21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 1

One of my personal enrichment goals for 2014 is to read at least 6 books, so I started with some books that I'd gotten for free on my Kindle over a year ago. I am currently reading two books but the one I really want to share with you right now is 21 Days To A More Disciplined Life by Crystal Paine of the Money Saving Mom. Being my overall goal for 2014 is to become a more disciplined person I thought this book would be a good "goal multi-tasker". That's understatement. In the 3 days that I have been reading it, 21 Days has been a big help.

I am going to admit something. I may seem like I have it all together because I am good at planning menus, coming up with recipes, planning events, etc. However, when it comes to my house, I am a disaster. I have always hated housework and because of that I haven't made it a priority. My house is usually in disarray and I've used my kids as an excuse. My lack of discipline in this area has caused some strife between my hubby, the minimalist who comes from a 5S work environment, and me, the disorganized pack-rat. I have lots of "stuff" and because I don't keep it organized it often clutters up our small space (an 850 sq. ft. house) making it seem even smaller and slightly claustrophobic. I am an all or nothing kind of person. If there is a task to be completed I want to be able to get it ALL done in one sitting or I become overwhelmed and do NOTHING with it. Reading Jon Acuff's book, Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work That Matters, last year has gotten me to realize the problems with this mindset so I have been trying to do better at being more balanced in this area. With that in mind, I have always had a hard time breaking large projects down into small manageable segments but this book is helping me learn how to do it. I love how Crystal gives ideas for helping to recharge your motivation, pick projects, break projects down, and start being a more disciplined person. Each chapter is only 3-5 pages long and gives a practical application for you to follow. Throughout the next 21 days, I will be posting my progress through the book and on the projects that I tackle. Here's a look at day 1.

Day 1:
This chapter talks about how I am the problem in whether or not I live a disciplined life, but that I am also the solution. "I need to commit to change myself from the inside out, one step at a time, one day at a time..."

Practical Application: Today's challenge was to find one small project that has been nagging me. It had to be something that I could start and complete in less than 24 hours. I chose breaking down the huge pile of moving boxes that I have been taking up a good chunk of space in our basement since around May. I finished it in less time than I thought and even got them organized. Crystal gave an assignment as well, the assignment was to choose a Mega Project that has been lurking around the house. It had to be something that I could divide into 21 small parts. She gave some good suggestions and instructions on how to break the project down into manageable segments. I chose to the tackle the 3 boxes of mending in the basement. Since I am a seamstress by trade, I tended to get caught up in "work" sewing and put the mundane personal sewing off till I had accumulated all that mending. I determined to finish at least 3 mending projects a day for 21 days, and yes, I really do have around 60 of them (you can ask my hubby). I then found and finished mending three items. It made me feel good. :)