a challenge

In the program I work with, I have a few teen learners and each week there is a learning challenge presented for them - I have found myself partaking each week for fun and for interest. This last one was really good for me ...

The challenge is (and I make it to any of you who have a desire) to stop and think about what stops you from reaching your goals (in learning or in any other area). We often have blocks about doing particular things and we need to stop and figure out what it is that stops us ... it could be procrastination, or time management, or organization, or fear, or many things ... Once you have figured out a goal that you have not been meeting and have discovered what it is that stops you ... set down a plan as to how you are going to overcome the obstacles ... and how you are going to be accountable to ACTUALLY doing it.

So in response to this, some people said they wanted to work on their writing and will spend 10 minutes a day in doing so and asked for someone to give their writing to for feedback ... some people said they had fears of meeting new people and asking for help/mentoring/etc and so set a timeline to phone a particular mentor they have wanted to work with and then will report back the results of the conversation, and so on. So this is my take on this challenge:

I have quoted this directly from my response to the challenge and am putting it out there because the more people that know about it, the more likely it will be that I will actually complete it!!!

"So I have many many things that I want to do for learning and growth. No matter what I choose, I always come up against the same challenge/stumbling block (although usually there are others as well). This is it ... I am terribly disorganized!! Okay, now let me clarify that - there are areas of my life where I am extremely capable of being organzied (to the point of doing it obsessively almost :) ), my work for example ... or any other area of my life where I have to be responsible to someone else really. My problem lies in organzing my STUFF and my SPACE to make my home conducive to work in. Basically I live in CHAOS and would really like to change that to organized chaos, if that makes sense!
I just want to be able to have a place for everything and to have it all together, so when I want to work on furniture refinishing, I have a place to do it and a place to put my unfinished projects (another issue for another time ...) OR when I want to sit down and read for interest or fun or learning or a goal or whatever, I want to be able to feel like I can and not have to worry about the stack of papers gathering on the counter/table/desk and I want to be able to know where my book is in the first place :) I also want to be able to sift through it all and keep what is important and useful and remove the rest ...
How can I do this ...
- I will take pictures of the problem areas in my home and post them for ALL to see! (this will be scary so watch out!)
- I will make a little schedule for myself to sort through and organize each of these areas (which I will post and report on)
- I will find places for everything and if I cannot find a place for it, I will find a new home (away from my own) for whatever it is!
- I will set 10 minutes a day to work on this general project of organizing, sorting, selecting, etc.
- Iwill be BRUTAL in my decisions of what to keep and what not to keep. (If it were up to me, I would keep everything that enters my home and if my husband made all decisions, we would get rid of EVERYTHING!) So by brutal I mean for me and thus I will be a bit more picky in determining what holds enough value to remain in my home."

So there it is ... I have taken pictures, see below, and will post my success pictures when they occur!!!

This is the supply shelf in the same room with the bookshelves and project table below ....

This is a cubby in the kitchen ... before ...and after!!!

The computer desk inside and on top!!

This is the window between the kitchen and living room - it tends to collect STUFF ... I have no after pic of this yet, but I have put some little candle holders there to remind me NOT to stash stuff there.

And the notorious top of the fridge stash :)

Thanks for keeping tabs on me :)