Anti-Procrastination Challenge: Your First Task!

I shared my anti-procrastination challenge with you before this year even began, and I've been plugging away at it ever since.  I told you last week how it has affected my home, and I am so excited to see the progress I've made in just one month!  I left it up to you to establish your own rules if you want to join me, but if you're like me, maybe you work better if someone tells you what to do!  So, I'm going to start posting the challenge for the day to help spur your thinking as to what those little nit-picky things are that need to get done around the house!

Your first challenge is to vacuum or sweep under your living room furniture. 

I mean, actually move it and thoroughly clean underneath.  You may be surprised at what you'll find under there.  Perhaps you'll only find a few dust bunnies, but if you have kids there is no limit to what might be lurking under there!  You know what I just found under mine?  A clementine!  I am so glad it wasn't rotten!  Putting off cleaning under the furniture would have left a nice little odor in my house in a couple weeks!

So, go get started!  If you find anything interesting under there, let us know about it in the comments!

And be sure to keep yourself updated on each day's challenge by subscribing in the box below!

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Anti-Procrastination Update: Week 3

I am seriously loving my anti-procrastination challenge!

Before I started this challenge, my mindset was always that I do all the “regular” housework, and then I do anything extra like deep cleaning or organizing.  The problem was, that all the housework was never done!  There were always more meals to prepare, meaning the kitchen had to be cleaned yet again, or more laundry to wash, meaning that it also needed to be dried, folded, and put away.  I never seemed to have time to get around to those “extra” things.

I've made it a priority to get to one anti-procrastination task every single day.  Just something simple like pulling the shower curtain off and sending it through the wash has made an amazing difference!

Here are some ways it has affected our household:

1. It gives me a sense of accomplishment in a much more visible way than regularly-occurring chores do.  There's just something depressing about sweeping the floor only to see that it's dirty again 5 minutes later.  A clean shower curtain, however, gives me a visible reminder that I actually did accomplish something today.

2. A sense of accomplishment brightens my mood and actually helps me enjoy doing the “regular” chores.  It's energizing!

3. Little things like a dirty shower curtain, a disorganized pantry, crumbs in the silverware drawer, etc. were starting to pile up.  Unbeknownst to me, they were dampening my husband's mood when he came home from work.  After I'd been at this anti-procrastination challenge for a week or so, he thanked me for all the little things I was getting done, and told me how it was helping him enjoy our home more!  (By the way, I'm enjoying it more too!  You don't even realize sometimes how those little things can affect you until they're done and you realize how much happier you feel!)

4. My husband's mood and energy after coming home from work has perked up so much that he's started his own anti-procrastination challenge!  He has felt so motivated by the little things I've gotten done, that it has inspired him to start working on his own I-really-need-to-get-that-done projects.  Boy, that has really perked up our house!  My kitchen sink hasn't been draining properly for a while, which made it really annoying to do the dishes.  Now that is fixed!  My husband is also super-organized, so he's been cleaning out the house and re-organizing for me!  He has a whole list of things that he's been chipping away at!  This is great!

Have you been meeting your goals this year?  How has it affected you? 

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Anti-Procrastination Update: Week 2

I've gone two weeks straight without missing a day of Anti-Procrastination!  At least if I stink at meeting my weekly goals, I'm at least accomplishing something every day.

Sunday: I can't remember what this was; I didn't write it down.
Monday: Laminated some stuff for the kids' preschool.  I'm notorious for planning on doing the laminating later, and so far I've done…zilch.  I figured it would be best to start right where I am and laminate the stuff we used today.
Tuesday: Dry Cleaned some stuff that has been hanging in the laundry room forever.
Wednesday: Sewed a button that had come off the boys' hamper.  Removed the bumper from baby boy's crib – he's getting to roly poly for me to feel comfortable with it being on there anymore.  I actually put it all the way in the attic too!
Thursday: Cleaned the crumbs out of the silverware drawer.
Friday: Listed some things on ebay
Saturday: Finished listing things on ebay

So far I am loving the variety of this Anti-Procrastination thing.  It's helping me get something done without getting bored with doing the same old thing every day.  (Even though I still do that too – cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, the works.  It's all part of being a mom, and I wouldn't give it up for anything!)

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The Anti-Procrastination Challenge

I have challenged myself, not to a day, a week, or even a month; but to a full year of Anti-Procrastination!

I'd love to have you join me!

We are going to complete one task every day that would normally be put off until all of the “regular cleaning” is done.    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 Check-Up: Week One

Okay, I have successfully completed my first week of anti-procrastination!  Here's how it went:

Sunday: This one is really embarrassing, and revealed just how bad of a procrastinator I really am.  I threw away a half-eaten candy bar that had been sitting on a shelf for 3 days.  Yes, THREE DAYS.  There was no reason to save it because it belonged to my father-in-law who doesn't even live here – he was just stopping by and forgot to take his Twix bar with him.  Anyway, after 3 days I finally decided to throw it away.
 
Monday: Worked to get the crayon out of a load of clothes.  Fun stuff. 

Tuesday: Got some venison ground up that had been sitting in the fridge since hubby shot it.  I also went ahead and cooked all of it to make meal prep easier later on.

Wednesday: Got the rest of the venison portioned up, packaged and put into the freezer.

Thursday:  Cleaned off a tray that had been collecting papers, receipts, etc.

Friday: Bleached the dishes that had contained the raw venison.

 Saturday:  I know I did something here, but I didn't write it down, so I don't remember.  We did have a lot of fun playing outside most of the day in our wonderful 60+ degree January weather. 

How did you do last week?  I'm feeling rather unmotivated today, but I have at least started on my anti-procrastination task for today.  I guess I should get off the computer and finish…