First Things First, Shelves and Drawers, and 30-30-30

I love the month of January. It's a time of fresh beginnings, and of course having a birthday added in there is always a help. I like to reflect on the past year through rose-colored glasses, then plan ahead for what I'd like to happen in the upcoming year. I'm often hyper-productive for a few weeks, then settle back down into reality.

So here's my plan for 2012:
1. First things first
2. One shelf or drawer a day
3. 30-30-30

Translation:
1. I have a few things I will do my best to do each day. They include reading my scriptures, exercising, and completing my chores for the day (laundry, pay bills, clean, etc - depending on the day). The plan is to complete these things first, before I do anything else.

2. I would like to clean/organize/weed out/simplify one shelf or drawer in my house each day. I'm keeping a chart. I may have to think of a reward for this one (maybe a piece of chocolate after I complete the task).

3. 30-30-30 is my latest attempt to keep myself on track during the day. So far it's working pretty well, so I'll keep this system until it fails. Then I'll have to be creative again and try something else. This is how it works: for my discretionary time I choose three areas I want to work on that day. Typically it's a sewing project, working on my list of general things to do (for details on that, see this post: To-Do List: Friend or Foe?), and one other area - usually something pressing in my upcoming schedule. I set my timer for 30 minutes and work on the first area. Then I set the timer again and work on the second area. Then 30 minutes for the third area. I do that as many times as I can fit in during the day.

It's silly, but knowing that timer is ticking away really keeps me on my toes and working instead of dawdling around.

I tend to save the best for last. I save the best food on my plate to eat last. I put off doing fun things until after I get more mundane things done (no dessert until you eat your vegetables). With 30-30-30, I get the fun things done too, and no guilty feelings. Some days I don't have time for 30-30-30 because of other obligations. Sometimes I only get in one rotation. Other days I get a few rotations in. I always feel a sense of satisfaction no matter how many rotations I fit in.

30-30-30 also allows me a lot of flexibility (a key to happiness for me right now). It seems like a win-win-win situation. This way I pare down that to-do list slowly but surely, one step at a time.