learning about addiction, recovery and miracles. Website: http://treatmenttalk.org/ Twitter @treatmenttalk
	Ciara Conlon – Author, blogger, Productivity Coach. Ciara writes about Personal Productivity and Organization. Website: http://www.ciaraconlon.com/ Twitter: @CiaraConlon
	JT Clough- Lifestyle coach and author, embracing each day with the love of my life living in Hawaii. Dog whisperer and finisher of 9 Ironmans. Website: http://www.bigislanddog.com Twitter: @BigIslandDog
	Chantal Beaupre- assisst, educates, and inspires consciously focused people to achieve extraordinary success and happiness – on both professional and personal levels. Website: http://chantalbeaupre.com Twitter: @ChantalBeaupre
	Bobbi Emel – psychotherapist helping people develop resiliency. My specialties are grief and loss as well as the other end of the spectrum, finding your Core Gift. Website: http://www.bobbiemel.com/ Twitter: @BobbiEmel
	Debra Eve- Writer of stories to inspire adult late bloomers (never too late), drinker of fine wine (never too early)! Love art, books, travel. Website: http://www.laterbloomer.com/ Twitter: @DebraEve
	Kathy McHenry – Entrepreneur, visionary, activator, developer, lover of all things online. Website: http://yourvirtualadvantage.com/ Twitter: @kmchenry
	Dolly Garland – global girl, dreamer, writer, languages and journal addict, an eternal optimist – on a permanent journey. Website: http://kaizenjournaling.com Twitter: @KaizenJournal
	Beth Wilson- strengthening heart connections by observing day-to-day examples of serenity, spirituality and sobriety. B Here Today embraces living in the moment! Website: http://bheretoday.com/ Twitter: @bheretoday
	Barbara “Blaze” Lazarony – Fire-Starter, Inspired Leader, & Essence Expert. I’m a highly intuitive & blazing life coach who helps you to become the Chief Visionary Officer of your life! Website: http://www.blazeabrilliantpath.com/ Twitter: @barbaralazarony
	Barrie Davenport – career and personal coach, blog coach, writer, and founder of Live Bold and Bloom, A-List Blog Marketing, and editor of The Daily Brainstorm. Website: http://liveboldandbloom.com Twitter: @CoachBarrie
	Angela Artemis- Intuition coach & author teaches how to “speak intuition” to increase success, boost business & make right career moves. Website: http://www.poweredbyintuition.com/ Twitter: @Angela_Artemis
	Tammy Strobel – Writer & photographer. Author of You Can Buy Happiness (and It’s Cheap): How One Woman Radically Simplified Her Life and How You Can Too Website: http://rowdykittens.com/ Twitter: @rowdykittens
	Courtney Carver- Imagine a life with: more savings and less debt, more health and less stress, more time and less stuff, more joy and less obligation. Website: http://bemorewithless.com/ Twitter: @bemorewithless
	Gretchen Rubin – Author of the book and the blog, THE HAPPINESS PROJECT. Website: http://happiness-project.com Twitter: @gretchenrubin
	Rosie Taylor – helps biz owners create strategy & energize revenues to go beyond Know, Like & Trust. Local Constant Contact Expert & Duct Tape Marketing Consultant Website: http://rosiemedia.com/ Twitter: @rosiemedia
	Anastasiya Goers – health conscientious blogger, crazy about Pilates, balanced lifestyle and my family Website: http://balanceinme.com/ Twitter: @balanceinme
	Margo DeGange – Business & Lifestyle Designer! Founder of Women of Splendor. I’ll get you UNSTUCK & out there in a BIG way. Website: http://www.margodegange.com/ Twitter: @MargoDeGange
	Kaylee Rupp – Writer,dreamer, personal development addict…Future-famous life coach, author, and public speaker. Website: http://zencaffeine.com/ Twitter: @ZenCaffeine
	Gina Bell – Freedom Catalyst + JV Strategist to trendsetters, go-getters & Rebelpreneurson the rise. Website: http://www.ginabellinc.com/ Twitter: @GinaBell

I would love to hear about the Female Bloggers you are reading these days! Leave them in the comments and I will do a entire article on “reader favourites”

As you awaken, the warmth of the sun kisses your cheek, even before you open your eyes you can hear the lonely call of the Loon and chirping of the Red-winged Blackbird.  Your eyes open the summer sunlight floods the bedroom. Quickly dressing in your favourite yoga clothes, you follow the winding path to the water side gazebo. Sooo many choices, do you do some yoga, do you meditate, do you just sit and listen to the song birds….

Ahhhhh, sounds beautiful doesn’t it!  I am calmer already.  Are looking for a mountain retreat or a lake side retreat. Are you looking to escape or to live full time ? Whatever you decide there are a few important factors you must think about.

Here is a general list that would apply to any location:

• Location: Does this location meet your specific needs and desires? mountain top or lake side?
• Water: yep, drinking water.  Just because you are right on a lake, river or creek, it does not mean that you will have good quality water.  Think about it this way, if you were stranded there, how long could you survive? without water not long at all. If the water is not a high quality, you may opt to bring water with you, but you need to be prepared.
• Septic System: what goes in must come out… again you have many options from a outhouse to full under ground septic system. What are your preferences? and these could be different if this is a weekend getaway versus a planned retirement home.
• Medical Facilities: Let’s face it, we are human and we often do very silly things.  Maybe you are just hiking and fall or maybe you have a chronic illness.  You need to know your options and be prepared.
• Environmental Hazards:  What was there before?  mountain retreats are less likely to have these concerns, but if you are looking at an old farm or raw land, you should definitely look into the properties past.  Your best bet here… the neighbours   they will have all the gossip on what was there 10-20- 30 years ago.
• Climate: You need to understand and be prepared for the climate for the location you select. Do your research, talk to the neighbours and make sure to do a reality check to know exactly what you are getting yourself into.
• Community:  I have already mentioned the neighbours a couple of times, but it is really important to know just what kind of people they are.   The old farmer down the road that would give you the shirt of his back but the tourist from the city that comes up twice a year might not even notice a problem.

There are a lot more details that you really need to learn about and many of those details depend on your long term goals for your property. On our little adventure we have been planning and envisioning the property for many years.

Our goal includes several different aspects:

• peace and quiet
• water – lake, river, creek, pond
• gardens and animals
• sustainability and permaculture

So as we walk through the journey of finding the perfect piece of property to build our vision, we will focus on these specific areas. We set the bar pretty high and there are a few criteria that must be included.

• Lake or river frontage on the property
• Good Drinking water – a must have and will be included as a condition of any offer
• Fishing, hunting and wild life in the area – so fairly remote
• 50% Flat ground with some trees
• Zoned appropriately or opportunity to re-zone – must be able to operate a small business
• Year round Road access – we will be living there full time
• Crown land nearby for Hiking, ATV’ing and Sledding and many other outdoor activities

And within our price range tall order I might add, even up here in central BC where everywhere you look you can see trees and lakes!

So tell us, what would be your MUST have criteria?  would you have a get-away or a full time rural home?   Love to hear your thoughts and see if we missed anything important.

Paleo Diet FlowChart

I think this really makes decision making super easy!

And I found a really awesome website itsPaleo.com  There is LOTS and LOTS of great info and recipes itspaleo.com/recipe.

Sometimes are just better when they are simple!

Bun-less Burgers

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef or turkey
1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Cooking Instructions

Makes dinner for two, with leftovers for lunch.

Approximate cooking time: 25 minutes

1. Mix meat, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper together with a fork. Form into 4 patties.

2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil when hot.

3. Cook the burgers until desired temperature is reached.

Recipe from Paleo Plan
http://www.paleoplan.com/2009/11-22/bunless-burgers/

Photo Credit: Mike via Compfight

There is always pros and cons of any “diet” and there are always people that have an opinion, whether it is right or wrong.  This is not really a discussion of right or wrong, what works for you, works for me.  This works for me.

What is Paleo?

The paleolithic diet (abbreviated paleo diet or paleodiet), also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet and hunter-gatherer diet, is a modern nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various hominid species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic era—a period of about 2.5 million years duration that ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture. In common usage, such terms as the “Paleolithic diet” also refer to the actual ancestral human diet.^[1][2] 

Centered on commonly available modern foods, the “contemporary” Paleolithic diet consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils.^[1][3][4]

Wikipedia

What is Primal?

The Phrase Primal Living comes from Mark Sisson over at Mark’s Daily Apple  Mark has tons and tons of great material on the why’s and how’s of Primal eating and exercising.  His work will be the basis for much of the discussion here.   There are really just a few simple rules:

1. Eats lots of animals, and plants
2. Move around a lot at a slow pace
3. Lift Heavy things
4. Run really fast every once in a while
5. Get lots of sleep
6. Play
7. Get some sunlight every day
8. Avoid trauma
9. Avoid poisonous things
10. Use your mind

My Version of Primal Living

Every one is unique and everyone has to add their own flare and sparkles to create the best fit for them.  And I am sure as things evolve and life changes so will the process.   For me right now the list is very short and VERY difficult!

Step 1: eliminate all sugar and processed food.

Step 2: eat at least 50% of my food intake with raw veggies

Step 3: exercise every day for minimum 30 minutes

For me all are hard, I am definitely addicted to all forms of sugar and I am waiting for an ACL repair surgery so the only form of exercise is my bike (on the trainer) and floor stretching.

Now that you have a little history and are completely enlightened on what this whole “primal” thing is… next to come will be hints and tips and super awesome recipes!

Here is an excerpt from Her article:

Let us be a healing presence with every kind word we speak and every gentle action we take, for they have the power to transform and inspire the well-being of us all…

TO BE HEALED IS TO REVEAL THE TRUTH ABOUT WHO WE ARE IN OUR AUTHENTICITY…our WHOLENESS.  This is a spiritual truth.  We have come to this level of our experience to live out our soul’s purpose for being here.  Being open to uncovering that purpose is where our conscious spiritual journey begins.  This is where we begin to design a pathway in which we allow ourselves to be guided by its wisdom and have the courage to move forward with the intention to evolve into our wholeness.

Our journey brings to us many wonderful surprises by way of the people we meet and the circumstances thereof.  And through these interactions, we find ourselves in a place where everything we experience has purpose and meaning when we are open to that realization.  We will also find ourselves having been influenced by all the traditions, belief systems, and many other environment and social conditions that have shaped our lives.  This is where we may have taken on those things that are readily accepted as the truth of who we are.  And in matters of health, we have been told that certain things will probably happen to us due to our family history and genealogy, age factors, social conditions, and so on.  All of these things and more have contributed to our state of mind and therefore the reflection of it in our body, spirit, and soul.

Read the entire article here:  Authentic Living Ministries Blog