1. Aim to do at least 30 minutes or so a day.
We know what it’s like to feel like you have very little time to get anything done. Between the two of us working full time and raising 2 kids, after everyone goes to bed and other household chores get done it feels like negative hours in the day. But the more that never gets done, the more overwhelming that to-do list becomes and you just want to forget about it all. As tempting as it is to just put your feet up and watch a Jem and the Holograms marathon on Netflix (haters to the left!), it helps to pull your bootstraps up for a few minutes a day and feel that sense of pride when you can cross another something off your “GTSD” (Get That Shit Done) list. THEN you can watch Jem (those sneaky Misfits!!).
It doesn’t have to be all at once or even 30 minutes, either. If you feel like doing something for just 10 minutes, or feel like breaking up the task into 6 5-minute breaks, it really does make a difference on moving toward your goal. Kinda like exercise (yeah, like THAT ever happens, right?)
2. Keep your expectations of how much and how quickly you’ll get things done LOW.
Expecting to sail through your to-do list and go gangbusters or nothing every other weekend is like expecting your going to get a home-cooked Italian meal at Olive Garden. Sorry, Charlie, ain’t gonna happen. Unless you are superman or woman or have taken an inordinate amount of speed (in which case, can I have some? Just kidding, sorry MOM!!) I often find that keeping your expectations low makes them more manageable.It keeps disappointment to a minumum. Then you’re totally surprised when you get more done and get it done quicker than you expected to. It’s a pleasant surprise like when you find that 5 bucks in the pocket of your jeans or that extra fry in the bottom of the Wendy’s bag.
3. Don’t always look for the cheapest, easiest way out.
As tempting as it is, sometimes the cheapest and easiest way is not always what it’s cracked up to be. Often it ends up creating more work and money for you in the end. I’m often guilty of looking for the cheapest items online and getting ready to buy when I run it by Chris and he usually sends me back all of the not-so-stellar reviews of the item saying it broke within 24 hours, etc… Alas, if something seems too good or cheap to be true, it usually is. Like the ab roller or bump-its. However, if we can find the most legit reasonably inexpensive and easy way to do something, a hack if you will, you can bet we’ll be on it like Justin Bieber on hair wax!
4. Run your ideas or purchases by your partner (or friend or pet or imaginary dragon) first.
I’m not saying you guys have to watch each other like hawks and give each other a hard time over every little purchase, but if you’re about to go for a big-ticket items, it helps to have a sounding board and a little voice of reality to keep you in check (see #3).
5. Start from the corner and work your way outward.
The reason we started this blog was not only to share with you our accomplishments and hopefully a few helpful tips, but also for us to hold each other accountable and track our progress. For us, the easiest way to do so is to start small in the corner of one room (and in this case, we even started in the bottom corner of our house, the basement) and work our way outward. Sort of giving us a panoramic view. Some people go top to bottom, some people go from one side to the other. There are as many variations of it as the Harlem Shake. What we’re trying to get at is you don’t necessarily have to do it the way we’re doing it, just find a way that works for you and stick to it. If it works, don’t question how or why it does, just go with it. (Kinda like when Rihanna changes her hair color).
Well, that’s our top 5 tips today for you out there in blogland, feel free to post your own or scoff at ours (but please do it nicely, we’re sensitive types). The kiddos have now gone to bed, so time to pop open a Sam Adams and get our 30 minutes under the belt!
Country Hill Casa 