Seems  I’ve created myself a work uniform.

Totally by accident of course which is how I do most things.

It started when I turned up at church with a hole in my shirt

I was way early which I never am,  so I walked to Big W where I happened upon two soft stretchy, ever so comfy long T-shirt’s, cut in a way that they actually have some shape and don’t look like bags when they’re on. I bought one black, one light grey.

The next accident was finding myself in Kmart with Livvy later that day because she wanted to look at makeup and face cleansers and nail polish and other things she’s obsessed with right now. I spent my time in homewares – no surprise there – but on the way out found a long grey cotton blend cardigan. Again soft and comfy. No buttons, a nice foldy thing happening around the neck and all flowy, with that longer at the back shorter at the front type of graduated hem. Seems the right cut can make even the simplest clothes look nice.

Now when it comes to the pants I basically live in my favourite pair of black pants. There designer label, cut like a dream and I found them in a random oppy in town . There from from Liz Jordan’s “Escape” range and are the comfiest things I’ve ever had on. They look good with anything and I wear them constantly. When they have to be washed I have another pair of black pants – a poor relation by comparison – but I like how they look and there comfy enough. Black and grey items only so I owe a lot to my bright painted toe nails and coloured shoes for stopping me blending in entirely with the road.

Wearing any combination of those five items, I feel dressed up enough for work as well as relaxed and comfy. Basically there pyjamas for wearing out which suits me fine.

No one seems to have noticed I’m wearing the same thing each day. No one seems to care. And I’m confident theres enough items to shuffle around that I don’t smell.

Now this has happened in the last four weeks.

I’ve had my job for just over three years!

The reason I’m telling you all of this?

Working out what works can be the best and kindest gift we can give ourselves (whether its intentional or accidental or three years overdue)

The best way is the way that works best for you        Be More With Less

Pedicures I love, a trip to the movies, brunch with a friend are all treats I appreciate no end but theres something about making life easier for ourselves on the home front that’s worth gold.

A Gift to My Right Now Self

Being such a home body, getting ready in the morning often feels like a drudgery so anything that helps me get up and ready and out the door with less drama is a gift.

Anything that saves me staring aimlessly into my wardrobe or wandering between bedroom and laundry and clean clothes pile  ten times is a gift as well. It makes mornings simpler and less stressful and it gives me this lovely thing called  time to do other things I need to do. Pack some lunch, check on the animals, have a look at the garden.

What’s important now     Greg McKeown

Its for this same reason my front verandah looks like a Chinese laundry most days. It’s what works. Right now it’s where I hang my clothes to dry. Neighbours haven’t complained as yet and no it’s not glamourous but it is where the morning sun hits and gets the clothes dry in a jiffy. It saves me running the gauntlet past the dogs and the chooks with a full clothes basket to the back yard line. Thats ended in tears before and being difficult, I avoid it and end up with wet clothes sitting in basket for too long. Front verandah clothes line means I get the clothes hung out without killing myself and all of it about three and half steps away from where Im sitting right now.

Heres what else works for me. A garbage bin in EVERY SINGLE ROOM because this household creates the most inordinate amount of rubbish and if I had to traipse every last bit to the kitchen or the laundry it would be laying all over the house. Hence my slight obsession with a pretty basket that often serve their time as a garbage bin before I have a reshuffle and they get used for something else.

In the same vein I keep packets of cleaning wipes in every single room of the house. Less traipsing, less grimy finger marks and dirty sinks and dusty table tops and food drips in random places.

And finally – and this one has been a major game changer thats saved my sanity and food budget and oodles of time in the evening – I’ve finally FINALLY started online grocery shopping. OMG why didn’t anyone stage an intervention on me before. Now I’ll say it politely – I very much dislike grocery shopping, but it’s one of those things that had to be done but the straw that broke the proverbial shopper dockets back was when Coles down the road redid there store layout and put every single last item in the store in a different spot. Items normally found in Aisle 2 were suddenly in Aisle 346 and with that I waved the white flag. No can do.

So now no more traipsing round the grocery store after work or on weekends. I order groceries laying on my lounge, they pack it for me and I pick it up at the front counter God bless them. Big strong 16 year old son carries them up the stairs. I now have this magical thing called “food in the cupboard and fridge” so I can get dinner ready easily and the kids can always find something to snack on.

Joy

The list could go on but they’re the front runners right now.

In thinking about all this here’s a couple of things you might find helpful.

Sometimes it’s just the teeniest tweak or change that makes life on the home front that much more doable.

It doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else as long as it makes sense and works for you.

Give yourself permission to do things however you need to. There’s no hard and fast rules. We are all so different and at different points in our lives, so follow your own lead and go your own way with things.

Trial and error my friend. To find what works you might have to try four things that don’t work. That clothes rack had been in various places in the house which did not work before it landed on the front verandah where it works like a dream even if it does look ugly as sin. The payoff of clean dry clothes makes it worth it.

What works in one season may not work in the next so go with it and adjust as required.

Now I’m sure you’ve a few handy things making your life easier right now so enjoy them, give thanks for them and please share away below because what works for you just might work for me too and I need all the help I can get.

PS I found this yellow cardigan at the op shop a week or so ago. Then I found this dress and this top that go nice together. Then my sister sent me another pretty top. Friends I think I’ve found my weekend uniform – and totally by accident.