Third month of Choose Your Own Adventure challenge is in the books. And I’m pleased to report, it mostly went well.
So that’s good.
As a refresher, I focused on organizing three areas of my house, with a plan to work on my Pinterest boards as well (you can read the full post if you want). With regard to Pinterest, I did eliminate some pins and boards, but I’ve decided this is a work in progress. There’s just too much in there to have dealt with all in one month. I’m hoping to have this all done by January as long as I can follow my new rule of one pin in, one pin out.
With regard to the three areas of my house I wanted to organize this month–my living room table, my front entrance closet, and my daugther’s homework station–I got it all done. I only remembered to take a before picture of the homework station so forgive me for the lack of complete details.
Here’s the results. I’ve highlighted all the things I used to complete the challenge and I only needed to spend $1 (on the crayon caddy) to do it. Everything else was taken repurposed from another part of the house. Not pictured are the trash bag of coats and shoes for Goodwill and the mountain of paper tossed into recycling. I apologize for my shitty photography and also the puke green color of my wall. I hate it and haven’t yet picked a new color to replace it.
The theme for December is simplify. I like this and I actually got an inadvertent head start when my husband and I decided that our daughter would have a choice–a big birthday party again or just a few friends for a sleepover and then a family activity of her choosing on her actual birthday (which is a Saturday so that makes for easy planning). She chose the sleepover. And this is awesome because her friends are great kids, mostly well behaved (two of them are sisters from a set of triplets; the third is a boy and is definitely not invited), and they all get along. They’ll be at my house around 8 so it’s cupcakes and snacks. I’m not even buying crafts for them to do. They’re creative. We have Frozen. It’s easy, cheap, and I don’t have to put on pants. Simplified birthday FTW!
I felt like I needed to come up with something else to simplify because I had the birthday thing already planned and settled before this theme was announced and using it as the only challenge seems like cheating. It proved to be harder than I anticipated. I’m not really one to make things complicated. I’m pretty good at keeping things simplified. I know my limits, don’t pack my schedule, am good at saying no to things I don’t want to do (unless it involves my family), and clutter makes me anxious. This list had some great ideas to focus on except I already do a whole bunch of them. Christmas Eve is just the three of us and we have our simple traditions down to a science.
So I got stuck.
Then I started looking around and I realized I can simplify my blogging life. I have no fewer than 6 notebooks full of ideas and two planners I’m working from. It’s very easy to get confused. If I can consolidate all of that, and perhaps start using some automated tools and an editorial planner, I can focus on other blogging stuff and my two(!) new projects for 2015. So that’s my focus. Simply blogging tasks.
Are you guys participating in the simplify challenge? What are you focusing on?
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[…] the topic for simplify came up for December, I planned to apply it to blogging. And did I ever! In fact, I simplified so much that I didn’t blog for almost 3 weeks. It was […]
Very nice! I am simplifying my decorations! We are hosting Christmas open house dinner for both sides of our family and the less stuff around, the better! Good idea on the birthday party choices! I am using a cork board to put up all Christmas cards received as another decoration on our mantel. Front and center is my Stephanie and Mike Doyle’s card with Mike as
Ralphie! Happy Friday Eve!
Love, SMD’s Momma
I think that keeping the simplified goal list simple is part of it 🙂 Well, at least that is how I did my goals for the month! All of your organizing stuff turned out great! I am going to order a planner after Christmas for next year to keep my blogging life and our community site that we run organized. I had a meeting last night out of a notebook that has a bunch of random shit written down. How do I even function like that?!
Nadine recently posted…Organize and Simplify
My notebooks are shameful. 800 ideas and post notes and random shit everywhere. It’s a wonder I get anything done and it explains why I never finish anything.
I use a bin to store my winter gear too, makes it so much easier to find them. I donated a few too since I had so many. I think simplifying blogging is a really great idea!
Kerry recently posted…Operation Organize
I can’t wait to donate this stuff. We’re trying to find a coat drive for the jackets but if we can’t, Goodwill is a fine second option.
I am my own editorial planner, I got extra note pages in my 2015 planner to do that!
We use two baskets for winter gear – one for MFD and one for me.
Great job on the organize and I love one pin in/one out.
SMD @ Life According to Steph recently posted…Choose Your Own Adventure November Results & December Goals
It’s a new rule. I need to keep my stuff under control. I have a blog planner that I need to use more effectively. I don’t love the formatting of it but it was free. An Erin Condren is on my perpetual “I want it” list.
that birthday party vs sleepover is such a great idea, and awesome that she chose the sleepover. smart kid.
i did almost zero organising this month so i am hoping, with less goals this month, i will smash the simplify out of the park. we’ll see.
kristen recently posted…November Results / December Goals
She makes a lot of smart choices like that. Makes me proud!
I’m working on my Pinterest boards too. It’s becoming an obsession.
Bri @ My Life As… recently posted…Choose Your Own Adventure
I look at some pins and wonder what on earth I was thinking when I wanted to keep them in the first place.
Good idea to simplify blogging life. Consolidate that shit!
Amanda recently posted…That Time December Came At Us Like A Spider Monkey
It needs to be done. It’s out of hand.
My favorite birthday parties were the fun sleepovers with just a few friends. I’ve been using my move as a way to start fresh in an organized way!
Kate recently posted…Post-Thanksgiving crash
We did that last year when we moved. Tossed a whole lot of stuff and kept what we loved. We figured we’ll accumulate enough stuff in the new house to bring unwanted crap from the old one.
Way to go on your organizing! I love the idea of simplifying, and blogging is a great place to simplify! I am working on actually planning out my blog posts with my planner, it really does make it so much easier! I have a lot of thoughts and ideas in my head but they will never get written if I don’t put them all in one place!
Julia recently posted…11 random facts about me
The organization looks great! Awesome you’ve already simplified the birthday party/get together! Simplifying blogging seems like something I do inadvertently because I just have so many other things to do in the evenings.
lisacng @ expandng.com recently posted…Favorite things giveaway
I tend to make things more complicated since I have so many ideas and I work on all of them at once. If I can streamline my processes, my life will be infinitely easier.
Good job getting organized!
I’m thinking birthday parties will rarely be an issue since 99% of the time her birthday will fall on the week of Thanksgiving. Family fun and small sleepovers for the win!
Kelli recently posted…Thank You Notes
That’s a rough week for parties, for sure. Smaller parties are so much better and easier to handle!
“I’m not even buying crafts for them to do. They’re creative. We have Frozen. It’s easy, cheap, and I don’t have to put on pants. ”
I am totally with you on this! I am hosting a baby shower and sticking the kids of guests in my guest/play room with Frozen and the usual playroom stuff. Kids never want to do what you plan for them anyway, and they always find something else to do. I will, unfortunately, have to wear pants though. Well, maybe.
Carole (www.creativeclementine.com) recently posted…November Goals Recap (+ Kiddos Christmas Cheer Packages!)
It’s so true! They always do what they want so why bother sometimes? Sorry about your pants situation. Probably appropriate for a shower, though.
The Pinterest idea is a good one, especially for all my blogging boards that I pin to read “later” ie never! I’m really debating about buying a planner for next year or not…I can’t decide if it is a good investment or not something really needed. I’m unsubscribing from emails for my December simplify goal. We don’t overdo it for the Holidays…we are not very festive.
Mariah-Food, Booze, & Baggage recently posted…Discovering San Diego: Part 1 November
My blogging board needs some serious organization. Some of the information is outdated and not relevant.
Good on you for being a natural at simplifying! It is super hard for me. I start making lists to “organize” and “plan” and before you know it, I’ve complicated everything far more than I need to.
Your projects look great! I didn’t take a single before photo, so you’re one up on me. 😛
Jenn @ Business, Life & Design recently posted…Simplify, Simplify, Simplify (and Some Organization Updates)
I’m not really sure how or why it’s so easy for me to simplify. I get overwhelmed easily so it’s easier for me to stay simple and prevent an anxiety attack!
Whoa — six notebooks and two planners? That’s intense. I usually just start draft posts whenever I have an idea and that’s about as organized as I get. The WordPress Editorial Calendar plug-in is pretty good if you’re on WP, it’s nice to see your posts laid out in a month view.
Sarah @ Beauty School Dropout recently posted…Favorite Things Giveaway (blog hop)
I tend to just write stuff down it whatever is handy so stuff is spread out everywhere. Thanks for the plug-in suggestion (I am on WP) and I might get Co-Schedule at some point. It’s a paid plug-in so we’ll see.
I need to simplify. I’m working on this.
Amber recently posted…Things That Annoy Me Thursday: Being Shouted At For The Walking Dead Spoilers
i am going through a major purge before the end of the year!
Ellesees.blogspot.com recently posted…How To: Braid-Wrapped Pony
Pinterest makes it kind of hard! You can’t mass delete or move things, it’s one at a time and a lot of button clicking. I wish they’d make it easier.
Love the simple birthday party idea. I always like the sleepovers better as a kid than the big birthdays too.
Good luck with the blog organizing! It’s another tedious project but it feels so good once it’s done.
Stephanie recently posted…Life Lately – Birthday Month
Great job on the organizing!
The fact that you have blogging ideas in folders that need to be simplified puts you way ahead of me, lol. 🙂 I’m looking forward to seeing how you do this.
Wendy recently posted…Monthly Goals: Simplify
I really liked the book she’s come undone