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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Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Clean out your Spice Cabinet

Today's challenge should be pretty quick and easy.  I'm not asking you to organize your spices (although you certainly can if you want to!).  I just want you to go through and throw away anything that is old or that you do not use.  There is no sense in letting things you do not use take up room and make it harder to find the ones you do use.  Old spices lose their flavor and basically do you no good anyway. 

 If this is your first time visiting The Imperfect Homemaker, you may be wondering what The Anti-Procrastination Challenge is.

Basically, I challenged myself at the beginning of the year to complete one task every day that I would normally put off until all of my “regular cleaning” is done.  I've done things like clean out a drawer, vacuum under the couch, clean out my coupons, etc.  Just recently, I realized that maybe some of you are like me and do better when you have a little nudge, so I decided to start posting a challenge for you to complete every day as well.  If you go here, you can see all the challenges I've posted so far.

Be sure to subscribe to email updates or follow me on Facebook so you won't miss any of the challenges! 

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Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Pinterest

I've been working you hard doing some not-so-fun tasks.  Let's do something fun today!  It's time to actually do something you've pinned on Pinterest.  Go take a look at your boards and choose one thing to do today, whether it's making a new recipe or craft, doing an activity with your kids, or whatever. Just do something!  If you can't complete a project start-to-finish today, I want you to at least write down whatever supplies or ingredients you might need on your shopping list so you can get started as soon as possible. 

I've been experimenting with some of the homemade cleaners and such that I have pinned.  I have yet to find one that I love, though.  I'm going to keep experimenting, and when I've found a recipe I especially like, I will post it here for you.

All right, time to go get busy; you've got a job to do!

If this is your first time visiting The Imperfect Homemaker, you may be wondering what The Anti-Procrastination Challenge is.

Basically, I challenged myself at the beginning of the year to complete one task every day that I would normally put off until all of my “regular cleaning” is done.  I've done things like clean out a drawer, vacuum under the couch, clean out my coupons, etc.  Just recently, I realized that maybe some of you are like me and do better when you have a little nudge, so I decided to start posting a challenge for you to complete every day as well.  If you go here, you can see all the challenges I've posted so far.

Be sure to subscribe to email updates or follow me on Facebook so you won't miss any of the challenges!

Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Attack your Mending Pile

 I worked on my mending pile a couple weeks ago, but I never got all the way to the bottom of it.  I finally finished up the mending today, but I have a half-sewn dress that I still need to finish.  I started working on it last year, but I got pregnant and couldn't finish it because I couldn't fit into it to try it on!  Now I have a few more pounds of baby weight to lose before I can finish it.  Anyway, I'm rambling.

On to your challenge for the day:

Whether you have 1 article or 10 in your mending pile, I want you to mend at least one item start to finish.

That includes putting all your supplies back away when you're done and putting the clothing back in the closet or washing it if need be.  (If it's been in your pile for a while, it may be a little dusty.  I won't tell you how I know that clothes in the mending pile can indeed get dusty.)

If this is your first time visiting The Imperfect Homemaker, you may be wondering what The Anti-Procrastination Challenge is.

Basically, I challenged myself at the beginning of the year to complete one task every day that I would normally put off until all of my “regular cleaning” is done.  I've done things like clean out a drawer, vacuum under the couch, clean out my coupons, etc.  Just recently, I realized that maybe some of you are like me and do better when you have a little nudge, so I decided to start posting a challenge for you to complete every day as well.  If you go here, you can see all the challenges I've posted so far. 

Be sure to subscribe to email updates or follow me on Facebook so you won't miss any of the challenges!

This post may be linked to one of these parties.

Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Do you Have a Will?

Today's Anti-Procrastination Challenge is something none of us like to think about.  But the truth is, all of us are going to die one day.  (Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment)

We tend to procrastinate on matters like making a will because we don't really plan on dying anytime soon.  But in reality,  none of us are guaranteed another moment.  (James 4:14  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.) 

So let's stop procrastinating and get things in order so that our loved ones do not have extra stress should we suddenly pass away.

Obviously you may not be able to complete this task start-to-finish today, but I am challenging you to take the necessary steps to begin the process.  Contact your lawyer, or find a place online that has a fill-in-the-blanks version that you can get notarized.

We are using the service that is provided to members of the Homeschool Legal Advantage.  They have a fill-in-the-blank form that you can send to them to make any necessary corrections.  They send it back to you to get it notarized and you're done!

If anyone else has any helpful resources for getting your will drawn up I'd love for you to tell us in the comments!

And of course, 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: Clean out those Coupons!

 If you missed it yesterday, I told you that I'm going to start posting an Anti-Procrastination Challenge for you each day.  If you need a little inspiration or motivation to start working on those annoying things around the house, this is it!  Be sure to subscribe to email updates so you'll receive each day's new challenge in your inbox!

(By the way, I will not be asking you to complete any task that I have not first completed myself.)

Today's Challenge: Clean out your coupons and receipts.

Depending on the type of person you are, this could be a small task or a very large one.  If you don't use coupons, you may only have a few random receipts lying around.  Round them up and file them if need be or throw them away.  If you are a big-time coupon user, you may have a big job ahead of you.  Don't just say “I ought to…” or “I really should…”; just get up and do it!  Toss the expired ones, file the current ones where they need to go, and get them all cleaned up.  Maybe you're somewhere in the middle.  You clip a few coupons for things you usually buy and you have a few restaurant flyers lying around that have come in the mail.  Throw out anything expired and put the rest away.

I got mine all taken care of today.  I know everyone has a little different system for how they organize their coupons.  I call my system the “messily neat system”…or should it be the “neatly messy system”?  Either way, it works for me.  Basically, I came up with a way to keep everything corralled into one place and fairly easy to find without spending forever filing it just so.  Maybe I'll show you how I do it one day.   

For now, you've got a job to do!

And when you come back, I'd love for you to tell me how you keep your coupons organized!

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