Comments on: Make This Week Something Special

By: Freedom Journey

Freedom Journey — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:43:59 +0000

Purging the house is such a rewarding feeling. Been working on this all week, going to tackle the organization piece today.

By: Julia

Julia — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 23:20:16 +0000

oh, and about programmable thermostats…
I contacted my apartment manager about doing this and learned that they don’t work with the heating system I have.

But I really only needed the heat for about an hour in the morning (I’m in western Washington – it doesn’t get very cold here).

So I bought a space heater with a remote control and a timer. When my alarm went off, I would turn on the heater and set the timer for 1 hour. Then go back to sleep. About 20 minutes later I’d get up and my room would be warm and comfortable while I was getting my body warmed up and ready for the day. That’s for my bedroom.

For the living room I can build a fire, cuddle up with a blanket, or move the space heater into the living room. Usually when I’m up doing stuff I don’t need any heat turned on.

By: Julia

Julia — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 23:12:53 +0000

2 hours a night doesn’t good to me either, but I bet most people can do more than they expect. Once you get going on something time flies.

Maybe start with a 30 minute goal and see what happens.

By: Ralph from MinimalWall

Ralph from MinimalWall — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:46:22 +0000

Thanks for the inspiration! I made a minimal desktop wallpaper for this post: http://www.minimalwall.com/2010/08/24/make-it-special/

By: Gal @ Equally Happy

Gal @ Equally Happy — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:31:49 +0000

@EngineerMom
My girlfriend and I manage to do what Trent suggests by taking this project time and turning it into “our” time. Sure, you lose a bit of efficiency but it’s fun and you still get a lot done. Not sure how it would work with a child but it can’t hurt to try. :)

By: Debbie M

Debbie M — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:58:13 +0000

Some projects can be done with kids, even if it takes longer. Usually, they love to help; they just aren’t that good at it!

If your kids are walking and talking, they can help you organize things by carrying things around for you. Even files–if you put different toys by different files around the room, you can say things like “Please put this in the file by your teddy bear.”

If they are older, they can help you make calculations and even research options online.

By: PF

PF — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:44:18 +0000

As a mom of a 1 & 3 year old with a full-time job and a commute, the only way I can get a 2-hour block of time is to take vacation time, which I occasionally have to do. I haven’t had TV in 17 years, so that’s not gonna help! LOL!

Since I became a mom, I think of my life in 5 to 10-minute increments and tackle projects that way. This week I’m working on my files and making awesome progress in just a few minutes every night. If I think about doing a big project, I get overwhelmed. If I only think about putting in 10 minutes on a project and making progress, I get things done.

The point is, just devote time to something and start going.

By: Suzy

Suzy — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:35:01 +0000

Great suggestions and a great blog. There are many things on this list that I need to do. Sometimes we get overwhelmed with all our “stuff” and can’t move forward. Just taking one of these steps and simplifying your life can make a big difference. I am going to bookmark this post and refer to it often.

By: Mary S

Mary S — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:31:49 +0000

Hi,Trent,

I forgot to ask you-what is GTD?
Hope this is not a stupid (forehead-smacking)question!

By: Mary S

Mary S — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:30:10 +0000

post,Trent!
I think it’s great that you can even write with a new baby in the house, never mind think up these useful articles consistantly.Don’t worry the brain farts (10 instead of 22,etc)
Re #14 Amanda, I use paperbackswap,too and have found that more of my books are requested when I post a review for them,and I have a 3 for 1 on kids books (if someone requests 1 then I send them 2 for free) and I am a Boxer, which means you can swap with another boxer with no credits.
So, for example, if a boxer wants 4 of my books, I might only request 1 or 2 of their’s. That way, I am getting rid of a lot more than I am receiving.Hope this helps, Mary

By: valleycat1

valleycat1 — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:29:38 +0000

#14 Amanda – donate your unwanted books to the local library. They will either add them to their collection or sell them through their friends organization (I have yet to find a public library that doesn’t hold a book sale at least once a year – ours, in a small town, is every month!). Or, if appropriate, donate them to the local high school or community college library.

As far as how long to keep the books, wait as long as you care to keep them around.

By: DrLT

DrLT — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:08:20 +0000

Trent’s principle works well on a list of multiple things to do if you don’t have one big project to complete. Last night I went out and spent two hours cleaning the interior of my car. Today I’m going to give the exterior a good cleaning. I’m trying to take care of several things like this before my semester starts at the end of the week (I teach college). After tonight I’ll work on a crochet project–a hand made gift I’m planning to give a friend for her birthday next week. (Which is a bit of a cheater because I can do that AND watch TV at the same time!) But I like this idea and I’m going to try to use it once a month or so to help me get caught up–or stay caught up–on all those odds and ends projects that always seem to go undone because I “don’t have time.”

By: Norman

Norman — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:59:05 +0000

Trent, I like how your articles pose a question and make us think about ways to improve ourselves and our lives. What I’ve been doing for years is taking a day off from work or a week off from work. I write down an entire list of things I want to get done before the time arrives. I like having that block of time to concentrate on a project where I see the project through from start to finish. I don’t like starting things and stopping in the middle to pick it up again the next day. This is just how I work. Trent, you make some good points to consider so I think I will write down some smaller projects that I can finish in one evening. I have also been thinking about learning Spanish, so that is a self improvement project that could be ongoing during a couple of evenings a week.

By: Amanda B.

Amanda B. — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:11:36 +0000

I have been getting rid of books on paperback swap. Does anyone have a suggestion on what to do with the books that never get requested? How long should I wait?
Thanks!

By: Jon

Jon — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:59:17 +0000

Speaking of re-organizing the cupboards, I realized one day last winter that all of the pots and pans, dishes, cups, etc. were in exactly the same positions that they got stuck in the day we moved in to our house – fifteen years ago! The thing that made it totally crazy was that it was my mother and sister-in-law who unpacked it all for us, and we really didn’t have a say in where it went. I spent a few hours thinking about where things belonged more logically, and making some adjustments, and saved a lot of wasted motion ever since.

By: Pearl

Pearl — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:35:56 +0000

Cool post! Last month, I did spend 1 hr per night plus a Sat to clear up all my bank statement. I’ve divided all paper bank statements (from 2007!) into 5 bunches, and shredded one bunch each night, then on Sat, I went to the bank to cancel all unnecessary bank a/c, credit cards, and change to use e-statements. It’s a real good way to finish a big task.

By: david/money crashers

david/money crashers — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 08:30:04 +0000

Get a gameplan together and start your own business.

I did it and now I have two besides my “day” job. And I do it all in approx. two hours per day, including weekends.

And I have a three year old at home with whom I haven’t missed a beat regarding his quality time.

What’s the saying–we always find the time to do the things that are importnat to us.

By: Maya

Maya — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 06:00:20 +0000

I’m doing this right now as we unpack after moving into our new house. We’ve definitely made good progress unpacking this way. But I’m with several other people that 2 hrs/evening is a bit much ordinarily. Right now, in order to have around 2 hrs each evening to work on cleaning and unpacking I’ve had to stop running, stretching, and meditating for a while; and we’re eating take out, simple snack meals, or no dinner at all. And we haven’t even been watching any TV!

By: Lop at Rebates Money

Lop at Rebates Money — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 03:55:57 +0000

How do you stay this productive? I love to find more time in a day to complete those projects, but I simply don’t have the time between all my endeavors. However, I just bought a Canon 7D, so I will be taking photography more seriously.

By: Greg44

Greg44 — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 03:27:18 +0000

Turning off the TV has been much easier this Summer given the lack of time worthy stuff to watch. I have reintroduced myself to the library! I have read several books that have been on my list.

It seems like I never had time to read except while I was on vacation.

I have forced myself take the time to read – and have enjoyed to escape.