Goals and Success

I love making to-do lists, whether they're daily, weekly, or even yearly. I love setting goals for myself and being able to cross something off the list. I'm your typical "type A" organizing fanatic. If any of you are familiar with Dave Ramsey, I'm sure you've heard him talk about the "free-spirit" and the "nerd." I'm definitely the nerd. 

For a long time, though, I would struggle with some goals that were to broad; I would get overwhelmed by the giant task and I would fail to get it done. After doing some reading, I realized that I needed to make my goals more specific. Like with finances, I've read Dave Ramsey's books, which contain the baby steps. I've also been reading some of Dan Miller's books (specifically 48 Days to the Work You Love), and I highly recommend both authors.

So, I've developed a new approach to setting goals. One of my goals for a long time has been to take back my craft room/studio space, which is in our spare bedroom. Over the past year it has turned into more of a storage room for things we seldom use. I would set aside a weekend and say to myself, "Okay, this weekend I intend to take back my studio!" But as soon as I'd open the door, I would get so overwhelmed that I didn't do hardly anything. I work best by writing things out by hand. Some people love computer-based goal-tracking or iPhone apps, but I just like writing it out and being able to cross it off. I sat down and wrote out a detailed list of "mini-goals" that my big goal encompasses. First, I wrote out why I wanted this.

I want my studio to be a place where I feel inspired and motivated. I want it to be organized and easy to work in. I want it to be a place that I'm excited about, rather than a place I try to avoid. 

After having the "why," I felt even more on fire about tackling this project, but I knew that I couldn't just do it all at once. I set a time-frame, which is by the end of the summer. It sounds like a long time, but I have a lot of projects and I didn't want to sell myself short. Also, some of these require money that I have to plan and budget for. So, here are some of my mini-goals:

• Hang up blinds - I currently only have heavy curtains, which make the room feel dark. Hanging blinds will make it brighter and feel more open.
• Get my wedding dress preserved - After 2 years, I still have my wedding dress hanging up and it takes up so much room. Once I get it preserved it will be easier to store.
• Build a bookcase - Most of my clutter is books and Tyson and I have some great ideas for bookcases. I'd rather build a custom one, rather than buy one. 
• Hang cabinets - Our house, in general, lacks storage so we're hanging cabinets to store some of my fabric and things. 
• Complete unfinished projects - I have so many things, mostly sewing projects, that I've been meaning to get done, but just haven't for whatever excuse. I need to suck it up and finish them (which I've already started doing) instead of them lying around. 

These are just a few of the mini-goals I have for taking back my craft room. I taped them to wall in the room so I can see it and be reminded everyday. I also put at the end of the list a reward for completing every task: a new camera lens. And I'm happy to say that I've already gotten some done. I've been finishing some of my unfinished projects and today we're painting the ceiling, trim, and hanging a new light fixture. Another trick that I'm doing is I'm moving everything out of the space except for furniture. I'm going to move back in with intention--meaning if I don't have a space or use for it, it's not going in the room, it's leaving the house completely. 

This is what I have discovered that has helped me tremendously. What are some of your goals for this summer?

♥ jenny