52 Bites

Remember last year, when I blogged along with the Simple Mom Project: Simplify? I was a big fan. Having a weekly goal was just what I needed to complete a few household projects, and most of those areas have stayed organized since (even though we are in a different house, I was able to carry the principles forward).

Tsh Oxenreider's new eBook, "One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler" is one that a couple of friends and I have decided to read, and apply, to this upcoming year. There are 52 "bite size" projects that you can tackle, according to your needs. There is no specific order, and you can make it a goal to complete one per week, or heck, if you are ambitious, a few per week. Or, maybe one per month. You get it.

My approach was to (1. purchase the book) take the list of 52 items, put them in to an Excel document and give each a goal date and/or make a note. I have not given all 52 items a goal date, at this point, because I think as I work through the process, some steps will come in a natural order. And, inevitably, life will continue to change as the days pass, and one project might become more relevant than another. Also? Some just scare me and I will probably avoid them (start a compost pile?).

And then, others, for us are somewhat started (eat whole foods on a budget) or finished (make a debt free plan, use the envelope system).

Projects Selected for Week of 1/16:

• Create a Family Purpose Statement: this is something we have been talking about for quite a while, and this is a good motivator to get it done.

• Plan Weekly Meetings With Your Spouse: something we are already decent at, but need to continue to develop the habit.

• Declutter (and Rotate) Your Children's Toys: the toy collection in this house has been overwhelming me for the last couple of months, so this was the ideal place to begin!

Check back with me next week to see how this goes...