A Quiet Life: Recent Episodes
Ruth Amos
1 Thessalonians 4 says ‘Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life’ In this podcast I chat to all sorts of normal Christians asking them just how they live their quiet lives and how they integrate their faith into their daily life. Each interview shows the extraordinary in the ordinary. Each story is incredible. I hope that by listening you will be encouraged to go out and live your own quiet life to the glory of God.
This week our thoughts turn to Christmas. I chat with Scottie about what I think are the best Christmas decorations. (Hint, it’s not about what the house looks like.) Links: Find the text version here. Ep 144 Little Beauties Ep 145 Community https://www.strugglecare.com/book https://www.strugglecare.com/podcast-rss https://www.fairplaylife.com/the-book https://www.everodsky.com/unicorn-space
This week there is no chat with Scottie, but I chat with you about the importance of community. Yes, even for introverts like me. Please join my newsletter at ruthamos.com.au You can read a blog version here. Song Space and Creative Space are two groups that run from St Luke’s Taroona. National Novel Writing Month […]
This podcast Scottie and I talk about beauty and then I have a chat about things I’ve found beautiful lately. Let me know what you’ve found beautiful. Share it on Facebook, X (@aquietlifeblog), or write to me at ruth@ruthamos.com.au You can find a text version here. ‘Have nothing in your houses that you don’t know […]
This episode, Scottie and I talk about starting over in housework, writing, exercise and those sorts of things. And starting over in life – forgiveness. I discussed Viktor Frankl (Man’s Search for Meaning) and his ‘Why’ and ‘How’, and Eve Rodsky and her Unicorn Space. Sign up to my newsletter at ruthamos.com.au. You can find […]
In this episode, Scottie and I talk about household chores. We discuss doing the whole chore, not just the surface work and also being aware and grateful for the work that others do. You can find a text version here, or sign up to my newsletter here.
This week, Scottie and I talk about reading. And I can’t believe how much I have to say about it. You can find the blog post here. Spring Festival St Luke’s Taroona Terror Australis Readers and Writers Festival Clean Indie Reads My book suggestions Mystery: Anything by Dorothy Sayers. Or my own Deadly Miss series […]
Scottie and I talk about three basic steps that you need to take to make it in Hollywood, or anywhere. I know very little about the Hollywood scene but my sister Catherine Joy works there in her business Joy Music House and this podcast is based on an answer she gave at a Q&A recently. […]
This week, Scottie and I talk about what attitude to have as we approach a really busy time. It's about planning for the future, but living in the present. pilgrimartists.com
https://www.terroraustralisfestival.com/
Today Scottie and I tackle the thorny issue of what you can do if you feel you can’t follow your chosen vocation full time for any reason. If you’re stuck in an unfulfilling job, and you know what you want to do, how do you cope? You think smaller. You can support me at https://www.patreon.com/QuietLife […]
This week I'm talking with Keith (not Scottie) about what happens to schedules in school holidays and other times in our lives when things get thrown out of whack.
If you'd prefer to read about this topic, you can find my blog and sign up to my newsletter at ruthamos.com.au and you can support me at patreon.com/QuietLife.
What do you do when you're just not meeting the goals that you set? This week's podcast is bursting with different ideas to try. Plus a little baby news :-)
As it is the middle of the year, Scottie and I are thinking about the goals we made back in January and how we’re going with them. The point is, it is just fine to change your goals if the situation changes, or even if you find that you set the bar too high. And […]
This episode I chat with Christopher Waterhouse as Scottie is on leave. We talk about asking for help, why you should consider it and what a great community builder it is. You can read a text version at my blog. You can find links to all my fiction at rjamos.com. Sign up to my newsletter […]
This week Scottie and I talk about how to celebrate people in a way that suits them. Bottom line: celebrate often and don’t worry too much about how. Head to my blog if you would prefer a written version of this podcast. Sign up to my newsletter if you would like links to both the […]
I chat with Scotty about that feeling that if you just apply the right technique, method or plan, your life will be perfect from that moment on. I talk about how there is no silver bullet or happily ever after. How instead, we need to find balance and rhythm in our lives. I will be […]
The crisis seems to have passed. Moz’s Dad is doing much better and should be home in a few weeks. So I have turned my attention to more mundane things and I talk with Scottie about attacking your big jobs by breaking them into smaller chunks. I talk about the surprising benefit that came from […]
The month of March for me was filled with crisis after crisis. I talk with Scottie about how the space I had already built into my schedule helped me to cope when the waves of crisis hit. This is a more personal podcast where I also talk about my faith in God and how that has also helped in the last little while.
This week Scottie and I talk about all the conflicting life advice out there and what to do when you're not sure which bit of advice to follow or when the advice you followed doesn't work for you.You can sign up to my newsletter at ruthamos.com.au
This episode, Scottie and I talk about how we reward ourselves when we reach our goals. We look at the pizza option, and then at options other than pizza. I find that the idea of reward is closely linked to motivation and explore a whole lot of options for motivating ourselves. I’m really interested to […]
This week Scottie and I talk about the fact that our goals don’t just happen, we need to put systems in place, either big changes or little ones (I’m more in favour of little ones) that help us to get to where we want to go. I take my goals from Ep 125 and spell […]
Today Scottie and I talk New Year stuff. About goals and success and making sure you reach for something that’s meaningful to you. I share three of my goals for the year ahead. Find the blog post here.
This is the last of my summer series. In this podcast, Scottie and I discuss how using lists can help us feel organised. I think that’s perfect for this time of year as we look at what’s ahead. Sign up to my newsletter here.
This, the second of my summer series, is a rebroadcast of the podcast about taking a day off each week. You can find my interview with Daniel Sih here. Sign up to my newsletter here.
This is the first in my summer series where I’m rebroadcasting old podcasts that I think bear repeating. This week: Permission to say No. Join my newsletter list at ruthamos.com.au (or not, as you choose, but there are benefits!)
This episode, Scottie and I talk about how gratitude helps us and how grateful we are. I’ve been reading Dr Kerry Howells’ book Untangling You and I talk a little about that. I also mention the podcast Not Your Average Runner; however, that one comes with a language warning. Thank you so much for listening […]
This week I didn’t talk with Scottie, unfortunately. But I am able to talk with you. I discuss my other tips for storage. My top two tips can be found here. I also mention my organisational heroes: Sandra Felton, Dana K White and Mari Kondo.
I wanted to talk to Scottie this week about my number one tip for storage in the house, but he brought up the big scary subject of decluttering. So this episode we're exploring some different decluttering methods. Next time I'll be giving some storage tips.
Dana K White https://www.aslobcomesclean.com/book/
Sandra Felton https://messies.com/a-gifted-author/
Marie Kondo https://konmari.com/category/tidy-tips/
Designer, poet, and artist William Morris: "If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."
Today Scottie and I talk about preparing for Christmas. We discuss the ways that I and my family have made our Christmases less stressful and more fun and we also talk about how sensitive we need to be when we're trying to make changes to a festival that is so full of family tradition and expectations.
Remember, change is slow. Take it slowly. The time to prepare is now.
This week, Scottie and I talk about failure. About how important it is to be prepared to do a less-than-perfect job and to learn as we go.
Here is The Gap by Ira Glass.
Here is the other blog: The Foolishness of Fail Fast Fail Often.
Today Scottie and I talk about those times where the life hacks aren't going to help much. Today's podcast is for people with chronic illness, or people who are wading through those tough years with small children, or those who are having to slow down due to age. Or, yes, even those who are struggling with a short-term super-busy period. It's a tough time, and I have a message for you.
This week, I talk with Scottie about budgeting our time, just like we budget our money. I have researched this using several books: The Complete Cheapskate by Mary Hunt The Messies Manual by Sandra Felton Rest by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang Margin by Richard Swenson
This week, Scottie and I discuss various limitations that can be placed on our lives, or that we can place on ourselves, and how to live creatively within those restrictions. What limits do you have? Email me at ruth@ruthamos.com.au or find me on Facebook at Ruth Amos Author or on Twitter @aquietlifeblog.
Today Scottie and I talk about what to do when you have that feeling that you’d like knee surgery so you can have a week off. It’s not a good sign, and you need to take action and simplify. You may be looking for an outside authority to let you know you can have time […]
This week, Scottie and I talk about asking for help. It’s a strength, not a weakness. It’s good to use our strengths to help others, and ask for their help with the things that don’t come so easily to us. How do you give and receive help? Let me know by emailing ruth@ruthamos.com.au or on […]
On this episode Scottie and I talk mornings, and how important it is to be intentional about them. I mention four books: Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy I Didn’t Do the Thing Today by Madeleine Dore The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron The ONE Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
This week I talk to Scottie about a lesson I learned while plodding along the beach. I was going slowly but there was a good reason for it. And comparing myself to others wasn’t helpful. It very rarely is. You can read this in blog form here.
I’m hoping this week’s podcast makes sense! It was recorded as I was coming down with COVID and edited as I was recovering from COVID. It makes sense to my virus-addled mind, but I hope it also makes sense to yours. If you can come up with a name for my segment on Ultra106.5 then […]
Today Scottie and I talk about breaking the big jobs down into chunks, and the example I’ve used is the way that I am now cleaning my house. Small jobs with really low energy requirements can encourage us to get the whole job done. The episode that I talked about in the intro is Ep […]
This week, Scottie and I discuss two big questions that I learned from the Christian Coaching Institute: Where are you? and What do you want? I start on the surface and Scottie immediately goes much deeper. I also give some feedback I’ve received on previous episodes. You can find a blog on this subject at […]
This week I talk to Scottie about a quote from Bill Bernbach that I found in the email Letters of Note. We talk about the blandness that can come from letting our life rules rule us, rather than using the rules and remembering to live. Scottie and I talk about how silence and solitude can […]
Today Scottie and I talk about strategies to deal with the dark, cold winter months. There is no magic bullet, but there are simple things we can do to make it easier to get through to spring with a happy heart. This is more of a process podcast as I try to figure out what […]
This episode was recorded just before Easter. Scottie and I talk about the benefits of gratitude, what we are grateful for, and how best to remember to be grateful. Here are the websites I mention: https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-gratitude-research-questions/ https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-gratitude-practice#benefits 13 Most Popular Gratitude Exercises & Activities This time of year (Easter) fills me with gratitude. I’m grateful […]
I recorded my talk with Scottie about containers two weeks before I managed to record the rest of the podcast. Let’s just say that my time container was a little full. The magic of podcast time travel has let me stitch it all together and I hope you enjoy the result. This week I’ve been […]
This week I chat with Christopher (not Scottie) about checklists, and how using one would have stopped me making a big embarrassing mistake. (And how you can sign up to my newsletter at ruthamos.com.au) I also share some personal news – a new grandson, and an unrelated plumbing disaster. Over the summer I took a […]
Today Scottie and I chatted in person (YAY!) about the words we use when we talk to ourselves. It’s so easy to be negative, but better for us and those around us if we’re positive. I give some strategies for finding more positive words to use. How you talk to yourself matters. It really […]
This week I celebrate the 100th podcast episode! You can find all 100 on ruthamos.com.au. I talk with Scottie about how doing things in a small way can add up over time and about perfectionism. This is episode 100 of my A Quiet Life. This is a milestone worth celebrating! But even though 100 episodes […]
This week I talk with Scottie about an epiphany I had. When you ‘plan’ at 3 a.m. that’s not actually planning. It’s worry. Then I share some of my tried and true techniques to stop myself from worrying and allow myself to go back to sleep. We all know that worrying is bad for us. […]
This podcast episode is one of my special summer series. I thought that, as we are heading into a new year and all wondering what the year will hold, I would share some stories about how some of my friends got to the jobs they got to. The stories are full of twists and turns […]
I’m taking January off from podcasting, but I wanted to give you all something while I was away, and this interview with Daniel Sih from SpaceMakers seemed an ideal place to start. I read Daniel’s book when I last was on retreat and I found it really challenging as I looked at my phone use […]
Today is a slightly different podcast. It’s very close to Christmas, and we just don’t need to think productivity right now. Not as we head into this holiday. So instead of a productivity podcast today, I want to give you a gift. When I started this podcast, I interviewed a whole lot of people about […]
Today I talk with Scottie about Christmas. The panic of it. And some things you can do to help with that. We’re in the middle of it now. Right in the middle of all the Christmas activities. Take some time to breathe. I’m going to put some suggestions up on this blog that you may […]