organize now! Week 1 - Organize Your Mind

Top five GOALS for the week:

1.) Get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep per night.

EPIC FAIL! I am a night person. I love being awake late at night. The idea of going to bed before midnight is like admitting defeat. The only thing I have remained devoted to in my life (outside of my friends and family) is my late night escapades. Now, as I age these escapades typically involve me and a book or my keyboard, but still... it is my time. However, I have been trying to get in bed before 1 and am working very hard to stay in bed until 8. So, we will call this goal a work in progress.

2.) Start your day by making a To Do List.

I did this to the minimum. My To Do list consisted of loading and unloading the dishwasher, doing a load of laundry and feeding my family three complete meals. Perhaps not the most creative or inclusive of To Do lists, but a list none the less.

3.) Start a Journal.

I do have a journal; I have a lot of journals. Unfortunately, they are mostly for jotting down random ideas which I will one day compile into a succinct, well-written and utterly inspiring novel. However, I don't think that this is the kind of journal the author intends. I believe she expects me to jot down my own thoughts or feelings and I am just not sure it is going to happen... maybe I will try again next week.

4.) Schedule time to exercise.

I have been doing this. I am not doing anything grand, just forcing myself onto the treadmill every day. It is kind of nice. I spend anywhere from 30 - 60 minutes watching TV in my room with few interruptions. I think this can tie into one of the other goals of the week (which didn't make my top 5 to blog about), Scheduling more "me time".

5.) Eliminate energy drainers in your life.

The items listed as energy drainers are clutter, unhealthy relationships, unfinished projects or other items that make you feel overwhelmed. So, I have spent this week trying to keep the house fairly clean. My laundry is caught up for the first time this year, there are not dishes piled by the sink and you can actually see the dining room table (which is typically the catch-all in this house). However, I have not, as of yet, finished clearing out my office. I still have all of that work crap I have accumulated from at least 3 of the last almost 4 years piled up around me. Some of it is still in drawers, some in trash cans, and some just sitting in piles on my desk or file cabinets. It is still a mess and for some reason I cannot force myself to get through it. I guess the good side of this is my procrastination methods have improved. Rather than sitting and watching TV, I am doing things in other areas of the house that need attention.

All in all I have found the first week refreshing. It is, however, a bit unnerving to realize how much easier life is when one is just a little organized. I am still forgetful and do have to fight against my natural tendency to lie around all day reading or writing, but I am a work in progress. Having a plan when I wake up makes me much more productive throughout the day. In fact, the only TV I have watched (during the day) this week was while I was on my treadmill. I didn't sit down to watch TV once, not once. For those of you who know me... that is an amazing feat in and of itself.

Did anyone else try Week 1? If so, let me know what you thought!