Day 19

Well, here it is the last day of June. It's been helpful to post about my efforts to install a new habit, namely, Working on The Mess, but I think I've had about enough of posting about it. Terribly boring subject, wouldn't you say? Anyway, I'm off to install a new habit.

This one will be to work The Core Program everyday -- the key term being "everyday." Core Program? What's up with that? Well, I have developed a tendency to throw out my neck and sacro-lilac joint, and more recently, ribs. Turns out this is largely the result of having the core muscles (those of the torso) either too weak or too tight. The Core Program addresses these imbalances by strengthening muscles that are too weak and stretching muscles that are too tight. Once these muscles are appropriately stretched and toned in a balanced way, one is much less prone to developing the kinds of problems that send people to the chiropractor.

So that's the idea behind the Core Program: Fifteen minutes a day of stretching and strengthening key muscles of the torso. I'll let you know how I do. And with the support I derive from this process of posting every day about it, I hope to develop this habit and thereby save my musculo-skeletal system for another day. Thanks for your support. Comments are welcome.

Day 18

Man, where did the last few days go?! Didn't work on The Mess at all! This "Work-on-it-Everyday" business is a very tall order. Well, there's a new week coming up -- time for a fresh start, and a New Plan. Won't that be exciting?! Well, it is to me. I love new plans, and tomorrow will see the unleashing of yet another Grand Master Plan. Stay tuned....

Day 14

Well, here we are at the 2-week mark. Seems significant, no? OK, probably not. But I think so anyway.

Have to say, I didn't put in a lot of time today, as I had other things more pressing, but work on The Mess I did, if only for a short while. "Everyday in everyway, my stuff is getting better and better . . . organized." (I hope you appreciate the parody.)

Day 13

Whoops, I didn't get in a post before the witching hour. Well, let me say I had another good day of working on The Mess. Inch by inch. . . step by step. . .

Day 12

Boy, I am going gung-ho on my stuff today! Major Progress! I am really getting sick of all the clutter, and am getting progressively more serious about finishing this task by the end of July. That would be a major accomplishment! My commitment is growing. I can do this!

Weekend

As you can see, I haven't been here for awhile. What's up with that? Well, I've been out of town for the past three days, and so have not exactly been available to work on The Chore. But a new work week is fast approaching, and I'm upping the ante!

Instead of doing "something" every day (or most days), I'm committing to a minimum of half an hour a day, while aiming for a full hour. This commitment applies Monday through Thursday. The time commitment for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday is 20 minutes per day. OK, let's see how I do.

Day 8

Very busy today, but I did manage to work on The Mess a bit anyway. Not a lot, but some. Plugging away, inch by inch. Sooner or later I've got to arrive at my goal of Total Organization, as long as I keep at it.

Day 7

A second day in a row with a full hour put in on The Mess. Looks like the habit is getting entrenched and the job may be getting done. I'm on a roll! I have a full day tomorrow -- we'll see how much work I get done on The Mess. Till then . . .

Day 6

Well, today I did pretty damn good! Got in an hour of solid work on The Mess. It's starting to look like I'm getting somewhere. The Mess is actually diminishing somewhat, as a pall of orderliness sweeps over the usual chaos. Could it be that I might actually get to the bottom of The Mess and finally establish Divine Order where now only chaos reigns? The very possibility is positively exhilarating. I recognize now, as if for the first time, that I seriously doubted that I could pull this off, having lived in this Mess for decades. But now new hope springs up in my breast, and I believe I just may accomplish the impossible. Will miracles never cease?!

Day 5

I am finding the challenge of working on my stuff every day surprisingly difficult, and extremely difficult on the weekends, which is why I haven't posted since last Friday. I am usually out of town on the weekends, which is the why of my not having worked on it this Saturday and Sunday.

But I did work on it today, if only for ten minutes or so. I cannot believe how hard it is for me to tackle this project every day. I would like to work on it an hour or more, but at least I'm getting in some work on it most every day. Just gotta keep plugging away at it, difficult as it may be, and get the habit entrenched. Step by step . . .

Day 2

Well, it's day 2 -- how did I do? Not sure how to answer that. I was gone all day and didn't return home until after 10:00 p.m., so I didn't have much time to work on my stuff. But the Good News is that I did work on it some, and that's the important thing. More is better, but some, Every Day, is critical, to get that habit established. So I have two days running of successfully doing the work of implementing the new habit, which over time, should give me a clean and organized living environment with my stuff Totally Organized.

Turn Your Goals into Habits

Just the other day I read a terrific article on habits and goals, "Autopilot Achievement: How to Turn Your Goals into Habits," by Leo Babauta, creator of the very successful (and very good) blog, ZenHabits.net. I mean this article is Really Terrific! It inspired me to work on establishing the habit of working on decluttering and organizing my stuff Every Day, and to support the formation of that habit by holding myself accountable by way of a blog -- this blog. I highly recommend reading the entire article, which can be found at http://zenhabits.net/2008/06/autopilot-achievement-how-to-turn-your-goals-into-habits/, but here is the main idea in Leo's own words:

"Break your goals into habits, and focus on putting those habits into autopilot.... once you put it on autopilot, once a habit is firmly established, you don’t really have to focus on it much. You’ll still do it, but because it’s a habit, you only have to use minimal focus to maintain that habit. The goal becomes on autopilot, and you can focus on your next goal or project or habit."

I have been wrestling with the task of organizing my stuff for years, but, finding the task to be extremely unpleasant and quite overwhelming, I have made little progress on it. If I could establish the habit of working on it everyday, I should be able to finally complete this task and move onto something a little more inspiring. But first things first, and the first thing is to get my stuff in order. Now that I have this blog and am thereby accountable to you, I believe my chances of success are much improved. I can do this. I will do this. That's my commitment, to me . . . and to YOU.

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It's later the same day, and time for my first report. Well, I can't say I get a high mark for the amount of organizing I did today, but I did do some, and that's the main thing. So I would say I'm off to a good start: my accountability blog is launched, and I did do some organizing on the first day. Now if I just keep this up, the job should get done this year. That would put a wrap on a project twenty years overdue. Now that would be cause for celebration.