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I’m thrilled to welcome Crystal Paine to my blog today. I’m sure most of you know her already but for those that might not, Crystal runs the popular blog, Money Saving Mom. Crystal is promoting her brand new ebook, 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life, and is sharing an excerpt with us here today. I’ve had the opportunity to read Crystal’s ebook and it is absolutely fantastic! If you are struggling to be disciplined in one or more areas of your life (who isn’t!) than this ebook is for you. If you are overwhelmed with clutter and chaos for instance then following the outlined steps in Crystal’s book will set you on the right path to developing lasting habits needed to get your house under control.
After you have finished reading this book and gone through your first 21 days, you will have implemented one or two small changes and created a habit of discipline in one area of your life. Habits require discipline and Crystal’s book is a 21 day game plan to making positive changes in your life one step at a time.
Please enjoy Crystal’s post and let’s welcome her here to the blog today!
So, what’s your least favorite chore of the day, or the week? For me, it’s always been laundry.
It’s silly, I know, but I’ll put off folding the pile of clean laundry until I am down to my very last outfit (it’s probably a good thing I only have a few outfits, otherwise I can’t imagine how behind I’d get on laundry!). An unfolded laundry pile is guaranteed to hang over my head and burden me, but I often don’t do anything about it until I absolutely have to.
Mark Twain wisely said, “If you eat a frog first thing in the morning, that will probably be the worst thing you do all day.”
So, obviously, getting a load of laundry washed, dried, folded, and put away is not nearly as disgusting as eating a frog, but it is my personal housekeeping nemesis.
Instead of letting it sit and grow to an overwhelming size, I’m trying to start a load of laundry first thing in the morning, switch it to the dryer before breakfast, and then fold and put it away mid-morning. Now my frog has been eaten and I can get on with my day.
Do you see how waiting and procrastinating with your most unpleasant task will only increase it’s unpleasantness. If I put off my one load of laundry until the next day, it will be two loads of laundry.
If you put off cleaning the toilet until the end of the day, you will have more “unpleasantness” to clean off than before.
Get the job done first thing, while it’s still a manageable task, and then, it’s done. The next time you do it, the task will still be a manageable size because you have been faithful in getting it done regularly.
So, here’s what my day looks like when I do the hardest things first.
Before Noon
- One load of laundry
- Clean the bathrooms
- Clean up the kitchen
- Anything else I’m tempted to put off or dreading doing
Afternoon
- Read to the kids during quiet time
- Bake a dessert
- Read a few chapters of a good book
If I had decided to procrastinate on the chores, my afternoon would have been spent guiltily avoiding the chores, or doing the chores. I would not have had the freedom to just enjoy my afternoon.
This is a topic that is so near and dear to my heart that I dedicated a whole chapter to it in my new e-book 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life. You can apply this principle to every area of your life where you need more discipline.
What are your areas of concern?
- Are you procrastinating with exercise? Wear your workout clothes to bed and do exercise as soon as you get out of bed.
- Are you putting off de-cluttering your closet? For the next week set your timer for 15 minutes and de-clutter right after your morning coffee. At the end of the week, you’ll be done.
- Do you put off business tasks until you just cannot wait another minute? Do those tasks first, before you ever check your email in the morning. You’ll be surprised at how little time it took.
Doing the hard things first, well, it’s hard. But it’s probably not as hard as you were making it out to be. Go tackle your hard things, and then enjoy the rest of your day.
Crystal Paine is a wife, homeschooling mom of three, and author of the brand-new ebook, 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life. For more encouragement to get your life and finances in order, visit her blog, MoneySavingMom.com.
Robin from Frugal Family Times says
Great post, Crystal. I absolutely love that Mark Twain quote! I also like to start my day with the things that I might forget. Like today’s, calling the eye doctor. Then I don’t need to devote any brain space to trying to remember.
Katie says
As a work-at-home Mother of 2 with two businesses and freelance opportunities, I juggle a LOT. I’m always home but yet my house is always a wreck, dinner is never ready on time and my kids go to bed late and sometimes without baths. It’s a mess around here! I look forward to reading this eBook and figuring out a way to make sense and balance out of my crazy little life. Thanks!!
Anago Cleaning Systems says
These are really the things that I struggle with too, laundry folding is the bane of my existence!
james says
Yea i always do the same. I always do the hardest things first so when i do the easier jobs later, i don’t feel really bad because i have that good feeling of accomplishment that i have already done the worst so it makes everything else much easier, mentally
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