Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Gettin' Messy!

This probably makes me a horrible mom, but I am always hesitant to let my kids do certain things because I dread the mess it will create.  (Let me clarify, I dread cleaning up the mess it will create!)  My list of I-rarely-say-yes-to-doing-this activities includes play-dough, playing in the rain, playing in the dirt/mud, painting, and more.  I realize that all of these activities are some of the best memories I have of my own childhood.  How much fun can a kid have without doing those things?  I keep telling myself that I will let them do more of it when they're older and can help more with clean-up.

But, seeing as how this is anti-procrastination year and all, I decided that today was the day I was going to surprise the socks flip-flops off the kids by telling them I would get the kiddie pool out for them.  Last year I kept putting them off because I "didn't have time" to clean the dirt off from storage, blow it up, and ultimately clean up dripping wet kids.  The whole summer ended up going by and we never got the pool out one time.  Shameful, isn't it?  But you have time for what you make time for, right?  And there's nobody more important that I should be making time for than my kids, even if that means it's not totally convenient for me.


So here we are getting things set up.  It wasn't too bad yet at this point.  I put the baby in his inflatable bath tub because I was afraid the older kids were going to get too wild and hurt him if I put him in with them.

But he saw how much fun they were having, crawled out of his tub, across the grass, and into the pool with them.  What did I say about the other kids being too wild?  See the bottles of water in their hands?  They were headed straight for the baby's head, and landed there about a second after I snapped this picture!  (Oh, and don't you just love the shirt I drew on my oldest?  My artistic abilities are amazing, I know!)

   
Did they make a mess?  Most definitely!  It was interesting trying to figure out what to do with three soaking wet kids when I could only bathe and dry one of them at a time.  Leaving them outside by themselves is not an option in the house where we currently live.  I ended up making them stand in the laundry room while I took them in one by one and bathed them as fast as I could.  Then there was the fun part of draining the pool and rinsing out all the dirt and grass, setting it out to dry, cleaning up all the toys, and washing wet towels and clothes. 

Did they have fun?  Absolutely!  Of course the first thing they asked when we came in was, "Can we go swimming again tomorrow?"

We just might, little ones.  Mommy had a whole lot of fun out there too.  I think the mess was worth watching your happy faces!

Your turn!  What is it that you've been putting off because you don't want to deal with the mess?  Whether it's something fun with the kids, a household project, cooking supper (ha!) or whatever else, it's time to get it done.


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 new challenge!     

Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Thinking Ahead

One thing that I am horrible about is thinking that I have plenty of time to get something done.  Before I know it, the event has sneaked up on me and I am hanging out to dry.  (Insert head hanging in shame here as I admit that Father's Day was a day of "Oh, yeah, it's Father's Day.  I really meant to have a gift ready for you, but I didn't get it ready in time.")

So, today I am thinking ahead to things that are coming up and trying to go ahead and prepare even though it seems like I have plenty of time. 

I spent most of the morning doing lesson plans for the upcoming school year.  I can't believe I'm going to be a homeschooling mom!  Somehow that makes me feel old.  I've got the first 12 weeks of kindergarten almost completely prepared.  I want to prepare ahead of time for activities for my 2 year old as well so that I'm not getting frustrated as I try to think of things for her to do.  I'll use my list of 15 self-directed activites for toddlers, but I also want to have some educational worksheets ready for her that correspond with what Little Bear is learning in school. 

Your turn!  Can you think of anything coming up for which you need to prepare.  Maybe it seems like you have plenty of time, but it's better to go ahead and get it done instead of letting it sneak up on you.

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 new challenge!        

Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Little Fingerprints

I've been trying to tackle ever-so-tiny things around the house since I haven't had any energy.  I've also been trying to think of things I can make the kids do for me. :) 

You know all the smudges that show up on doorknobs and light switches?  In my house, with 3 little ones running/crawling around, they also show up on walls, windows, furniture, you name it.  And they're usually not just smudges from body oils.  They're more like peanut butter, snot, spit-up, plain old dirt, and who knows what else? 

I figured that if they're going to make that mess, they can help clean it up!  Let me tell you something that mother-in-law got me last Christmas that is absolutely perfect for the kids.  It's called a KAYWOS cloth.  You can clean mirrors and windows with it, using only water.  It cleans them beautifully and is totally lint and streak-free! 

The reason these are perfect for kids is that I can just wet the cloth for them and turn them loose to clean.  I don't have to worry about their using a spray bottle and getting chemicals in their eyes or soaking the house by spraying too much. 

Yesterday I was able to get the bathroom scrubbed while they worked on cleaning windows, mirrors, doorknobs, and walls.  They always do a good job, especially when there is a monetary incentive involved. 

Your turn!  Go get those fingerprint smudges cleaned up.  If you've got kids, this is a project for them!

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 new challenge!       

Anti-Procrastination Challenge: An Apple a Day...

...doesn't always keep the doctor away.

Tomorrow morning will find me at the doctor's office trying to find out some answers about the fatigue with which I've been struggling, among other issues.

Believe me, folks.  This is a big deal for me.  I'm the kind of girl who doesn't even take a Tylenol when I have a headache.  I don't just go running to the doctor for every little ailment.  But when my health is keeping me from taking care of my family the way I'd like to, and when there could potentially be something wrong with my heart, it's time to go.  That's not really something I should mess around with.

Hopefully I will get some answers, or at least get started down the right track.  I will be going to see my ob doctor simply because the medical center is booked until August.  After having had 3 babies with the same ob, I'm wonderfully comfortable talking to her anyway, so I'm hoping she can at the very least point me in the right direction and use her medical influence to get me in to a cardiologist if that's what I need to do.

Now, is there anybody reading this that knows you need to go see a doctor for some reason or another?  Perhaps you're the type that always puts that sort of thing off.  I was just talking to a lady the other day who had two adult children diagnosed with cancer within one week of each other.  Her daughter found out right away, and the cancer was only stage 1.  She will probably be fine.  Her son?  She told me with head down and tears in her eyes that "He waited too long to go."  His cancer is stage 5, and things aren't looking too good.

If you need to go...then go!  Don't try to convince yourself that it's probably nothing.  If you go, and it's nothing, then you can be glad to know you're fine!  If you go, and it's not nothing, you'll be so thankful you went sooner rather than later.


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!       

The Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Getting Back in the Ballgame

 As you may remember, I haven't been feeling too well lately.  As a result, I have sort of fallen off the Anti-Procrastination bandwagon.  I have been trying to just keep up with the basics around the house and haven't had enough energy to do anything extra.  However, I have been feeling a tiny bit better, and I'm trying to ease myself back into the ballgame of completing my Anti-Procrastination tasks every day.  I definitely haven't done anything big, but at least I've been doing something.   

So if I've been working on stuff, then why haven't you seen me posting my daily challenges here?  Ummm....I have an excuse.  You know, since I haven't been feeling well, I have had to take naps during the afternoons instead of blogging.  After I went for a while without blogging, I just didn't know where to start to get back into it.  So...I procrastinated.  Waiting never helps things get any easier, though.  So I'm here today just to get started.

Have you ever gotten out of a habit for some reason or another, and then never got back into it because you just didn't know where to start?  Is there something right now that you need to just start, whether for the first time or something that you need to get back into?

Just start.

And hey, it won't hurt my feelings if you leave me a comment either.  :)        

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Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Time for a Break

I haven't been posting a lot of new challenges lately.  Honestly, I haven't really been doing any.  I have about a bazillion shortish longish term goals that I'm chipping away at every day, so I'm counting any work I do on those as my Anti-Procrastination task for the day.  I just haven't had time to work on any specific finishable task.  I haven't really even had much time to sleep.  I know this sounds like more excuses, but I promise it's not this time.  In fact, I've been running on too little sleep long enough.

My Anti-Procrastination challenge for the day is to go take a nap!  I've been concentrating so hard on getting these things done, plus running a household and taking care of three children, that I just need to stop and take a break.

Go do the same if you need to.  Or maybe sitting down and reading blogs is your break.  Either way, rest a while if you need to so you'll have more energy to get back up and get back at it!

I don't know if this post is even coherent; I'm just plumb tarred.  (That would be "tired", but my southern accent really comes out when I'm "tarred".)

So that's all for now, folks.  I'm outta here while the little ones are sleeping...or are at least in their bedrooms...not sure what they're actually doing...ignorance is bliss...for a while anyway.

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!         

Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Something is Better than Nothing

 I keep a scrub brush in the shower, and I normally try to clean it while I'm taking my shower.  Lately the hot water hasn't been sticking around long enough for my liking, so I've been ready to get out as quickly as possible rather than staying in to clean.  That hasn't done much to help with the cleanliness of the shower, though. 

Yesterday, I was taking another semi-cold shower, and I was getting disgusted with how dirty it was getting in there.  I figured if I stayed in long enough to clean just one section (maybe 30 seconds worth) it would only take about 7 or 8 showers before the whole thing was out of totally gross mode and back into routine maintenance mode.

I tackled just one shelf, but decided to do the other one on that side.  That wasn't so bad, so I did the other 2 shelves on the other side.  After that I figured I might as well scrub the walls down too.  After only1 shower half the thing was clean!  And I didn't freeze to death, either.  I was cold, but I survived.

And of course, now that I'm typing this out, I realize how lame of an excuse cold water was to not clean the shower.  That's how most of my excuses have ended up seeming throughout this challenge.  They sound so legitimate in my head, but when I actually start putting it out there for everybody else to see, it becomes obvious that I'm just being a sissy and need to get over it.

Anyway, the point of this post is that I was procrastinating because I knew I couldn't clean the whole shower in one shot (at least not in one warm-water shot!)  Because I couldn't do the whole thing, I didn't do anything.  But something is better than nothing!  Now I only need to take one more shower and the whole thing will be sparkling again!

So, my friend, what have you been putting off because you couldn't do it all in one shot?  Something is better than nothing, and if you just start you'll be further ahead on it than if you never start at all!

Set a timer for 15 minutes and see how far you can get before the timer goes off!  You might surprise yourself!  You might decide you have the time after all to do the whole project.  If not, that's okay too.  You'll have more done than before you started!

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: Cleaning out the Clothes

Organizing my clothes has become a big ordeal lately.  It seems like my size is constantly change between having babies, nursing, losing weight, getting pregnant again and so forth.  Making sure I have the right size and the right season of clothing is becoming a challenge.  Right now I have plenty of clothes, but it's overwhelming to me to get them changed out at the beginning of a new season.  I have to try everything on, and I have to make sure I leave out some smaller clothes right now since I'm at the losing baby weight stage.  I've had a bin of clothes sitting in my bedroom floor for a couple weeks now, but I haven't felt up to getting myself involved in all that confusion.

I finally decided that I would just take a small bite out of it at a time.  The first day I went through just the skirts that were in the closet.  Those were the bigger ones that are now almost all too big.  I got out anything that was too big and put it in one place.  I'm hoping that putting all the similar size clothes in one place it will be easier to figure out what fits me next time I have a baby.  Next I need to get out the smaller skirts and find out what currently fits, what I need to put away until I lose more weight, and what I should leave out because it will probably fit pretty soon.  Ugh.  This business of gaining 50+ pounds with my pregnancies is annoying!  Hopefully now that I'm exercising regularly I'll be able to exercise through my next pregnancy and not gain as much weight.  (Or at least maybe keep myself toned up better.  I'd be happy with that too.)

I've got to keep working on those clothes a little bit each day until they're done.  I need to hurry up before my husband gets tired of having the bin sitting in the bedroom floor.  Actually, he's probably already tired of it, but he's being nice and not saying anything.

All right, it's your turn.  You may not have the same issues I have with your clothes, but you probably have some work to do on your wardrobe.  Whatever it may be - getting rid of stuff you never wear, mending stuff so you can wear it, changing out seasonal clothes, whatever - just do what you need to do.

And 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: Getting Rid of Stuff

We have a pretty large yard sale every year, and it's so nice to get rid of the junk and make a little money too.  But inevitably there is a least one thing (usually quite a few) that I come across while we're pricing items that I can't bear to sell for only a yard sale price.  I convince my husband that we need to set it aside to sell on ebay or Craigslist so that we can get a better price out of it.  That's great and all, but the problem is that those items go right back into the attic where I forget about them until the next year's yard sale. 

I have thought about getting the stuff down to list on ebay a few times, but there is always a reason why I can't do it at the time.  "I need good lighting to take pictures, and that only happens when the kids are up.  It's too hard to try to take pictures while keeping the kids from ripping the tags off of items I want to sell as brand new."  "Optimum times to list are at night around 9 or 10, and I'm too busy getting everybody ready for bed at those times."

Dumb excuses, I know.  I finally got up there and just did it.  I have several auctions going right now that are doing pretty well, and a bunch of other pictures taken that I can use to finish listing my auctions while the kids are napping.   

So, my challenge to you is this - What is it that you keep saying you need to get rid of, but haven't yet?  Maybe you want to list things on ebay like me, or maybe you're needing to pull together a yard sale, or maybe you just need to be honest with yourself and realize you're never going to do the ebay or yard sale thing.  Put the box of "Someday ebay" stuff out at your yard sale and just be done with it.  Or put the box of "Someday yard sale" stuff in the car to take to Goodwill and just be done with it.

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 Update

This Anti-Procrastination challenge has ended up being a bigger challenge than I thought it would be!  My original intent was just to be able to tackle things around the house that kept getting put off.  But it has turned into so much more than that.

I've become trained to listen to myself (either audibly or mentally) saying phrases like, "Later"; "I can't because..."; "When ___ happens, I'll do ____."  When I hear those, I can now recognize that I am making an excuse to procrastinate about something.  And you know what?  I was doing it a lot more than I realized!

At first I was adding things to my list like crazy, but after a while I started tuning in to something a little deeper than just cleaning or organizing.  This Anti-Procrastination challenge is turning from a challenge that's not so much about what I need to do, but about what I need to be. 

My thinking is receiving an overhaul.  The excuses that have been so subtly lurking in the background of my thoughts are coming more clearly to the forefront, and I'm recognizing things that have been holding me back from being who I ought to be.  This is not a result of my own efforts in the challenge, but rather a result of being yielded to the Holy Spirit of God.

You see, whenever I hear those excuses whispering in my ear, trying to convince me to procrastinate yet again, I have a choice.  I have a choice to either let the excuses win and allow what really amounts to laziness take over or to get up and get to work!  Something that in my mind is simple - such as determining whether to wash the dishes before bed or waiting until morning because I'm too tired - becomes not a matter of household cleanliness, but a matter of a clean heart before God.  Committing to a year of letting go of excuses has helped me see other things that I need to change...now.

I started exercising, and that was a huge step in the right direction.  But there was (and is!) a whole lot more that God needed to get me to change.  What about my mothering?  I needed to stop saying, "I need to do better about teaching my children God's Word,"  and just start doing it!  What about my witnessing?  I needed to stop telling myself "I need to do better about handing out tracts," and just start doing it!  Every day, as God shows me things in his Word, the result in my life ought not to be an attitude of mental assent, but an immediate doing!  (James 1:22-25  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.)

I want to be transformed by the power of the living God!  But that is only going to happen when the working of the Holy Spirit in my heart is met with a response of action rather than assent!

I am excited to continue my Anti-Procrastination Challenge not just throughout the rest of the year, but throughout the rest of my life.  Don't get me wrong;  we'll still be working on getting things done in the house, but I hope that like me, you're beginning to see how much work needs to be done in the heart!   


What about you?  Have you been making excuses without even realizing it?  Have you been agreeing with what the Lord speaks to you about, but not actually putting it into action?  Use the Anti-Procrastination challenge to help you change not just what you do, but who you are.     

Anti-Procrastination Challenge

When I first started my Anti-Procrastination challenge I made a list of things around the house that were bugging me.  My plan was to work on something each day and one by one knock out all those annoying little projects that I never seem to get around to doing.  I've been pretty faithful to sticking with my challenge, but lately I've had some more long-term things come up, and I've been putting a little time into chipping away at finishing them rather than actually finishing one thing every day.

One thing that has been on my list almost since day one of this challenge was this pillow:

Yes, you can see why it's been bugging me, can't you?

But the problem is - I loathe sewing by hand.  I hate it.  I despise it.  I've done every other project on my anti-procrastination list without too much complaint, but I keep skipping over this one.

The thing is - wasn't this the whole point of my Anti-Procrastination Challenge in the first place?  To challenge myself to "just do it" whether I feel like it or not?

So, I finally quit procrastinating on doing one of the very first items to make it on my Anti-Procrastination list.  That pillow has been crossed off my list!  And I'm glad.  I'm glad I don't have to keep looking at that horrid hole.  I'm glad I don't have to keep dreading sewing that pillow.  I'm glad I accomplished something.

Your turn!  What is it that needs to be done, but you keep skipping it because it just makes you wrinkle up your nose and say "Ugh." 

Do it!  I took my turn; you take yours!  You'll be glad when it's all over.

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Anti-Procrastination Challenge: More Inbox Organization

It wasn't been too terribly long ago that I posted the Anti-Procrastination Challenge to declutter your inbox.  In spite of doing a lot of cleaning out and unsubscribing, I've still felt very overwhelmed with the massive amounts of email I receive.  Many times things go unanswered just because I have too many emails to deal with.  I came across this post yesterday at Simple Organized Living about organizing email using Gmail filters.  Wow!  I attacked my inbox and started organizing it, and I feel about 10 pounds lighter!

Photo from Simple Organized Living

 I can choose specific emails to not even come into my inbox, but to automatically go to a specific folder.  I have already seen increased productivity in checking my email.  When I open my inbox, I don't have 300 emails staring me in the face, making me feel behind before I've even started.  Instead, I can open up the folder with the most important things and deal with those first.  No more wasted time sifting through and sorting emails every day!  The sorting is done for me already!

I will warn you, though, that if you start setting up your filters, make sure you stay focused.  There are lots of shiny gadgets on Gmail that I was tempted to explore once I started looking around at the settings.  Just follow the directions Andrea's post  to help you stay on track. 

If you don't use Gmail, your job today is to do some research on how you can keep your own email inbox more organized.  You'll save time in the long run!

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Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Company's Comin'!

Inviting guests over may come easier to some of you than it does to me.  I always have some reason why I don't want to have anyone over.  I love spending time with friends and family, but it just feels like it's going to be too much work to make it all happen.  The excuses come flying through my thoughts at an incredible rate.  "I don't have time to get my house as clean as I want it."  "Have you seen my living room?  It is in such serious need of re-decoration that I'm embarrassed to let anyone see it!"  "What in the world am I going to cook?  I don't have stuff on hand, and I really don't feel like going to the grocery store."

Let me tell you, whenever I just go ahead and invite somebody over, all of the excuses seem to take care of themselves.  I suddenly have motivation to get my house clean; we end up with something to eat (maybe nothing gourmet, but food nonetheless); and my living room does not get re-decorated.  But, I am always so glad I decided to just invite somebody regardless of my embarrassing living room.  Time spent with friends or family is so enjoyable, and as a bonus I get a clean house and a good meal out of the deal too! (Maybe one of these days I'll also end up with a re-decorated living room.)

Are you procrastinating on inviting someone over because you're waiting on your house to be perfect or you've mastered gourmet cooking?

You're missing out on some priceless times with people you love.

Just invite them!  Once you've obligated yourself, you'll suddenly find yourself motivated to get your house clean and cook a decent meal.

Are you going to take the challenge?

I'm letting my crockpot do the work for me as I wait for my guests to arrive.  They'll be here any minute.

When are yours coming?


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Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Fulfill Your Promises

 I'm working right now on scanning a bunch of stuff that my sister-in-law needs.  It is a little time-consuming, and to be honest, I don't really feel like doing it.  I mean, it's boring sitting here waiting on stuff to scan and tedious to make sure I save all the files in the right place and get them all emailed to her. 

But, she is my sister-in-law, and I love her dearly.  This is stuff she really needs, and I promised her I would do it for her.  Procrastinating on it just because it's not exactly something  fun is not going to help her any, and it's going to leave it hanging over my head and making me feel badly that I haven't done it for her yet.

(If you're reading this, dear SIL, I'm not trying to make you feel guilty!  I'm happy to do it for you, it's just not exactly what I would call fun.  And my flesh would rather have fun than do work.) 

So, now that I've gotten this far on my post in between scannings, I am done with what I promised!  That wasn't so bad, was it? 


Your turn!

What have you told someone you would do for them, and why haven't you done it yet? Have you told your kids you would take them to the park, but haven't found the time because you're too busy working on your to-do list?  Have you made a promise to a friend out of politeness and conveniently forgotten about it?

Whatever it is, it's time to get rid of the excuses and do it!  I'd love for you to leave a comment letting me know what you've accomplished!

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: Just Buy It!

This is a hard one for my tightwad stingy frugal self.  The back of our office chair fell off a good while ago.  Really, I can't even remember when it was.  Maybe a few months?  Six months?  More?  I don't know.  We just kept using it like it was "until we get a new one."  Well, we haven't gotten a new one yet.

I have lots of excuses, the main one being, "I just haven't found a good deal on one."  I don't buy anything unless it's a really, really, really, really good deal.  Or free.  That's the truth.  (That would be why I run another blog all about deals and free stuff!)   

But, even though there have been several times I've come up with pretty much the best deal I'm gonna find on an office chair, my tightwad stingy frugal self always backs down at the last minute.  I just hate spending the money, good deal or not.

Well, this whole Anti-Procrastination thing has had an over-riding theme of getting rid of excuses.  The broken chair is hideously ugly, and it's bugging both my husband and me.  It's time to just buy a new one!  Part with that money already!  I'm biting the bullet today and getting a new chair!

Your turn!

What is it that needs to be replaced in your home?  Hey, it could be something as simple as a lightbulb, but it's just made its way to the bottom of the list.  Just buy it!

Please be aware that I'm not advocating your going out and spending money you don't have.  Please, no!  But, if it's within reason and needs to be replaced, what is keeping you from buying it?  You may need to be purposeful about rearranging your budget a little bit so you can financially fit in that purchase this month.  But you'll be glad you did when you can stop looking at that ugly, broken whatever-it-is and wishing you had a new one!

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: De-Clutter your Inbox

My inbox was starting to get really annoying.  It seemed like I was deleting 10 times more stuff than I was actually opening.  It was time for an inbox de-clutter! 

Your turn!  Any type of newsletters, advertisements, etc. that are coming to your inbox that you don't ever read are simply wasting your time when you have to click the delete button every day.  Open them all up and unsubscribe.  I like to do it all in one day even if it takes me a while.  The reason for that is because your unsubscription request can take up to 2 weeks to process.  In the meantime you'll continue to get emails from that company.  I can never remember which ones I've already unsubscribed to, so I do it all in one shot, wait a couple weeks, then do it again.


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: Do it Now!

Today's Anti-Procrastination challenge isn't so much of a one-time challenge as it is the practicing of a habit.  I call it the Do-It-Now Principle.

The idea behind the Do-It-Now Principle is to practice Anti-Procrastination on everything that you do.  There are plenty of people for whom that comes naturally, but unfortunately I am not one of those people.  I am forever convincing myself  that things will be easier if I do them later.

 Here's an example that occurred just today.  I had been out shopping all day, and when I pulled into the driveway it was already well past the children's naptimes.  I looked into the back at the jumbled mess of bags, kids, coats, diaper bags, and who-knows-what else and thought to myself, "Right now I just need to concentrate on getting these kids down for their naps.  I'll clean the van out later." 

The only problem is that later never seems to come.  By the time everyone is down for naps and I've had a couple minutes to put my feet up, it's time to make dinner and straighten up the house.  Before I know it, bedtime is upon me and later becomes, yet again...later.  The next day I'll most likely forget all about the junk that's sitting in the van.  I'll continue to forget about it until a very inconvenient time, like when we're already late for church and we're looking for the kids' coats.  I'll then remember that they're in the van, along with a bunch of other stuff.  We'll hurriedly jump in on top of all the stuff, allowing it to get trampled under the kids' feet while they climb into the back.  I could continue to go on with the possibilities - a bottle of lotion getting squirted all over the place under a kid's foot, finding a bag of spoiled cheese (not that I've ever done that or anything), a coat that now has to be washed because it just got walked on with dirty shoes. 

What begins as an attempt to make things easier ends up creating more work and making things take longer.  And the longer you procrastinate, the worse they become. 

I am learning ever so slowly that those who always seem to have their house clean are the people who have a habit of practicing the Do-It-Now Principle.

Whatever we do, let's quit procrastinating, okay?  Let's make our lives easier by doing things now!  Will you join me?  If you're already in a good habit of doing things right away, will you cheer me on?


*By the way, I did clean out the van before I put the kids down for their naps!  Good habits are developed one decision at a time!*

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: Take a Day Off

I realize I haven't posted an Anti-Procrastination challenge for the past couple days.  I also realize that there are a lot of weekends that I don't post anything.  That's simply because I made a commitment that I would not let this blog take priority over my responsibilities as a wife and mother.  (That would be pretty dumb to blog about homemaking and be a lousy homemaker!)

I really hope, though, that on the days where I don't post a new challenge that you're still completing your own Anti-Procrastination task.  We all have different things that need to be done, and I'm sure you can think of something to do that you've been putting off.

Today is a little different, though.  I'm going to give you permission to take a day off...with one requirement.  You have to use your day off to do something you've been putting off.  I know you're thinking, "What?  Isn't that the same as an Anti-Procrastination task?"  Here's what I mean.  You need to stop procrastinating caring about people.  In my case it's the three little people that call me mom.  I can get so focused on getting everything crossed off my list, including my Anti-Procrastination task for the day, that I hear myself saying things like, "No, not right now..."  "Not today..."  "Later..." to my kids.  They want to go outside (which means I have to drop everything and go out with them since they're too little to go out by themselves) or play with playdough (which I hate because it makes a big crumbly mess)  or they want me to read to them or play with them.  There is nothing wrong with telling your kids they have to wait a few minutes while you get the dishes in the dishwasher, but do you find yourself constantly telling them "Later"?  If not now, then when?  Blink an eye and they'll be grown.  You'll be so sorry you waited to spend precious time with them.  So don't add that Anti-Procrastination task to your list today.  Instead, go read a book to your kids.  Take them outside.  Play playdough with them. 

If you don't have children or yours are grown, what people have you been putting off because you're too busy?  Why don't you take the time to make that special meal for your husband even though it's time-consuming and requires a lot of cleanup?  Write that letter to your grandmother.  Visit that lonely person in your church.  Bake those cookies for your neighbor.

We're not promised tomorrow.  Let's not get so focused on getting things done that we put off caring about people.

 

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Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Preserve a Memory

I have a family blog where I post pictures for the grandparents or anybody else who wants to see what we've been up to.  But...that blog is often sadly neglected.  I always have great intentions, but it gets pushed to the bottom of the priority list too many times.  For my Anti-Procrastination task today, I got it updated.

Whether or not you have a blog, keeping up with family photos seems to be an area which many people neglect.

What are you going to do about it today?  I'm  not asking you to start a month-long project updating a year's worth of scrapbook pages.  I'm challenging you to preserve A memory.  Just do one thing.  What will it be?  Getting pictures printed that have been sitting on your camera card for who-knows-how-long?  Putting together one scrapbook page?  Posting one blog post? 

I am finding that a big reason we procrastinate is because the situation looks too big and too overwhelming, so we don't do anything.  Just do one thing and enjoy it!  That's better than not doing anything at all!

 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: Call or Email a Long-Distance Friend

There are a number of people that were good friends of mine in college, but now I feel like I hardly know them.  They have moved away, and I have done a horrible job at keeping in touch with them.  In my opinion, "liking" or commenting on their Facebook status once in a while is a lousy alternative to actually calling them or emailing them with a meaningful message.

I am tired of making excuses for everything.    Among my excuses for not keeping in better touch with my long-distance friends are thinking that they are too busy or that I'll call at a bad time for them, my kids don't like it when I'm on the phone, and more.  But the real truth is that I've just been too lazy to make the effort.  A true friend will take the time to keep in touch with people she cares about.  Even if it's not always convenient, a true friend will make a way to do it.

Today I called one of my very best friends.  You know what?  It was so good to hear her voice.  So good.  You know what else?  She was so happy to hear from me too.  She told me more than once that I made her day.  She will be hearing from me a whole lot more often from now on.

Do you have any friends that you have been bad about communicating with?  Make some time to call them.  If you can't make a phone call, send a meaningful email message.  Proverbs 18:24 says  "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly."  I'm going to stop saying "I should call..."  "I should email her..."  I'm just going to do it.    

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