Below: Want to get organized, but don’t have the time for 31 days of extra tasks? Join this challenge to help make your life SIMPLER!
There’s something about a fresh start, a clean slate, that I find so appealing. The idea that you can put your missteps behind you and begin again, that each new day is a chance to get it right, holds so much hope.
That’s why every year as December draws to a close and a brand new year approaches, I become eager. I think of all the things I want to change and all the ways I want to improve, and I anticipate the first of January full of excitement.
Of course by mid-January, I’ve usually petered out on all my grandiose plans. I’m good at starting strong, but I rarely make it to the finish line.
Let’s Get Organized! A Five Week Challenge
This year, as I’ve begun thinking about my goals for 2018, I’ve made some big ones. But I’ve also realized that sometimes big plans are the very reason I fail.
It’s great to want to weed through my entire house and get rid of all the excess, but when I dive into a project that big, there’s a good chance I’ll get sidetracked long before I’m done.
It’s admirable to decide to become a paper-free home, but making that happen (especially with kids) is next to impossible.
Most of the time I’m lucky to get through a day with a clean counter and the dishes done (don’t get me started on the laundry), let alone doing any of the extra stuff I planned. Sound familiar?
I deeply desire to get organized in 2018, but I know that creating a giant To Do list or following some 31 day plan where I have a giant task to do each day isn’t going to work for me.
If you can relate, I think you’re going to love what I’m planning for the month of January.
Several months ago my friend Stephanie introduced me to the term “decision fatigue.” I’d never heard it before, but once she explained it, the proverbial light bulb turned on above my head. Suddenly all my frustration at feeling so scattered all the time made perfect sense.
Basically decision fatigue is what happens when all our mental space is taken up by the million mundane, every day choices we constantly have to make. It can happen to anyone, but I think it’s especially relevant to moms, who juggle so many balls all at once all the time.
When our mental energy is spent on little things like deciding what to make for dinner, remembering to add eggs to the shopping list, figuring out what gift to buy our nephew for his birthday, paying that bill, and on and on, we have no space left over for the bigger decisions (and tasks) we want or need to complete.
Since then, I’ve been working on cutting down on decision fatigue and it’s really helping.
If it helps me, I think it will help you too!
That’s why I’ve planned the Let’s Get Organized Five Week Challenge for the month of January.
This challenge will not give you big daily tasks to perform. It will not add more items to your To Do list that you’ll feel guilty and defeated about not doing at the end of the day.
Instead, this challenge will be all about making your life simpler and easier. It will be about putting as many of those tiny decisions that eat up mental space on auto-pilot so that you have the capacity to focus on some of the other things you want to get done.
Each week will have a different focus (we’ll start by laying the groundwork, then do a week on meal planning, a week on housework, a week on paper, and a week on finances). Each day I’ll offer helpful tips and suggestions that work for me or that I’m planning to try right along with you.
This challenge is for moms who want to get organized, but don’t have the time or energy to add more to their overcrowded plate.
If that’s you, you’re probably wondering how to sign up.
I considered all the ways we currently connect, but they each have some pitfalls. If I wrote a post each day on my blog, you’d have to remember to check it. If I did the challenge on Facebook, you’d only be shown maybe 5-10% of the posts, so you’d have to remember to check the page every day. If I did it through email, half of them would probably end up in your spam folder.
That’s why I’ve decided to hold the challenge in my community on In-Telligent.
In-Telligent is a free app that was created so that families can communicate in times of emergency (you can set up a Personal Community and if you can’t get in touch with a family member during a crisis, it lets you override the silent setting on their phone).
They’ve begun to expand their offerings and I’m excited to be one of the first bloggers to create a public community. The reason it’s perfect for this challenge is that 100% of the messages get delivered right to your phone, sort of like a text message, so you won’t miss out on any of the challenges. (And don’t worry; I won’t send more than two a day, so you won’t get bombarded!)
To join the challenge, first download the app (again, it’s totally free and there are no in-app purchases).
Then join my community.
That’s it! Starting January 1st we’ll get going on making our lives easier and more productive.
I can’t wait for you to join me!!
PS If you have a friend you think would enjoy the challenge, share this post with her! We moms need to stick together!