As you know, right now there is an emerging health crisis that most of us are affected by in some way or another. Life can be so unpredictable. And uncertainty can be stressful. Dwelling over negative circumstances can be productive when we’re trying to solve problems or process emotions. But sometimes our negative thoughts can get the best of us. On today’s episode of Life Made Simple, I give you some ideas on how to overcome negative thinking patterns to regain a sense of peace and joy...

Do you have a huge project on your to-do list that you really want to complete? You’re committed and motivated, yet somehow it never gets done? I’m guessing it never gets done because you continually run into the same roadblock… over and over again. This roadblock, for many people, is time. Do you feel like you just don’t have enough time? Or, you’re overwhelmed with how much time you think it’s going to take? For today’s episode, I give you very specific steps to help you reclaim your...

In our home, it’s a huge crime to toss practically clean clothes into the laundry basket. But what do you do with worn clothes that aren’t dirty and can be worn again? For most families, “half-clean” clothes tend to pile up on the floor, get tossed on chairs, and wadded up on dressers and nightstands. On today's episode, I give you simple and practical storage solutions for worn clothes that you want to wear again.     Simplicity University Our first signature course is now open for...

Clutter can be so exhausting... especially when trying to get rid of it. Parting with things that you have an attachment to, for some people (including myself), can be really hard. In our culture we’re encouraged to buy more and do more. We all grew up acquiring things, but most of us were never taught how to let things go. If you truly want less clutter in your home, but you tend to feel a little overwhelmed or resistant to parting with your some of your stuff, it’s important to ask...

The beliefs you have about yourself and the world (which are sometimes subconscious) naturally affect your thoughts… which affect your feelings… which affect your behavior and your actions. So, to put it simply, your deep ingrained beliefs determine what you do each day to accomplish your goals and dreams. On today’s episode, I share with you one very specific belief that can be a total game changer. If you can wrap your brain around it and really embrace it, it will change your perspective...

I’m sure you have a few to-do lists (for some ideas on how to manage them, check out Episode #173). You probably write them all down or you may even have an app on your phone (listen to Episode #90 to hear about one of my favorites). And you may even have a daily focus list (if you don’t, you must… just listen to Episode #232 and Episode #68). We all have tasks and daily to-dos that once we’re done with them, we can check them off our list for good. But we also have daily tasks that are...

Happy New Year! Can you believe we’re in a new decade?!? This is the time of year when many of us reflect and look back at our past. We assess how everything went (good and bad) and then, of course, we resolve to do better. If you want a little inspiration on specific resolutions, go way back to Episode #41 of Life Made Simple and listen to some “Must-Have New Year's Resolutions For A Simplified Life”. For today’s episode, I go over how to actually keep the resolutions you make for...

Merry Christmas! Today’s episode is our Christmas Special from a couple years ago when my little boy, Levi, joined me on the show. It’s definitely for the whole family to enjoy… if you have kids, have them listen, too!   Simplicity University Our first signature course is now open for pre-registration: Organizing Basics 101: Mindsets & Action Plans To Simplify Your Home. While it’s in the final stages of production, for a limited time, you can pre-enroll for this course at a huge...

Everyone knows that there is no creature more persistent than a child trying to get what he or she wants. For today’s episode, I share with you one of my most effective parenting strategies that can help with even the most demanding child. And even if you don’t have kids, you can definitely apply this concept to your own life as an adult, as well.   Simplicity University Our first signature course is now open for pre-registration: Organizing Basics 101: Mindsets & Action Plans To...

I have something to share that I am so incredibly excited about! So I decided to release a bonus episode with all the details. I created Simplicity University as an online school to offer a variety of digital courses and workshops to help you organize your home and simplify your life. Each course can be taken in your own time, while in your own home, and can be completed at your own pace. It's definitely unlike anything you've seen before! They'll include videos, audio clips, worksheets,...

As a professional home organizer, one of my most favorite topics to talk about on the show is clutter… what it is, where it comes from, and why we have such a hard time getting rid of it. For today’s episode, I not only talk about the psychical clutter that tends to pile up in our homes, but I give you very specific ideas to help you free yourself from the mental clutter that naturally coincides with the physical clutter. And you’d be surprised at some of the unexpected places where that...

A few weeks ago, I asked you an important question: “What do you surround yourself with?” On today’s, episode I encourage you to simplify your relationships by becoming more aware of WHO you surround yourself with.   Subscribe! If you haven’t already, don’t forget to subscribe to the show to stay updated on all our new episodes. You can also visit (or share) our website at LifeMadeSimplePodcast.com or CarlaRaeArneson.com. And feel free to subscribe to our mailing list! Don’t worry, we...

The idea of gratitude seems fairly simple. Right? “Be thankful for what you have.” We should all feel grateful. Well, at least that's what we want to feel. Unfortunately, gratitude can sometimes be very complicated. And the feeling of thankfulness doesn’t always come naturally to everyone. On today’s episode of Life Made Simple, I explore a little bit of the science behind gratitude. And for those of you out there who might occasionally struggle with feeling grateful, I offer you a few...

During this time of year, the trees naturally know that it’s time to drop their leaves to make room for new ones in the spring. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we did the same thing? If we naturally knew how to let go of the old to make room for the new? On today’s episode of Life Made Simple, I give you my thoughts on how to do just that.   Subscribe! If you haven’t already, don’t forget to subscribe to the show to stay updated on all our new episodes. You can also visit (or share) our website...

What do you surround yourself with? Throughout your everyday life you are surrounded by things, people, and ideas. You see things and you hear things. And when you see and experience those things, they have some sort of an effect on you, whether you know it or not. Your brain is constantly absorbing the positive and negative energies that those things represent to you, which may be different for different people. What matters is whether or not it is a positive or negative effect. For...

We're right in the middle of the back to school season. If you're a parent of a school aged child like me, your home is probably already getting flooded with drawings, paintings, hand prints, coloring pages and worksheets. On our last episode of Life Made Simple I gave you a handful of organizing tips and routines to help the school year go more smoothly for you and your family. And for today's episode, we take a look at how we can celebrate our children's artwork without drowning in it.   ...

Back to school season is in full swing! If you're a parent who is drowning in the back to school chaos and craziness, then this show is for you. On this special Encore Episode, I share with you some of the organizing tips and routines that we've implemented in our own family that can help get the school year off to a good start for you and your family. Keep in mind, while the tips and strategies I give you are mainly geared towards children in elementary school, you can still get a lot from...

We all face different roadblocks and challenges when trying to organize and simplify our home. And sometimes it's hard to face those challenges alone. For today's episode of Life Made Simple, I share with you how I've rallied some of my closest friends to start a mini clutter challenge group. It can be so amazing to have accountability, support, and encouragement when trying to reach certain goals in life.   Links Mentioned in this Show: Share this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode240 ...

As humans, our minds are complicated. Our brains and all the complex thoughts that come in and out of them are very complicated. As I try to simplify my home, my schedule and all other areas of my life, I want to also figure out how to simplify my crazy complicated mind. On this episode of Life Made Simple I share with you some fascinating information about our brains that I recently found in an amazing article.   Links Mentioned in this Show: Episode 67: Good Night, Sleep Tight! (Sleep...

When I was a new mom, I was convinced that my child was going to eat anything I put in front of him. I was determined that he would never be a picky eater and would love eating vegetables. I loved healthy foods when I was a kid, so why wouldn't he? Well, unfortunately, Levi has an aversion to most anything green. And he would easily eat cake and ice cream for every meal if I let him! So I've definitely had to learn how to get really strategic to insure he eats a well balanced diet. For...

After trying an extreme diet for many months, I learned there is sooooo much psychology behind food choices and nutrition. While making those major changes, I also had to become more aware of my relationship with food... which can be pretty complicated at times. Can you relate? For today's episode, I offer you some thoughts and a few simple tips that I've been implementing into my own life when it comes to meals and the foods I eat. I also share with you some new habits and lifestyle...

Does food ever get lost in your fridge? It gets pushed to the back, overlooked, or maybe it just gets forgotten about? There have been too many times when I've bought fresh food from the grocery store, went days without eating it, then regretfully had to toss it in the trash. On today's episode I share with you some very simple tips and tricks to help you rescue and save some of your fading fridge food before it goes bad.   CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE FREE DRAWING   FREE GIVEAWAY DETAILS: ...

With big life changes and transitions, come big life lessons. For the last six months, my family and I made some MAJOR changes in our diet. During this episode, I tell you all about that journey and all the random lessons I learned from it. It was actually very interesting how many of those lessons run parallel with other topics I often talk about on the show concerning organizing and simplifying your home and life. My intention of this episode (and a few to follow) is to explore the...

I'm on a journey to simplify my life, but sometimes it's hard letting go of things that I feel attached to. On today's episode I explain how there is one category in my life that I need to downsize. I also tell you how I recently had a consultation with myself as my own personal professional home organizer and came up with a great solution to my problem.   Links Mentioned in this Show: Share this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode234 Share this Podcast: LifeMadeSimplePodcast.com   ...