Homemade Rags

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Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Make Someone’s Day

I often have great ideas of things that would be nice to do for someone else.  The problem is, I don't often get around to doing them.  It's just never a convenient time.  But making an extra effort is what makes a thoughtful gesture all the more special!

Today I want you to do something special for someone.  It doesn't have to be anything big; just something that shows you expended extra effort because you were thinking of them!

I took time to do a chore that my husband normally has to do.  I know he will appreciate not having to do it when he gets home.

If you're just now joining our Anti-Procrastination challenge, you can read all the details here. be sure you're subscribed to email updates or follow me on Facebook to receive each day's new challenge!

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Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Choose Your Own

I've decided to let you choose your own Anti-Procrastination task today!  I know each of our situations are a little bit different, and there's probably something in your home that's been bugging you in the back of your mind knowing you need to get it done.  Since I don't know all of you, and I've never been to your house, I'll let you determine today what it is that you need to work on.  Check out this post to see my original list of rules that I made for myself regarding what an Anti-Procrastination task should be.  

It's been warm here, so I went outside and cleaned up the kids outside toys.  I got things straightened up and put where they need to be so that our yard doesn't look like a bunch of hooligans live here!  (Maybe they do!)

If you're just now joining our Anti-Procrastination challenge, be sure you're subscribed to email updates or follow me on Facebook to receive each day's new challenge!

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Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Light a Candle!

Today's challenge is so easy, but it will brighten up your day!  I want you to light a candle!  Some of you may think this is funny because you keep candles lit in your home all the time.  I don't.  I have lots of them, and when I see them I think “Oh, I don't want to have a pretty candle lit until everything is perfectly clean.”  The problem is, I have 3 little kids.  Therefore, my house is pretty much NEVER perfectly clean.  I don't live in a dump, but there is always something – dishes, or toys, or spilled food on the floor.  I never get to enjoy my candles because I am always waiting until everything is perfect. 

Why wait?  Let's just enjoy a little bit of beauty and a nice aroma even if there are couple dishes in the sink!   

If you're just now joining us, you can read all about the Anti-Procrastination challenge here.

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Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Clean out your Nightstand

I don't know about you, but my nightstand tends to gather quite a collection of random items.  Glasses of water, books, tissues, and miscellaneous lotion bottles are all items that tend to land on or in my nightstand.  Since my nightstand has a door that can be shut, I often end up throwing a book in there when I'm half asleep, and then it becomes forgotten. 

I just found 8 books in my nightstand that I'm not currently reading.  Eight!  I got them all out and put them all away. 

Go put any dishes in the sink, replace empty tissue boxes with new ones, and throw away half-used bottles of lotion that you don't use any more.   Make sure every item on or in your nightstand is something that you use on a regular basis. 

If you're just now joining us, you can read all about the Anti-Procrastination challenge here.

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Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Choose a Goal Toward Which to Work

This Anti-Procrastination thing is working its way into every single area of my life, not just in keeping my house clean.  I am realizing more and more that I am all the time saying “I need to…” or “I really should…”.

Talking about these things is not helping me reach any of my goals for my life.  If I continue on the same path that I'm on, I will enter old age realizing that I have wasted my life.

While goals are very good things, they will get you nowhere if you don't take the necessary steps to carry them out. 

Today I want you to think about your goals for your life.  (If you've never written them down, you need to start by doing that.)  Choose one of those goals and make a  list of the steps that need to be taken in order to reach it.  Then, just start.  NOW.  I mean, right now.  Get off the computer and go start.
   

My personal task was to start exercising.  Immediately.

Here's my little secret.  I hate exercising.  I hate it.  I really, really hate it, and I make every excuse possible to avoid it. Me:  “I need to wait until the baby is sleeping through the night.”  My conscience: Okay, he is.  Now what?  Me: “Well, there's just not a good time to do it.  If I do it in the morning or during naptime, I'll wake up the kids.  After they're up there's just no time to do it.  I mean after all, I'm running around all day, fixing their food, changing diapers, cleaning up messes, doing laundry…”  My conscience: “Are you finished with your excuses?  You're just not doing it because you don't want to.  You're procrastinating. You've been making these same excuses since the day your first child was born 4 years ago.”  Me: “4 years!  Have I really been saying for 4 years that I'm going to start exercising just as soon as…whatever?”

So, here's the grand Anti-Procrastination challenge lady, waking up to the fact that she is being a lazy bum.  So I started exercising today.  No fancy program or DVD's.  No gym membership.  Right now, I don't even have a set time to do it.  I just keep doing a few squats or situps throughout the day for a couple minutes at a time.  I think I've gotten over the biggest hurdle, which was just starting.  As I continue, I'm sure I will get into a routine that I like and find a good time to do it.  I just needed to let go of my excuses and get started.

So, what area of life are procrastinating in?  Are you going to get to the end of your life and realize that you didn't even reach half of the goals you wanted to reach?  You can do something to change that, right now.       

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