I have a decorative plate in my kitchen that reminds me each day to simplify.

As ADD Moms, the simpler our lives are, the easier they are for us to manage.

When we have less stuff to keep track of or to clean, and less demands on our time, we are better able to get through each day successfully.

Mad Med actor Vincent Kartheiser has carried the idea of simplicity to an extreme. He lives in what amounts to a wooden box and doesn’t even own a toilet!

Now I’m certainly not suggesting anything that extreme, but take a moment and look around you. How much stuff do you have just right in front of you that you could really do without?

Books are a big one for me.

I love books. I love reading them and looking for new ones. I love learning new things from books.

But my shelves, my nightstand, the floor next to my chair and even my cedar chest are all brimming with books.

Some I have read over and over again, and to me, those are worth keeping. But I’ve got a pretty good selection of books that I most likely will never read or look at again.

Why not donate them or give them away so that someone else could love them and open up some space in my home?

And it’s not just material things in your life; it’s commitments that you make, things you choose to take responsibility for in someone else’s life.

How many volunteer activities do you do each week?

ADD Moms are generous with their time and love to help others, but there comes a time (as a friend told me) to “just say no”.

And what about your kids activities? How much of your time is spent running the family bus here and there? Is it all necessary? Could you trade off driving duties with another mom?

Take a good hard look at your life and see if you can’t find a few ways to simplify.

You’ll feel so much better if you do.