Last week I posted my list of personal goals for 2012. Some of the goals on my list needed a list of their own! I’ve been working on filling in the details of those lists and getting them ready to share with you.
The first one is my project list. I have to tell you that while this may look like a formidable list of things to do, the process of planning these projects and actually scheduling them into my calendar has been very freeing. Why? Because these are all things that need to be done, I didn’t make them up just to have a project list. Assigning each job a particular time frame has allowed me to stop feeling overwhelmed whenever I am reminded of one of them. I know it’s scheduled, and I’ll get it done at the appropriate time.
I’m excited about the projects I get to do this year and the blessings that each project will bring. So here it is, my list of projects to complete in 2012…
January: Finish my kitchen planning; Includes monthly menus and grocery list, and plans for filling the freezer in 45 minutes.
February: Clean up my recipe book; Print all the handwritten recipes, only include recipes I use often, sort alphabetically.
March: Clean and organize my desk area;Weed through all of my notebooks, move as much as possible to a paperless system, combine the rest into one notebook. Make a quick, easy place to put away papers.
April: School; Choose and purchase materials, sign up for programs.
May: Plant tomatoes and at least one other food.
June: Paint and redecorate 2 bathrooms.
July: Research and find ways to buy local whole food on a budget. (Finish painting project if necessary)
August: Paint laundry room.
September: Buy local produce and freeze and/or can it.
October: Make a lap quilt for the family room. (With the material I bought two years ago and wrote about in It’s Me or the Coupons!)
November: Sew a colonial dress for Lydia. (For our annual outing to Mansker’s Station’s Yulefest.)
December: Complete my goals list for next year
My plan is to work on my projects 1-2 Saturdays per month. In the past (Up until today) I’ve tried to work these kinds of projects into my week day, and randomly at that. So far that’s not working for me. I end up with a messy house, no dinner, and my normal daily activities pushed aside. I decided to take a look at my week and see where I was squandering time. Saturday seemed to be a good place to plug in some meaningful projects, leaving my week days for my regular activities.
The next key, after being purposeful about scheduling, is to be prepared. No more going to the store the day I need to work on something. By planning ahead, I will be able to have all supplies necessary for the task, and get to work first thing in the morning. Throw in a crock pot dinner plan and we’ve got a pretty productive a rewarding day.
What projects do you have on your agenda?
