Spring Cleaning Time...For Brain Overload!
Hi, Neighbors, aren’t we all challenged with Brain Overload these days? It seems like our brains are like computer hard drives, they only have so much capacity! And why use that limited capacity to store information that technology can easily store for us? When our brains are overcapacity, we can stress and lose focus on enjoying life’s precious moments. So over the years, we’ve adopted a few tools and “family processes” to help maintain and manage basic information, enabling us to spend more time and energy living and loving in the moment!
Here are a few of our favorites:
Microsoft “to do” or something similar
Do you ever leave the grocery store and arrive home to realize you forgot a critical item needed for a recipe or even a basic lunchbox item for the kiddos? After many unnecessary extra trips to the store, we decided to use the Microsoft “to do” app to manage all our lists. Everyone in the house has access and is responsible for putting the items they need on our lists, including Target, Costco, and Safeway. So, if our son uses the last of the peanut butter, he’s responsible for adding it to the Safeway list. That way, when we go to the store, we have a digital list to easily check off… and say goodbye to the old worries of where that list is or what's missing on it. If it’s not on the list, it’s not coming home – too bad, so sad boys, LOL!
Dashlane or something similar
Back in the day, we had a little secret book of all of our passwords and critical personal information. But... oh, how frustrating when someone didn’t update the book. Or when the book went missing because someone didn’t put it back in its “home” location – we all panicked that we were going to lose everything to pirates, LOL! Anyway, years ago we discovered Dashlane, an online encrypted vault more secure than Fort Knox! With Dashlane you only have to remember one master password to access all your critical information and the premium version has a feature that automatically logs in to all of our online accounts.
A shared family calendar of your choice
Between work and play, we have a gazillion things going on and people often ask us how we manage it all. Years ago, we learned the hard way that you can either be managed by your calendar or you can manage it. So we created a shared family calendar with everything for the week listed, including who was doing what, where, and how. And then when the scheduling curveballs come our way we have a great foundation to pivot on.
We sure hope some of these tips help you in some way! And we’d love to hear what tools and hacks you’re using to manage and maximize life.
Until next time, cheers,
Matt and Christina
Matt & Christina are Team Skally, top real estate agents in the Seattle Metro with expertise in luxury homes on the Eastside including Bellevue, Newcastle, Mercer Island, Renton and Issaquah. Their client testimonials say it all - they deliver exceptional service and record-breaking results. Recognized as top agents on social media by Property Sparks, Diamond Award finalists for best client service and regularly featured in online and print publications including Newcastle Life Magazine. In addition to serving clients, Matt and Christina love family time with their two boys and Leo, the Goldendoodle, as well as volunteering in the community.