Mastering Home Reset: Lessons in Resourcefulness

Rita Slanina

4 weeks ago

🌿 The Front Yard That Refused to Stay a “Small Project”

It started innocently enough: outside work. A little landscaping. A few pavers.

A calm, reasonable attempt at improving the front yard without spiraling into anything dramatic.

Naturally, it did not stay calm.

There is something about outdoor projects that quietly multiply when you’re not looking.

One minute you’re placing a stone, the next you’re mentally redesigning your entire exterior life like you’ve been secretly hired by a home renovation show with no budget and unlimited optimism.

The progress out front is slow, but it’s real.

And I’m learning to appreciate that kind of progress more and more. Not everything has to be instant transformation. Some things are “seasonal growth projects.”

Like plants. Or emotional stability.

I don’t have a big landscaping budget, so I’ve had to get creative. That means working with what I have, reusing materials, and sometimes pretending I meant for things to look a little rustic on purpose. That’s not failure—that’s “intentional texture.”

📸

And in a weird way, this outside work set the tone for the entire day. Slow, steady, slightly chaotic, but moving forward anyway.

🌱 Resourcefulness: The Skill That Saves My Entire Sanity

Here’s something I’ve realized over time: motivation is cute, but resourcefulness is what actually gets things done.

Motivation shows up, takes a few aesthetic photos, then disappears when things get mildly inconvenient.

Resourcefulness is the one still standing there at 8 PM, figuring out how to turn random ingredients into dinner while also questioning every life decision that led to this moment.

I’ve had to learn how to work within limits—time limits, energy limits, budget limits, and the occasional “why is everything breaking at once” limit.

But limitations don’t actually stop progress. They just force creativity to show up differently.

If I can’t buy something, I repurpose what I already have. I can’t do everything, but I do what I can.

If I feel overwhelmed, I clean one surface and suddenly trick my brain into thinking I have my entire life together.

It’s not magic. It’s just momentum disguised as survival.

And honestly, I think resourcefulness is one of the most underrated skills in modern life.

It’s not glamorous.

It doesn’t always look good on Instagram.

But it gets you through days like this one, where everything is happening at once and somehow still… works out.

🧠 When Motivation Becomes a Negotiation With Yourself

There’s a moment in every reset day where your brain starts offering you very persuasive excuses.

“You could do this later.”
“Maybe tomorrow is a better day.”
“Is the kitchen really that bad?”

And suddenly you’re in a full legal debate with yourself over whether clutter is technically a problem or just a “visual suggestion.”

This is where I try to interrupt the negotiation.

Not with perfection. Not with pressure. Just with action.

Because I’ve learned that waiting for the perfect moment is basically a very polite way of not doing the thing at all.

So instead, I move. I start somewhere small.

A counter. A sink.

A corner of a room that looks like it’s quietly judging me.

And slowly, momentum builds.

Not dramatic motivation. Just quiet forward motion.

That’s usually enough.

📸

🍽️ The Kitchen Situation (A.K.A. The Plot Twist)

I walked back into the kitchen expecting mild tidiness.

What I got instead was… evidence of life.

Somehow, in a short span of time, the kitchen had transformed into a layered situation. Not catastrophic. Just… expressive.

There were surfaces doing too much.

A few items that had clearly given up on being put away.

And that familiar feeling of “how did this multiply while I was gone?”

So I did what I always do: I reset it.

Not perfectly. Not dramatically.

Just enough to bring the energy back down to something livable.

Because that’s really what cleaning is for me—it’s not about perfection. It’s about restoring calm to the room so my brain can stop buffering like an old laptop.

And once the kitchen started to settle, everything else followed.

🍞 Monkey Bread, Stale Bread, and Unexpected Alchemy

Now let’s talk about the real turning point of the day: the bread situation.

We had a loaf of bread that kept appearing in the kitchen like a recurring character in a sitcom no one remembers casting.

We don’t really eat it. Yet it kept coming home anyway.

So I decided it was time for a transformation arc.

Enter: monkey bread.

There is something deeply satisfying about taking something slightly forgotten and turning it into something warm, sweet, and suddenly very important to everyone in the house.

It feels a little like kitchen redemption.

Like, “You were not wasted. You were just waiting for your purpose.”

While it baked, the house slowly started to smell like everything was going to be okay again.

Which is honestly my favorite kind of home improvement.

📸 🍞 Monkey Bread Recipe:
https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a10982/monkey-bread/

🥗 Clearing the Fridge, Feeding the Ecosystem

After that, the day shifted into cleanup-and-redistribute mode.

The fridge had entered its “it’s time” phase, which is when produce starts quietly reminding you it is not emotionally prepared to be forgotten.

So I turned it into dinner: a salad, an artichoke, and whatever else could be assembled into something that felt intentional.

Then came the redistribution phase.

The chickens absolutely love this part of my life. To them, I am basically a luxury buffet service with unpredictable hours.

And the dog got his own little meal moment too—beef and rice, which he accepted with the seriousness of a small king reviewing a chef’s tasting menu.

It’s funny how nothing really goes to waste in a house like this. Everything just finds its next purpose.

Even leftovers.

Even chaos.

🛁 The Soft Landing: Bath, Puzzle, and Quiet at the End of It All

Even a homemaking princess can land softly at day’s end

By the end of the day, everything had shifted.

Not into perfection, but into peace.

The house was calmer. My brain was quieter. And the day felt like it had finally exhaled.

So I took a bath.

And then I did something I think more people should do: I did a puzzle.

No productivity. No urgency.

Just small pieces fitting together slowly, without pressure.

It’s such a simple thing, but it creates this strange sense of closure. Like your brain is being told, “You don’t have to solve everything today.”

And that’s really what this whole day was about.

Not doing everything perfectly.

Just doing enough to feel like life is back within reach.

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🌙 Final Thoughts

Days like this remind me that life doesn’t need to be perfectly structured to be meaningful.

It just needs a little movement, a little care, and occasionally a loaf of bread that insists on becoming something better.

And somehow, that’s enough.

🌿✨

Master Your Cross-Promotion Game

AND

Create Reels Faster

During one of my writing + productivity livestreams, we talked about simplifying and making the process of creating reels/shorts faster, and just plain easier.

We talked about managing to get it done without the fuss + stress it can bring because of the extra work involved.

Which, for me, can often take longer than I would like.

*which also seems to be a recurring theme as of late as well… annoying.

Anyway…

Most of the time, I can find myself getting lost in the creative process of things. The overthinking, the creativity, and the “making it pretty” stuff.

*until you’re not.

Right.

That’s a whole other topic relating to burnout and ehaustion. Let’s not go there. Yet.

While I don’t cover ALL the in’s & out’s of that particularly, (it would’ve made the video much too long)

I do cover some basics to-do’s, keeping in mind post performance boosting tactics, to get you started right out the gate with minimal stress and anxiety making reels.

Because, that’s the whole point. Am I right?

Short. And Sweet. To the point.

So… here we are. Here’s my straightforward process of how I get reels/shorts out faster. And hopefully, how my process can maybe help you too.

Oh! And I almost forgot – it’s all done with free apps!

well… you COULD use the paid versions. But, I generally only do that for special event posts, on a temporary basis. Also, this segment of the post is about doing all this without any moula.

Remember all that talk about resourcefulness? yeah. we’re back. lol

I’m actually a huge believer in trying to get many things done without hitting the wallet because these days, we gotta make all those pennies count!

So, there’s that.

DISCLAIMER: this is the process of what I typically do, in actuality, and the apps that make it possible for me to do so, at this current time. It may or may not be the best fit for you, but i urge you to give it a go if you have trouble creating reels and shorts in a timely manner.

If you have comments, questions, or suggestions: PLEASE feel free to jot it down in the comments section below! I want to hear from you. What’s working for you on this topic?

Do you loathe making them? Love making them?

Do you find them too time-consuming to care about doing them at all?

I’m so certain that my own process will speed it up for you and alleviate the reels/shorts-game pressure!

What system do you have in place to pump out content over multiple platforms? Do you even post to multiple platforms? What apps do you love for making reels + shorts?

WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW + LET’S CHAT AFTERWARD:

So, what was your takeaway? Are you inspired to give reels & shorts a try? Will you be making adjustments to your posting routine? See if what I do can work for you?

Reels and shorts are the most fun when they don’t take too long. I find that reels and shorts are the steroids version of stories. The throw-away content… amplified.

Using the strengths within each platform, only slightly altering the content to look differently, and utilizing each platforms tools will absolutely boost the posts visibility.

No more throwing the phone over that cross-promotion anymore!

You will hear different advice on the world wide web these days.

Do cross-promote. Don’t cross-promote. Stick to one platform – master it. Do every platform. Master them all.

At least, try them all – see where you perform best. Master one at a time. Do them all at once.

It gets a little like mania and can feel like your no longer driving the bus.

But, one thing I know for sure, is for all the platforms I’ve used – even the ones that have come and gone – is that there is no harm in just getting out there and giving it a try to see what sticks.

Dipping your toes into the water and giving them a go; even if you end up hating them, or don’t find a use for them for your own business, at least you tried!

Give yourself a pat on the back for that!

I’m a “no fear” kinda gal though. I am not afraid to look dumb, silly, etc. I could care less about what others think.

And, if you get nothing else from this post, get this: Stop caring about what everyone else thinks!

I couldn’t have gotten half the bookings, engagements, and sales without it! Remember MySpace? How about Google+? What about Klout? These have all since passed on into the ether but I got to give them a try and learn and it was fun!

*eyeroll

You laugh. But, that platform in its heyday helped my career soar – the MySpace one, I mean. Made connections I could never make in person. Got jobs that normally, I would have gotten passed over for in some lame cattle call audition. Helped my music get global attention, and radio play. Was featured in magazines as an international model, finally gracing the pages of what I thought were impossible bucket list items!

(I don’t mention any of this to brag at all; I mention it to share that taking risks can sometimes turn out pretty great!)

MySpace was a good time!

Moving on. My point is, never stop learning or scoffing at new platforms as they come and go.

I am an ever-learner. I’ve mentioned this before.

So, when the next “thing” pops up, I’m usually open to checking it out. I’ll dabble, I’ll play, + I’ll research on best practices, tactics, and how I can make it work for my brand.

I hope this article does the same for you!

I hope this article inspires you to take creating reels + shorts, and running with them!

Because, they’ve been here for a while, and they don’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

I ramble on to drive home the point here, that it’s okay to try and fail. It’s okay to try and stumble. It’s okay to just try and see what happens!

Because basically, if you don’t try, you’ve already failed!

STEPS TO CREATING REELS/SHORTS FAST

MOVE A COPY OF YOUR FULL (POSTED) YT VIDEO TO YOUR PHONE.
UPLOAD SAID VIDEO IN THE VIDEOSHOP APP.
ONCE IN VIDEOSHOP, USE THE CUT, SPLIT OPTIONS TO FIND THE FIRST CLIP YOU WANT TO YOU. SAVE TO CAMERA ROLL. DELETE THE VIDEO FROM VIDEOSHOP.
REPEAT THE LAST TWO STEPS AS MANY TIMES AS NECESSARY TO GET THE CLIPS YOU WANT HIGHLIGHTED IN YOUR REELS FROM THE FULL VIDEO. UP TO 1 MINUTE, COMBINED.
NOW, TIKTOK OR IG, AND SET UP A NEW REELS POST. YOU CAN USE THE AUTO-CUT FEATURE HERE BUT I RECOMMEND ADDING ALL YOUR SELECTED CLIPS FROM VIDEOSHOP AT THIS TIME.
ADD MUSIC.
ADD EFFECTS, IF YOU WANT.
PRIOR TO POSTING, I WOULD LOOK AT TRENDING HASHTAGS ON YOUR TOPIC AND UTILIZE THOSE. IT HELPS TO BOOST THE POST ON THAT PLATFORM. EACH PLATFORM WILL VARY SLIGHTLY WITH THIS.
ON IG, WHEN USING HASHTAGS, KEEP YOUR HASHTAGS BETWEEN 3 MIN-8 MAX. AND CURRENTLY, THE POST NUMBERS WITHIN THE HASHTAGS SHOULD BE IN THE RANGE OF 50K-250K. WHY? BC WHEN ITS IN THE MILLIONS YOUR POST WILL GET BURIED. BUT, IF ITS WITHIN THIS RANGE, THE ALGORYTHM PUSHES ITS PERFORMANCE, AND ITS MORE LIKELY TO GET SEEN ON THE HASHTAG PAGE. (BELIEVE IT OR NOT, YES, PEOPLE ACTUALLY CHECK OUT THE HASHTAG PAGES – I KNOW. I NEVER DO EITHER. BUT APPARENTLY, THIS IS A THING!)
AFTER YOUR FIRST CREATION FROM YOUR POSTED REEL, NOW YOU HAVE A CREATED REEL/SHORT THAT YOU CAN JUST REUSE ON THE OTHER PLATFORMS. JUST MAKE SMALL CHANGES. USING EACH OF THE PLATFORM’S FEATURES OFFERED. I.E. MUSIC, FILTERS, OVERLAYS, TEXT, ETC. PLATFORMS FAVOR POSTS THAT HAVE UTILIZED THEIR OWN AVAILABLE FEATURES. DOING THIS BOOSTS VISIBILITY ON THE POST BC THEY ENCOURAGE USERS TO UTILIZE THE FEATURES AND THIS WOULD BE A FORM OF REWARDING THOSE WHO DO!

*There are other apps that could help you with this process, like CapCut, Splice, etc. But, those cost money, so I tend to gravitate to VideoShop.

*An even faster option is to plug that full, saved video on your phone in camera roll into TikTok or Instagram and upload into one of those apps and utilize the “auto-cut” feature. This will automate a 15 second video with clips the app has chosen and set them to music, with effects.

**I would say this is great if you just don’t care what the final product is, or you’re pressed for time and need to pump out reels daily. (I will opt for the auto-cut feature during Vlogmas, as I don’t have the additional time to do a proper manual-cut.

The auto-cut feature doesn’t usually choose what I think should be highlighted in the Reel. Nor, does it make it very long. Generally, it cuts the video down to 15 seconds, and uses only the first part of the full video, showing..

well? not much really at all. Hence, my process was born. lol

I will give an updated version of my process, as some of my processes have changed since the video I posted about it.

LMK if you want an updated one, I’m happy to do one!

WAS THIS POST USEFUL?

I would like to hear from you! Let’s get the discussion going. How do you post reels and shorts?

Do you think you have a better way of doing it? LMK!

I like to hear what others are doing in their own social media journey! Share your story!