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There are different ways to start a new year.
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Most of us start off with good intentions. Many of us are looking for inspiration.
Many of us have rituals that we follow every year. I write a word of the year post. Last year’s was FOCUS . This year’s word is… well, I’m still trying to resolve that one but I’ve narrowed it down to three: consistency, competitive and freelance. Each has a meaning and motivating factor.
Some of us need a little help. Well, maybe a lot of help to get motivated. I have books on my night table as we speak on how to develop as a travel writer. I have bookmarked websites on how to be a more effective blogger and a cookbook on how to make 16-minute meals with the help of The Pioneer Woman (truth be told, my husband got me that cookbook for Christmas – should I read into that?). January always seems to be the month when we do an awful lot of navel gazing and reflecting on how we can do things better. We want to plan for next year and do Christmas debt-free. We want to lose that weight for the vacation on the beach in the Caribbean or at the very least, we want to come to peace with that issue.
As I scroll through Facebook I see all sorts of “Let’s start the new year with a 31 Day Challenge” of some sort. Be it to get organized, to eat healthier or to be happier. I don’t know if one or all work but I’m pretty sure that some of these start-the-new-year-off-RIGHT- resolution/challenges may help some of you (I’m certainly hoping some will help me). I put together a list of some that you may want to try. Don’t get to hung up on the ‘pressure’ of completing all of the challenges or even all of the tasks. Just pick one (or two) that are right for you and your family.
2017 Bowl Full of Lemons HOME Organizing Challenge – This is one of the most comprehensive challenges around. Toni dedicates her life to helping people organize just about anything. Don’t take this challenge lightly. Last year this challenge began in February and ended 14 weeks later. This year it will be a 15 week challenge. Like I said not for the faint of heart but the community support in the Facebook group she runs is priceless (although you may have to turn your notifications off because they post often). This is a whole home purge and declutter project. She has a comprehensive Kit so be sure and download it.
Apartment Therapy – This challenge is shorter and sweeter. It also has three day projects (Fri.-Sun.) that may take a bit longer but you can always take a break and look through this awesome website. You can download the calendar for the month of January if you want to get ahead of the game.
#31Days2GetOrganized – Peter Walsh – This is a 31 Day challenge with the guru of organizing Peter Walsh. It is all based on videos that he is releasing on a daily basis. He also has a Facebook page to keep everyone motivated. He has run this before and if he does one thing well, its that he gives you bite-size tasks so you don’t get overwhelmed. One of my favourite organizing books is “It’s All Too Much”. So much great advice. It’s an oldie but a goodie.
The Household Organization Diet and a 31 Day Home Detox Decluttering Challenge – my friend Kerrie from Food, Family and Travel told me about two challenges (Dr. Oz’s 30 Day #SquatGoals Challenge – brutal) and the Home Detox. I’ll tell you about the lesser of the two evils (if you ask me). The Home Detox is a quick home declutter challenge that is a primer for a challenge that runs all year-round. This is a “quick rundown of our homes and getting rid of at least 10 items per day” (or more if you choose). You want to get started in the first 31 Days of the year and then settle into the rest. You can find the quick detox tasks on her website. I’m happy to say that I have alreay completed last year’s kitchen challenge. Let’s hope this year it is similar 
.
Have a Happier Life in 31 Days – This is a light and fun way of getting things done with fairly easy tasks. You can do silly things like on day 10 stare at kittens to practical advise like take time and work out 10 minutes at a time. This is from Good Housekeeping so be prepared for a few promotional suggestions.
Revolution – 31 Days of Yoga Work on your ‘inner’ ecosystem. This challenge is about taking a look at the relationship with yourself. This guided yoga class if for all level of students but you must make an effort to be present and mindful. It has a downloadable calendar and a daily email to help you through the 31 days. It has already started but no need to worry, you can catch up. If you have any doubts about the popularity of this series, her 2015 video has 8,286,590 views so she must be doing something right… This challenge was suggested to me by a fellow blogger, Merry, from Merry About Town. I’m so glad she introduce me to this challenge… it was so relaxing to go through this with Adrienne.
The Toonie Saving Challenge – I love this challenge from Tammi at My Organized Chaos. It’s a way of saving money throughout the year. Best part is you will finish close to Christmas. Another great way of putting some money away. Put your contributions in a jar but make sure you can’t get into it before hand. This suggestion came from Little Miss Kate. My friend Ann reminded me that she did another money-saving challenge on Kickass Living and with that deposit schedule, you can save almost $1,400 over the year. This Challenge works over a 52 week period where you deposit the amount of money that corresponds to the week. So week one is $1.00 and week 26 is $26 and week 52 is $52. Ann has a 52 Week printable to help you keep track so be sure and visit her blog to download that!
Last but not least, you can certainly follow along with my series 4M – Margarita’s Manic Monday Minutes – Get Organized in 30 Minutes or Less. These posts are small challenges that started off as a way to encourage my organizing clients to tackle small organizing projects on their own when they didn’t have me beside them encouraging them to purge, declutter and organize their lives. You can organize your fridge or your daughter’s hair accessories. All sorts of challenges for you!
As part of my commitment to blog more consistently, I plan on having more 4M posts in 2017. Just look for this graphic above for updates. Certainly, check back on Monday evenings to see what challenges I have come up with for you. We will all have a great time.
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