Time Management and Tomatoes, Connected?

When we left off, I was just getting ready to tell you about my newly discovered time management system - the Pomodoro Technique (PT).  (Don't you like the way I worded that to make it sound like I was blogging just a few hours ago instead of ..... longer? "Am I getting good at excuse-making, or what?"...she asked rhetorically.)

 

As one of my astute commenters recognized (Hi, Laura!), a pomodoro is actually a type of tomato, which is an unlikely title for a time management system. Janet and Lea also get credit for already knowing about this system - but points will be taken away for not telling me about it. (So, they're actually running in the friend deficit. Although Lea has accumulated bonus friend-points for all those eggnog lattes over the holidays. And gee whiz guys, I'm just kidding! I would NEVER keep score in any of my valued friendships. At least not on paper.)


Did you notice how I went from time management to tomatoes to friendship to lattes? That's the reason I'm drawn to (and without a doubt need) the Pomodoro Technique. Unlike a few (gazillion) other time management approaches I've seen, this approach doesn't spend much time helping the user define his priorities - don't most of us know what we need to get done today?-  but rather instructs in how to work in focused, short time sprints. It's made for the organized, yet concentration-challenged. 

Francesco Cirillo defined the Pomodoro Technique in 1992 but he came up with the basic idea while he was in college frustrated over his low productivity and unstructured studying. Man, I have some kids who should be able to relate to Francesco's dilemma! His breakthrough came partly thanks to a red kitchen timer shaped like a pomodoro (the Italian word for tomato). He kept his goal realistic and at first attempted to study- really study- for 10 minutes. Time became his friend and his tutor - and the Pomodoro Technique was born, or should that be sprouted?



The book I'm reading, The Pomodoro Technique Illustrated, is written by a guy sharing his experience using the system vs. the guy who came up with the technique.  While the author does a great job explaining the theory and brain science behind why this works, most of the book is spent on how to practically implement the technique. Plus, there are pictures. And the book is short (lest we lose focus, right?) You can read a sample chapter here, and see a picture of the author holding a tomato.

 I got the book from inter-library loan, but I may buy it (and not just because I've extended my due date twice without finishing it.....and definitely not because it's due today and the library closes in 50 minutes.)



 Here's a few lines from the book that explain the simple system, "Decide on a few tasks you will do that day, set a timer for 25 minutes, and then start the first one. Instead of feeling anxiety about deadlines for this hour, this day, this week, or this month, you set the timer for 25 minutes and completely focus on the task at hand. When the timer rings at the end of the 25 minutes and you're still working, it does not mean that you have failed to finish. On the contrary. It is a round of applause for your completed timebox." 

I'm digging the idea of the applause. Hooray for me! I finished a pomodoro! But here's my struggle.  I have no problem making a decent to-do list. I've even gotten pretty good at remembering to look at it :) But I find I err in one of three ways. (1) I spend too much time on a project, to the neglect of some other stuff (aka children/husband). (2) I underestimate how much time I'll need and get frustrated, or (3) I don't even start an item on my list because I don't think I have the chunk of uninterrupted time I might need.

There is much more to the book than just telling the reader to work for 25 minutes without succumbing to an interruption. The author gives instruction on how to handle the inevitable interruptions (aka children/husband), and actually learn from them for the next time; how to figure out how many pomodoros (25 minute slots) are realistic for your specific lifestyle (he doesn't mention children or homeschooling but it's easily adaptable); and the reasons it is not good to work past the 25 minutes without taking a short break.


Part of the system is gaining an understanding of how many pomodoros (or is it pomodoroes or pomodori?) each activity might take. The premise is that if something on your list takes more than 25 minutes you should break it down into smaller increments in order to complete it effectively and realistically.  He had me at 'realistically'.

For example, when I finish this blog post (which has taken a bushel of pomodoro) I am going to plan my co-op lesson for Monday. I have it listed on my To Do Today sheet, but it will most likely take three 25-minute slots. If I follow the PT I will take a 5 minute break after each 25 minute slot. This sounds wimpy to me, but the truth is....if i don't plan those breaks I will most likely lose my focus anyway - and possibly more frequently than every 25 minutes.





As usual, I'm the last one to find out about anything cutting edge (see the post where I "discovered" the Getting Things Done time management plan....on it's 10 year anniversary....), so there are already pomodoro products being produced to go along with the system. You can get an adorable tomato timer here - but the reviews for it are horrible so I guess I'll have to go for a different vegetable/fruit. This lemon one is cute, but made by the same Chinese company that made the rotten tomato one (pun completely intended :)    Never, ever knew there were so many timer choices available! Maybe I should buy the Joie Piggy Wiggy version to tell me when to stop eating the Oreos.



I've practiced the PT several times during the last few weeks - and not done particularly well. I'm pretty sure it's because I have an ugly timer. There's a slim chance it's because I lack the self-discipline to stay on task. Which is why I need this book.  But I need to take it back now because it's due in 15 minutes.


Fortunately I know enough about the system to keep at it without the book. Next time I blog I hope to report on my overwhelming success - or tell you that my pomodoro is rotten. (I am on a roll today, folks :)



P.S. The Pomodoro Technique forms are online here - along with the original (free) book. I like The Pomodoro Technique Illustrated  better than the original book, because obviously there was a need to expound on the first one (and add cute pictures.) 


P.S.S. Even though I'm not trying (very hard) to have a popular blog, I'm also not trying (at all) to have an unpopular blog. So here's some token, success-producing pictures from my recent trip to see my amazingly adorable grandchildren.

Welcome Back, Me! (or is it, Welcome Me Back!?)

Here's something that sounds like a joke, but definitely is not. Q. How do you know when you've been away from your blog  too long? A. You can't remember your password. AND the donuts in your header have been eaten. Seriously, did you notice they're gone?! What kind of a world do we live in when people can steal donuts from a blog header?! 
(Update: Donuts are back; looking no worse for the vacay. And yes, children, I did just type vacay. I told you I was cool!)
 

But I'm smart. So I figured out my password (I use the same two all the time. Please don't tell the blog thieves.) It's not like I've been vegetating while not blogging. I've been learning stuff. Plus, doing stuff. And helping other people do plenty of stuff, too. (But no vocab stuff, obviously.) And I'll get some more donuts. Geesh.

I'm sick of hearing my excuses for not blogging, so I'm sure you are. But here's the thing (...you knew I was going to give an excuse, didn't you?), I stopped because I started doing some Blog Introspection, which led to some Blog Discouragement.  Not because I read a lot of discouraging blogs; quite the contrary. There are so many great ones. And there are plenty of great blogs that are also willing to tell me how to have my own great blog. 

For awhile there it seemed to me like there was no need for me to blog if I wasn't going to attempt to have a Great Blog....with lots of readers (although I did break 100 followers .... while I wasn't blogging....Go Figure.) .... with advertising...and guest posting...and other people linking to me world-wide. 

I get tired just reading that last sentence. Too much pressure. (Too much work.)

Two things worked together to rouse me from my Blog Slump.  (1) Reading my two daughters' blog updates. See my sidebar for the addresses since I don't know how to link to both of them at once. Granted, they are both amazing girls who could totally have World Wide Blog Popularity if they wanted. But they are simply blogging through life...and I'm so happy they are.  I love reading about their lives - and I honestly think their children are going to look back one day and know their moms in a deeper way because they took the time to chronicle their lives this way. 

Sure wish my mom had had a blog. What books would've been on her sidebar? Which of her friends would she have linked to? Would she have put cute pictures of me on her blog? Pictures of me with a tight perm, that I would have later tried to delete?

It'd be like looking through a scrapbook, with digital running commentary.

(2) The longer you don't blog, the harder it is to get back to it. This is true of anything. Exercise. Bible study. Getting dressed :)   And then the project takes on gargantuan proportions so that one might feel like one would never have time enough to accomplish said project. But recently I came across a time management technique (which I am using this very minute to accomplish this long-procrastinated goal of blogging) called the Pomodoro Technique. 

And I'll tell you about it  next time I blog. Because my pomodoro is up.

But in the meantime, the blog experts say I will never have a successful (by their def.) blog without pictures. But when there are grandchildren, there are pictures :)    Top: GrandMama and Sophie at Christmas. Don't you love her 'camera smile'? Bottom: Newest granddaughter, Eleanor (10 days old today :)

Two Minute Tasks - Just Do It, Baby!

(This post is linked to Kristin at Works for Me Wednesday but I'm too techno-dumb to figure out how to put her cool logo here, but you can go there and see it. It's a very nice logo.)

Yep, it's me again. Posting, pretty much on the heels of my last post. No biggie. I'm just super consistent like that.

Oh, and a big shout out to my new followers. I'm on my way to getting that blog re-do thanks to you. I am so sick of whatever that green 'border' is by the donuts on my header. And my pictures aren't crisp (which I'm sure has nothing to do with my camera...)

Hundreds Many of you asked me to elaborate on how I've revolutionized my time management skills by refusing to put off doing anything that takes 2 minutes or less. Well, first of all let me just tell you that many tasks take much longer than 2 minutes.....in your head. But actually Doing Them takes much less time.

For example, this week it took me less than 2 minutes to:


~ Go through the home school card pack that came in the mail, keep the one card I might actually use and throw the rest away.  I have now thrown even that card away. Mail is a no-brainer. The whole process should never take more than 2 minutes.  You either file it (to be paid, to be answered, etc.), can it, or put it on your husband's desk :)

~ Put the camera back in the camera bag....with the lens cover on.....And take it back to where I store it.

~ Figure out a permanent place to store said camera bag :)

~ Hang up my clothes. This actually takes nano-seconds, not minutes...unless you never do it, and are a 19yo girl living in my home..then it would definitely take 5-6 of your precious minutes.

~ Enter all my debit receipts into my check book. I know this is foreign language to those of you under 35, but some of us are married to men who still balance the checkbook and think online banking is of the devil. Of course it would be quicker to just record them as you use your debit card, but we don't want to get all OCD about it, now do we dear?

~ Make my bed. I started doing this years ago, even before Flylady. In fact, I'm pretty sure she got the rule of not even going to the bathroom until your bed is made from me.  Makes for some mighty fast bed-making in my small-bladder household; MUCH less than 2 minutes - and that includes a duvet, four pillows, a European sham, and 3 decorator pillows. (YouTube forthcoming?)

~ Empty your amazon cart. This may cost a lot of money, but it's very quick :) 

~ Delete some emails. The 2 minute thing really works for me here. I can take out about 5-7 emails in 2 minutes (2 seconds if they are forwards.)   The goal is to see each email only once, just as if it was a piece of paper. File it, delete it, print it, or click unsubscribe. Simple Mom, who writes on productivity for home managers, has a good blog post up today bemoaning the size of her inbox and giving some suggestions on how to tame it. For a gal with no vowels in her name she has some great advice :)

~ Comment on someone's blog (sorry...couldn't resist! But it's true...It takes so little time and gives such warm fuzzies to the blogger.)

~ Take my pills. Again if you're 30something, you might be saying, "What pills?" But the older you get the more challenging it becomes to get them all swallowed, rubbed in, or chewed in less than 2 minutes. And then, for the love of all things decent and orderly, Put them Away. No one likes to walk into a bathroom and know your whole rash history.


Speaking of Things that Work for Me - Here's a picture of my sweet boys giving my "new" kitchen chairs a make-over. Winston (who is going to be a super-duper handyman husband...in about 20 years) sanded them and painted them a glossy black. Then Alex cut the black toile fabric using the old covers as a guide.  Here's a picture of the two of them stapling and nailing and pleasing their grateful mom.

I think they're wonderful! .....The boys and the chairs :)

 

 

 

 

 P.S. My friend, Lea, is coming over later today. Lea is creative, and smart, and funny (and she thinks I'm funny...which makes her even more funny) and she has an amazing camera, which she uses brilliantly. She's going to take some pictures of some non-2 minute projects I've been working. Can't wait to show them to you!

Here's what's working for me right now

(Once again, I refuse to lower myself and demean my three remaining readers by offering inane excuses for not posting in... awhile. So how 'bout if we all just assume that I've been very productive, doing tons of blog-worthy things, improving myself, serving others, and honoring God. OK?) 

Not that it's been such a ridiculously-long time since I last posted, but I did find it necessary to read through my last few entries to remind myself what exactly my blog is all about anyway. (Is it really a laundry blog?!)  And I realized I have left quite a few loose ends over the months which I now plan to remedy.

Remember this post where I once again apologized for not blogging told you about a book I had read on productivity? Well for goodness sakes people, aren't you even a little curious about whether the methods in the book transformed my life like the book jacket said it would?!

 (Didn't think so....Do you even remember who I am?!!) 

 Actually, I'm happy to report that there was one suggestion in the book - one seemingly small time management tip - that helped me cut my to-do list to post-it note size.  The author of the book suggests that if a task will take you less than 2 minutes then you should just do it right away vs. writing it down to do later. I've been amazed at how many things I do each day that take less than 2 minutes. And how many very short tasks I had previously put off doing. Maybe not life transforming, but definitely an attitude change. 

(I'm also still doing a regular Mind Sweep, which I told you about here. My Mind Sweep takes a stack of post-it notes but I'll let my therapist deal with that.)

Another idea (one which I would describe as brilliant, except that I came up with this one myself and I do not like to praise myself with such flamboyant adjectives) which has saved me oodles of time this year - and kept me lookin' good (...at least that's what my friends say...) is to focus on refining one part of my wardrobe at a time. 


 Two summers ago was the year of the T-shirt. My mission was to find the perfect T for me.  After some experimenting around at Kohls, Target, and a few nicer stores, I realized a petite fits me best (without fitting me TOO well, if you get my drift) and is the right length for me - even though I'm not petite height. So now I know exactly what brand of T-shirt is 'mine' and I will not even give those others a second glance. So there.

Last year it was denim - I kid you not, I found a pair of jeans that made everyone ask me if I had been seeing a personal trainer. That would've been reward enough, but the bonus is that shopping was uber-easy since when I went to a store or a website, I was only looking for jeans or capris, not shirts (that was last year) or skirts or shoes. No ambling through Marshalls for me. Nope. It was straight to the one row of jeans, then back to the car.
Easy peasy.

 2011 has been fun and low-cost. It's been my Sandal Year. I discovered that shoes really do make the woman, or at least the outfit. I bought these (in brown and in grey) and these , and of course these in black and for 1/2 price (and a few other pairs that I would show you but my sandal financier occasionally reads my blog.) 


Because I'm only shopping for one type of item, I am in and out of stores more quickly and I have a better idea of what is a good deal. I'm not keen on shopping (except for book shopping, I'm real keen on that...and they always fit and never go out of style, and you can buy them even on your fat days. 

One last thing that has worked for me recently is to use the lazy days of summer to teach my children a few skills that will make  my their life easier once school starts. Here's a picture of Daniel and Andrew having a banana bread bake-off. It was a tie :)

Oh, and here's something that didn't work for me. I had another birthday.  I can now get 25% off at Goodwill on Tuesdays, which is such comfort as I look into the mirror and see my mother staring back at me.

My family lavished me with construction paper promises of back rubs, foot rubs, and car washes. And my husband got me an ipod docking station - which means I now need a construction paper promise to teach me how to use my ipod.

Here's my amazing birthday meal; Pioneer Woman's caprese salad, sauteed asparagus, steak, and dear husband's now-famous boston cream pie (which is really a cake, so what's up with that?)

See you in a few months!  (I'm trying to keep my expectations low so I can surprise myself.)

Actually, when I hit 100 followers my son has promised me a blog refurbishing. So....that should be sometime later in this century. I'm excited!

Success!

I wasn't going to blog today (shocker!), but I knew some of you might be having some serious laundry-post withdrawal so I put my selfish writer's block (aka laziness) aside to come over here and link to this. jewel.

Of course, my motivation was higher since she said such nice things about me. (Please note the title she gives me. And use it when you speak of me in the future, please.)

I love success stories, don't you? And I'm amazed at how seemingly small things (...and I confess, I was worried when she first emailed me pictures of her too-small-for-my-family laundry bins)
can make all the difference in how we view our daily tasks.

Seeing Kristin's success (almost) spurs me on to continue my Making It All Work series. I've implemented about 2% of the system, but it's transformed my calendar and my to-do list.

More later. (Do I say that a lot?)

P.S. Can I get a witness to Kristin's offer to come clean my shower stalls? Do you think she does tubs, too? (Do you think she remembers I have 7 sons?!)

P.S.S. Kristin is a new blogger - but you'd never know it from the way she writes. And wait until you see her amazing revolving slide show of her gorgeous children. No sinful, coveting, blog envy here. Just the facts.

Don't Follow Me, I'm Lost

I've always loved that bumper sticker. But it doesn't really fit here because I want you to follow me.


Even though I rarely blog. 


I mean...Should a blogger really have to blog in order to have followers? Obviously not.


 And I have four new followers since I last checked. In fact, they've been here more recently than I have. Which is pitiful, I know. But why would I keep coming here when I know there's nothing new. (just kidding...)


 But, I bet you get tired of me apologizing for my inconsistent blogging. Well, too bad.  It makes me feel better. Plus, it may be the last time you'll ever hear it because of what I'm about to tell you.


I've been listening to a book (isn't it cool how you can do that?) called Making It All Work. It's the sequel to Getting Things Done, The Art of Stressfree Productivity (GTD), which I recently read half of, then immediately started touting to all my friends....only to find out the book was a best-seller.... about 10 years ago.... and everybody on the planet, 'cept me, has already read the book.


(Although I was too nice to mention this to my so-called friends, but wouldn't you think if they had actually read a revolutionary book about Getting Things Done - even if it was behind my back -that I might have noticed a little stressfree productivity going on in their lives? If you get my drift ....)


 Anyway, if you've been in a cave for the last 10 years and have not yet read GTD, don't read it. 


Just get the sequel, Making It All Work, in which he spends the first few chapters telling you how GTD has revolutionized the known world. (Apparently,...Learn Humility, was not one of the things the author was trying to Get Done. But then, the book has sold a trillion copies - A trillion + 1 now that I finally bought one.) He also summarizes everything from the 1st book in the second book. So it was almost worth waiting the 10 years for.


Because I'm super-smart (if not up-to-date on best sellers), I questioned why one would need to write a book called Making It All Work, if indeed one had already Gotten It All Done. But who am I to question a trillionaire?


So, like I said. Don't get the first book (even though it's dirt cheap everywhere...bein' that it's so old news), get Making It All Work. 


Or don't get it. Just wait and see if it all works for me. (And btw, if you follow me, you'll be the first to know...)


One concept from the book that I've already implemented is the idea of Mind Sweeping. 


Do you ever feel like your mind is full of dirt? (Don't answer that.) 


 Mine. is. full.  I needed an industrial size dust pan to sweep it all up.


 The idea is to 'sweep up' all the stuff that's clogging the corners of your head. When all that fuzz is scattered around, whispering Guilt and Overwhelmed-ness at you, you end up discouraged - maybe even paralyzed. So you just try to put it all out of your mind and go have a bowl of ice cream instead. (The author didn't mention that, but I know that's what you do.)


But when you've gathered everything that is making claims on your attention- things you haven't completed or have procrastinated starting on - you'll sleep better, be nicer to your kids, make more money, and be well on your way to establishing world peace. Or at the very least you'll realize you have too many things vying for your attention. No wonder you're not experiencing stressfree productivity! 


 When I did my mindsweep, not only did I sleep better, but I decided about half the stuff in my dustpan needed to be thrown out. My mind was being cluttered up by a lot of stuff I was never going to act on. Some of the ideas in there weren't even reasonable. But they were mixed in there with all the stuff that really needed acting on. And the two were all mixed up like breadcrumbs in a meatloaf (We've been working on similes this week. Isn't that a good one, kids?)


The point of the mindsweep is to take all that stuff you obsess over; the projects, the errands, the books, the chores - and re-locate them to a place where they can be rationally sorted and acted upon. 


Want to try it? Just get out a single piece of paper and a pretty pen, set a timer for 10 minutes, and begin writing. Think about what David Allen calls "open loops" - everything in your mind that's not closed/finished/done. Start with the easy stuff. The project you're behind on. Anything with a deadline. Every thought that makes you "cringe, groan, pause, ponder, or exclaim."


It may take a couple of sweeps to get everything collected. And then you can start processing it.


But if I tell you how to do that right now, you won't need to follow me, now will you? :)


Just go make your list. World peace is waiting on you.

Coaxing habits

Habit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.  ~Mark Twain



I think Mr. Twain was referring to bad habits needing to be coaxed down the stairs, but if he had kids like mine, he might have been commiserating over the basic process of trying to help them decide on one cotton-pickin' habit to put down on their 100 Day form.  


See my last post for the great idea my BFF Ann(e) came up with. 


 The great idea that is taking the national Blog World by storm.


The great idea that is so simple, yet is making a positive impact on women and children far and wide.


The great idea I'm pretty sure I thought of before she was even born. 


Mine was exactly the same as hers, except I called mine an Encouragement Chart. And mine had a few more than 3 boxes to check. And mine was connected to an intricate system of rewards. And mine was written in fat, black Sharpie with no quotes or cool fonts. And mine had things like "Keep your fingers away from your nose" and "Sit like a lady" on the ones I made for my kids. And there were about 20 things for each child to work on each day - for a year.


Other than that, my idea was identical to Ann(e)'s. (I've always been a little before my time. It's a curse, really.)


But I'm super happy to have Ann(ie) take international credit, us bein' kindred spirits and all. 


 Personally, I had an enjoyable and easy time choosing which 3 habits I would work on for the next 100 days - my only problem was trying to narrow it down to 3.  Leaving so many areas off the list felt akin to saying that there were only 3 things about me that need improving. That seemed too proud for an exceptionally humble girl like myself. But I'm a rule-loving/form follower, so I did what Ann(e) told me to do.


And I had high hopes that my good example, coupled with the lengthy, eloquent instructions I gave, would make the process easier for my own, dear, badly-in-need-of-some-reformation children.


So, I optimistically sent them off to be alone with their form and their God. I patiently waited, with visions of post-100 day children who cleaned under their beds, no longer cracked their knuckles, and looked for ways to make life easier for others/me.


My boys eeked out a grand total of 1 each - and even that 1 seemed negotiable - since they weren't completely convinced it would take anywhere near 100 days to cement their new habit.


Such is the male ego.


I'm just sayin'.


(With threats of no lunch until I saw 3 Mom-Approved habits on the dang miracle form) We ended up each completing our assignments. 


Phew! Now the easy part.  Doing our three new habits each day for the next 100 days.


It is my intention not to check my children's progress daily. I really want them to take ownership and responsibility for this character-building project. (Plus, I don't have time to check on them each day, and it would make my #2 below a little harder.)


Here are my 100 Day Habits
  (1) Drink 6 glasses of water each day - preferably before dinner (for the sake of helping my husband sleep through the night...)
 (2) Publicly praise my husband and children - preferably heart-felt
 (3) Delete 10 emails a day - preferably read first


There were a few things in my top 10 that I easily eliminated because I knew I would have the motivation to do them without the form. Scripture memory - because we're doing it as a family (and the embarrassment when my kids pass me will be enough of a motivator...); exercise (jiggly fat and tight jeans make a form unnecessary) - and there were a few things I realized I wasn't ready to be committed to; daily journaling and no sugar. The beauty of 100 days is that when your 100 days is over, you can choose 3 more things....and then 3 more, all within 2011. That Ann, she is brilliant!


 I've heard from a few of you about things you're trying to put off/put on in this New Year. How's it going? Anyone else take Ann's (originally mine....) challenge? Did you find it easy or hard to limit yourself to 3?

I think I can....I think I can....

I don't often write posts where my sole purpose is to send you to someone else's blog - but some days you wake to the shocking revelation that another blogger has written something better than you did. So, rather than keeping it to yourself (or sulking...), you must share.


Today my dear friend Anne at Holy Experience .... OK...we're not actually friends.  But I bet we would be. She'd probably really like me.


Or pretend she did.


I imagine her as the type of friend who would hang on every word you said as if she was privileged just to be included in your conversation.


She is the ultimate girl-next-door - cute, perky, God-loving, and with a boatload of talent humbly hiding behind a haystack.   Yep. She lives in Nowheresville, and is married to a farmer. That's most likely why I don't write better. My husband is not a farmer. And there are no haystacks out my windows. How can I be a truly humble, profound writer like Anne with no haystacks out my pie-laden kitchen window? For heaven's sake, my husband wears a suit most days. How am I supposed to overcome obstacles like that?!


Today Anne posted a beautiful weekend post of mainly pictures (Yep....she takes glorious pictures, along with her great writing, hunk-of-a-farmer husband, and cherub-faced farm children.....and Nope, I'm not coveting her life. I couldn't stand it. Literally....I could not stand it. She lives in the frigid north, and my typing fingers are already shaking on this high 50's Florida winter day. Brain freeze would keep me from enjoying my children, my farmer,  my pies, and my thousands of blog followers.)


But, it's not the pictures I'm sending you over there to see. It's the 100 days list. It's brilliant, really.  And not because of the poignant quotes on the simple form, or the way she graciously provided a link to share her idea with the masses.  It's the fact that her form only includes Three Blank Lines for each of the 100 days. She's suggesting we find three things to be consistent on for 100 days. Three new habits. That's all.


Brilliant.  Because it's do-able. (And - at least on my list - does not require a gym.)


I printed the 100 Days List out for myself and for each of my children. We're all praying about our 3 things over the weekend, and then on Monday we'll make them known.


My preliminary list:
(1) Eat a candy bar.
(2) Take a nap.
(3) Ask someone to rub my back.


I realize it needs tweaking, but I don't want to set myself up for failure. Anne would want her good friend, Debbie, to succeed. But wouldn't it be fun to check those babies off each day?


(Serious list coming Monday. Perhaps some Sabbath worship will help me redefine my goals :)


If you decide to work on 3 new habits for 100 days, come on back and tell me about them. I promise not to make (too much) fun of you if they're not as ambitious as mine.