"Three things only" challenge

[Paige]

Does anybody else feel overwhelmed by all of their little projects--so much so that you jump from thing to thing and get little done? Well, that's me and I am challenging myself to focus on the three main things I need to get done. I watch my husband and another focused friend and they get a ton done because they concentrate on one or two things at a time. For some of us, it is not natural to do such a great job focusing, but I would like to try. Anybody else want to join me? Three seems doable and not as boring or unrealistic as one.
My Three goals:
1. Read a book which is required for work by next Wednesday.
2. Cut the rest of the basil from the garden and finish making pesto.
3. Send pictures I took from a college reunion this summer
to the friends I promised them to.

I have so many piddly things to do, it was hard to choose. I would love some company in this new challenge!

[shadowmoss]

Ok, I'll again challenge myself to get as far as possible on my sweater I'm knitting. Just have the last sleeve to do. No timeline, as I get stressed out with that and don't enjoy the knitting. It is time to be done with this sweater, though. Also, I've signed up for several online classes. Only one has deadlines, the rest are self paced. I wish I could get to videos while at work because I have lots of down time there, but I can't. So, starting Monday when the class starts I'll only feel obligated to do that class. Change my insurance to AZ is the other big thing I need to do. So, those three things until one of them is done, then I'll look for something else. :)

[reader99]

Three is a good idea. It can cover several aspects of life. When I'm busy I do the One Thing method. What's the One Thing I need to do today to keep all the balls in the air? With three there can be one thing for work, one for home and family, one for activities...

[Paige]

I like the idea of splitting them up for different areas. I may have naturally (accidentally) done that. I made two batches of pesto last night, but still want to do more. I have figured out what I need to do for #2 and #3 so onward and upward.

[happystuff]

Hmmm.... limiting myself to three things may actually help me get at least ONE thing accomplished! Am I allowed to multi-task to get more than one of the 3 done? I need to work on my ds's soccer fundraiser, since I am heading to a siblings for "craft day", I'll be able to ask them if they are interested and then I can work on my crochet project(s) that I want to get done! Third thing will be to finish the ebook I'm reading.

[Gardenarian]

This post made me realize how UN-simple my life is right now.
I've got to get my focus back.
I haven't been posting (or even visiting the board) often, and my life is worse for it.

[early morning]

I'm in. I need some serious help in the anti-procrastination department... :|( So in the next week, I want to:
1. Transfer insurance to my new car and find the title to my old one.
2. Clean out my old car and sell it - or at least put it up for sale.
3. Decide what dish to take to the family reunion the weekend after Labor Day and purchase any needed ingredients.

Thanks Paige; I find these challenges very helpful!

[shadowmoss]

I used this challenge to decide not to sign up for another online class. I have the one, and I'm already struggling to watch all the videos for the first week. Also, I want to make a baby blanket for a co-worker's wife who just found out they are having a second baby. I look at my sweater and think, no, I need to finish it first. Hopefully today I'll do the insurance part of the challenge.

[Spartana]

Does anybody else feel overwhelmed by all of their little projects--so much so that you jump from thing to thing and get little done? Well, that's me and I am challenging myself to focus on the three main things I need to get done. I watch my husband and another focused friend and they get a ton done because they concentrate on one or two things at a time. For some of us, it is not natural to do such a great job focusing, but I would like to try. Anybody else want to join me? Three seems doable and not as boring or unrealistic as one.
My Three goals:
1. Read a book which is required for work by next Wednesday.
2. Cut the rest of the basil from the garden and finish making pesto.
3. Send pictures I took from a college reunion this summer
to the friends I promised them to.

I have so many piddly things to do, it was hard to choose. I would love some company in this new challenge!
My entire goal of simple living was to reduce and eliminate pretty much any work or project unless it was abso,utely needed. I have been very successful at that and now can pretty much take everyday to do what I want for the most part. No projects. No lists. No chores except the very basics. Eat, sleep, play :-) :-)

[fidgiegirl]

I am going to do a twist on this for today, since I am home all day by myself. I will pick three things for today.

1) Decide on my pricing for my upcoming event and publish the EventBrite registration page.
2) Start on designing paper flyers for said event.
3) Clean up the yard as best I can for Monday's fish fry.

Anything else is a bonus. And there is a lot of cleaning to get done around here inside the house, but it isn't on my list of three, so I will let it go for one more day if need be. Though DH would be elated if I get to this fourth thing. Focus, Kelli! He will survive one more day in a messy house!!!

[shadowmoss]

The sleeve is slowly growing on the sweater. I have watched 7 of 10 lectures for this week's (soon to be last week's...) online class. I am in the process of getting insurance on the mobile home, cancelled my apartment renters insurance, and got a notice that I have 15 days to change my Jeep insurance to an Arizona policy. Wow, I wasn't concerned about it as I still have the policy in force that is out of Washington State and am waiting to get the mobile home insurance so I can change the Jeep wherever will insure the mobile home. Good thing I have things in process because I need to have an inspection to get the mobile home insurance... Timing will be tight. On a related note, I went with Geico as per MrMoneyMustach, and it turns out that I can get the Jeep insurance for $20/mo cheaper than with Liberty Mutual currently, and the LM policy was going to go up when I switch to AZ. So, I think it is really $30/mo cheaper.

[early morning]

Update:
1. Transfer insurance to my new car and find the title to my old one. DONE!!

1. Clean out my old car and sell it - or at least put it up for sale. (scheduled for this afternoon- the clean-out part, at least!)
2. Decide what dish to take to the family reunion the weekend after Labor Day and purchase any needed ingredients.
3. update my financials (since I wrote a check for my new car, I need to make sure all accounts are in order and there's no forgotten auto-deduct to wipe out my (very flimsy) house of cards. We are actually financing part of the car with our mortgage re-fi with better interest rate, but until that comes through I have spent all of our available cash....)

[fidgiegirl]

I got all three of mine done yesterday. It was a good way to narrow down and feel good about what I got done. Usually I want to try to do it all when I have an expanse of time available and always feel junky when I (um, because I'm a human being, which I always forget) can't do it all in a single day.

[early morning]

Well, I have two of my three done (updated financials, decided on reunion dish) and the other partly done. For me, that's huge, lol. AND I did a few other tasks I've been putting off. The rest of this month is pretty solid so I'm picking two more things for the balance of the month and will be pleased if they are accomplished.

so - by Oct 1:

1. Finish cleaning out car and sell it.
2. finish fixing the 4 hooked rugs I bought for resale (stabilize, wash, dry, mend)]
3. Find an old piece of board and mount the cool tin top to a vintage toy military vehicle, which hopefully I will sell (to help those with fairy gardens fend off the coming Pixie-zombie Apocalypse....) :D

[nswef]

I like this. I'm going to 1. call my aunt 2. send a beneficiary paper off to where it needs to be 3. Pay taxes

[rosarugosa]

I set up an online savings account for my Mom, which is something that I've been meaning to do. She had way too much money earning no interest in her checking account, so at least at Ally Bank she'll be getting .84%.

[Spartana]

(to help those with fairy gardens fend off the coming Pixie-zombie Apocalypse....) :D:laff::laff:


I have kept true to my 3 things a day - eat, play, sleep :-) OK OK I actually watered the yard, cleaned the patio, and gave the dog a bath. Geeze that work stuff may kill me :-)!

[shadowmoss]

Sweater sleeve is about 6" long now. Insurance inspection for the mobile home done, I should hear Monday if they will insure it. As they released week 3's lectures in the class I finished week 1 and started week 2. I cheated on week 1 and skipped the 3 lectures they said were optional.

[elcheapo]

I would like to join your 3 item challenge, as I seem to be turning in circles and not getting anything done.

My three items will be:

the 100 item challenge for September
Cleaning my bedroom
taxes

[early morning]

updated:
1. Finish cleaning out car and sell it. DONE - sold - in the first 15 minutes, woohoo!
2. finish fixing the 4 hooked rugs I bought for resale (stabilize, wash, dry, mend)] (2 are stabilized, so progress of a sort)
3. mount the cool tin top to a vintage toy military vehicle, which hopefully I will sell (to help those with fairy gardens fend off the coming Pixie-zombie Apocalypse....) (found a board I can use, so again - progress :)

[shadowmoss]

Sweater sleeve is a bit more than half done. This is the last part of finishing this sweater. The insurance is set on everything but the mobile home. I need to follow up again tomorrow. The inspector locally didn't send in one of the required forms and don't have contact information for him, only the insurnce company does. I gave up again on the on-line course. I just can't keep up with a full time class. I'm gong to start the permaculture videos once vacation is over in a few weeks. It is self-paced.

[fidgiegirl]

Three goals for the day (the three thing challenge helps me most in wide-open days where I know I have things to do, but I think of so many I could never possibly do them all . . .)

1) Process tomatoes and tomatillos
2) Finish most laundry
3) Clean up back yard. Bonus, possibly weed in alley but that's really a fourth. ;)

[rosarugosa]

I've been using the "3 things" idea when I feel a bit overwhelmed or like I can't get any forward motion with something. I'm applying it in a pretty random manner, e.g. today, I put a shirt in my donate bag and threw away two things from the cellar. But I do find it helpful.

[shadowmoss]

It is keeping me focused on the insurance thing right now. I should be in the home stretch on that, the inspector filled in the last form and sent it in. That will leave the sweater, which I should be able to finish once I get back from vacation. Then I will pick 3 more things to actually finish or write off as not worth it. This process is helping me to not have multiple half-finished should be doing things going at once. I don't start anything new until I have some resolution on the 3. I haven't started any new craft projects, on-line classes or worried about new projects with the mobile home/automobile while finishing these original items.

[fidgiegirl]

Hi all, I would like to pick up this challenge again. The next 3 months or so are typically hard for me because of the short short days, and I frequently end up feeling like garbage at bedtime knowing I wasted yet another evening on mindless web surfing.

Anyone want to join in? Should we keep this thread going or start a fresh one? It seems like threads thrive better if they are a monthly undertaking, like people can start or exit a challenge gracefully that way, but this one has such nice background to it. I could go either way. What do you think?

Well, I'll declare my new three, and if we start a new thread, no bigs, I'll copy them over there:

1. Clean off and collapse dining room table.
2. Finish altering a pair of pants.
3. Bring the squash into the house from the garage. I hope they are not already ruined from the freezing temps. Don't laugh, but it will require the dolly. There is a lot of squash out there and they are all in a big box.

[fidgiegirl]

Brought in the squash, will replace it on the list with raking leaves. That should take a while. :(

1. Clean off dining room table
2. Finish altering pants (almost done, just need to hem and buy some elastic for waist)
3. Rake leaves (boooooo :doh::doh::doh: - where's the crying uncontrollably smiley?!)

[Selah]

1. Homework.
2. Write student reports for my online teaching job.
3. Finish blog post.

Goal is to get all these things done by the end of tomorrow!

[rosarugosa]

Hey Kelli, If you count each leaf as a separate achievement . . .

[fidgiegirl]

LOL rosa! :) So far, still at zero then . . . :|(

[fidgiegirl]

Did the table.

So:

1. Pants
2. Leaves
3. Recover dining room chair seats.

[rosarugosa]

Hey Kelli, You could always try this:

http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/grd/4182325438.html

[early morning]

I'm in - I need all the motivation I can find, lol. Kelli, I am frequently irritated at my self over wasted time, especially when I'm the one who made the decision to waste it!>:( So I'm up for anything that helps keep me on track.
At the moment, then, starting with a carryover from mid Oct:
1. finish fixing the 4 hooked rugs I bought for resale (stabilize, wash, dry, mend) (2 are stabilized)
2. Pack up the Halloween decorations and put out the turkeys. I like turkeys! :)
3. Clear off the kitchen table and put on a clean cloth

Thanks for resurrecting this!

[fidgiegirl]

LOL rosa!! :)

Welcome aboard, early!

I had to give up on the leaves, this preggo was working far too hard at that. I did the backyard, about 20 min. of raking, and have been stiff all day. So the front yard waits for the hubby. I felt bad abandoning, because the weather was really nice this morning and he's out of town, and it'll just get colder for him later on. But leaves are not my primary job at this time, growing a person is, so, *shrug* such is life.

So I strike leaves from my three.

Current status:
1. Pants. Did buy the elastic for them, that's a small progress.
2. Dining room chairs. I will do one more before bed, that will put me at 3 out of 5.
3. Finish crocheted hat for my coworker.

This list did help me to focus this weekend, believe it or not. I did some other stuff, too, of course, but this at least got me started on the chair project and the cleaning up that I'd been putting off. Amazing how it leads to other productivity - like I found bills that needed to be paid, and cleaned out my purse, you know, that kind o' thing.

[danna]

Love the idea of this thread....I do find if I get started on things I keep going.

I have had my most productive week in a very long time and want to make sure I keep it up.
Summer stuff is put away, flower planters emptied, leaves raked (at least in front were they are seen..lol), A/C covered, Halloween pumpkins
are in the compost, snow tires on car, furnace filters washed and a few more I am forgetting it has been a busy few days.
I even finished a pair of curtains that were sitting there for months.

3 things for tomorrow that I have been putting
1. calling for furnace maintenance
2. calling a handyman for many odd jobs that I can't do myself.
3. finish the pile of pressing need done on sewing projects finished; just need to be pressed and
while I have the iron out do some tops I never wear because they need ironed.
Good luck

[shadowmoss]

Well, my three previous things found resolution in a way. The mobile home was turned down for insurance, so I'm back at square one on that on. I should get back on that, so I'll make that #1. I have friends coming to visit next month, and I need to keep on putting away all the stuff I moved here last month out of storage. So... rearrange the office is a good place to start. That is a base part that will ripple out. Hopefully. I did finally finish the sweater I was knitting. I need to sew together a sweater I've had finished for, oh, at last 20 years (actually, more like 30...) that I just can't get to sewing the pieces together (I hate that part!). So:

1. find insurance for the mobile home
2. rearrange office
3. finish the green sweater

[fidgiegirl]

shadowmoss, I was wondering if we'd get a sweater update. :)

[danna]

3 things for tomorrow that I have been putting---Nov 11
1. calling for furnace maintenance....DONE
2. calling a handyman for many odd jobs that I can't do myself. NOT DONE, But did call electrician because of two outlets I thought were burnt
and was told there was a reset button on one of them and they are now working great....saved many $ on a service call.
To my credit it was behind the mircowave so I had not seen it...but then again I never said I knew anything about electrical stuff.

And, I did call and make a doctors appointment something I have been meaning to do for weeks...yeah
3. finish the pile of pressing need done on sewing projects finished; just need to be pressed and
while I have the iron out do some tops I never wear because they need ironed......DONE
Good luck
Nov.12 3 Things to do
#2 from above first, then
1. Go to clinic for flu shot
2. clean out the fridge
3. Unpack and set up new shredder bought 2 months ago

[SnakeBlitz33]

I Would like to participate:

1. Finish monograph poster for PAFF lab
2. Re-budget for the rest of this month
3. Start studying for finals

[fidgiegirl]

Well done, danna, and welcome, snake . . .

I got the hat as far as I could but it is too short. I will see if someone has some good yarn to finish it off at our next meeting. That's the great frugal thing about this group, there is always a stash of donations to grab from.

So:
1. Pants (becoming urgent . . . must. . . focus . . . on . . . pants . . . )
2. Laundry (one load tonight)
3. Dining room chairs

[danna]

3 things for tomorrow that I have been putting---Nov 11
1. calling for furnace maintenance....DONE
2. calling a handyman for many odd jobs that I can't do myself. NOT DONE, But did call electrician because of two outlets I thought were burnt
and was told there was a reset button on one of them and they are now working great....saved many $ on a service call.
To my credit it was behind the mircowave so I had not seen it...but then again I never said I knew anything about electrical stuff.
DONE---LEFT MSG hope he gets back to me he was highly recommenced.........
And, I did call and make a doctors appointment something I have been meaning to do for weeks...yeah
3. finish the pile of pressing need done on sewing projects finished; just need to be pressed and
while I have the iron out do some tops I never wear because they need ironed......DONE
Good luck
Nov.12 3 Things to do
#2 from above first, then
1. Go to clinic for flu shot......DONE
2. clean out the fridge.....Done
3. Unpack and set up new shredder bought 2 months ago...NOT DONE
For NOV 13 But, I did go for a hair cut and lip wax...been needing those for weeks
--prepare materials for the 2 quilts I am making for Christmas to the point of knowing if I need anything for them
--make a list for Christmas shopping and what I already have
--shred personal papers.

[danna]

3 things for tomorrow that I have been putting---Nov 11
1. calling for furnace maintenance....DONE
2. calling a handyman for many odd jobs that I can't do myself. NOT DONE, But did call electrician because of two outlets I thought were burnt
and was told there was a reset button on one of them and they are now working great....saved many $ on a service call.
To my credit it was behind the mircowave so I had not seen it...but then again I never said I knew anything about electrical stuff.
DONE---LEFT MSG hope he gets back to me he was highly recommenced.........
And, I did call and make a doctors appointment something I have been meaning to do for weeks...yeah
3. finish the pile of pressing need done on sewing projects finished; just need to be pressed and
while I have the iron out do some tops I never wear because they need ironed......DONE
Good luck
Nov.12 3 Things to do
#2 from above first, then
1. Go to clinic for flu shot......DONE
2. clean out the fridge.....Done
3. Unpack and set up new shredder bought 2 months ago...NOT DONE.....................................DONE
For NOV 13 But, I did go for a hair cut and lip wax...been needing those for weeks
--prepare materials for the 2 quilts I am making for Christmas to the point of knowing if I need anything for them......DONE
--make a list for Christmas shopping and what I already have.............................................. ........DONE
--shred personal papers. ALL TWO+ YEARS OF IT SHRED AND PUT OUT TO COMPOST.......................DONE
NOV. 14
1) Press all the fabric for the two quilts.
2) Make 2-3 calls/emails that I have missed.......Dawn/Marg/Theresa
3) Club books and Bank Deposits

[Selah]

I had three things I wanted to do in one day, several days ago: homework, blog post, and writing student reports. I did my homework the morning it was due...yesterday morning!

Argh. So, here's another go at the list of three things to do:

1. Do vital errands in town.
2. Do blog post.
3. Do student reports.

[fidgiegirl]

1. Pants - I hemmed one pair, but need to another. I also have some elastic to add to at least one pair but maybe another.
2. Dining room chairs.
3. Inventory freezers and plan next week's meals.

This is all ongoing in between my lap blanket that's going for Team Yarn group and the three books I got from the library - why do I do this to myself?! Three books?! One would have been enough. :)

[danna]

NOV. 14
1) Press all the fabric for the two quilts. NOT DONE
2) Make 2-3 calls/emails that I have missed.......Dawn/Marg/Theresa NOT DONE
3) Club books and Bank Deposits ...........DONE

3 Goals for Nov. 15
---bake at least 3 items for tea on Sat
--Deliver said items
--go to the bank

[early morning]

1. finish fixing the 4 hooked rugs I bought for resale (stabilize, wash, dry, mend) (2 are stabilized)
2. Pack up the Halloween decorations and put out the turkeys. I like turkeys! - DONE
3. Clear off the kitchen table and put on a clean cloth - DONE

new list:
1. finish fixing the 4 hooked rugs I bought for resale (stabilize, wash, dry, mend) (2 are stabilized)
2. finish mending Db's coat and return it
3. hem my grey slacks

[danna]

NOV. 14
1) Press all the fabric for the two quilts. NOT DONE
2) Make 2-3 calls/emails that I have missed.......Dawn/Marg/Theresa NOT DONE
3) Club books and Bank Deposits ...........DONE

3 Goals for Nov. 15
---bake at least 3 items for tea on Sat........DONE
--Deliver said items........DONE
--go to the bank

Nov16 was an all day Rally Day for my TOPS groups so lot of fun with great people but nothing done on list...haha
not even a list.......

November 17
---return calls and emails to several people ---was on list early this week and not done
--press fabrics for quilts---again from last week and not done.
--vacuum and dust house

[fidgiegirl]

Did the meal planning.

1. Pants (ugh)
2. Dining Room chairs - am closer, only two more to go
3. Label new file box - hopefully we'll streamline our filing. Ugh again.

[fidgiegirl]

How's it going, all?

I did the file box. It's easier to file stuff now, so a win there.

Abandoning the pants task for now - it's stressing me out. Maybe once I take it off the list I will feel less stressed about it and will take it on.

This weekend:

1. Finish the last two chair cushions.
2. Trim dog.
3. Order food for the week, including Thanksgiving. Prerequisite is to make the plan & list.

[early morning]

I still have pants to hem. Fixed my brother's coat and returned it. Gave up on cleaning and fixing the rugs until spring. If we get a spate of good weather, they may get washed and dried, but otherwise, they will wait.
So now I have:
1. hem pants (from old list)
2. mending (gloves for DH and an old teddy bear for my sister, and send said bear to HER house, lol)
3. call library tomorrow and see why they froze my account. I do have books overdue (by ONE DAY) and the fine estimator says I will owe 79 cents, hardly seems freeze-worthy to me, lol.

[fidgiegirl]

Well done, early . . . we both had one we had to put off until another time.

I did both the food ordering and the dog. He came out really cute this time a bit longer for the colder weather. Now just have to finish those chair cushions up tomorrow. Will make my new list then.

[fidgiegirl]

LOL, now that the pants weren't a big old TO-DO, even on a short list of three, I did them!! :D

[early morning]

1. hem pants (from old list)
2. mending (gloves for DH and an old teddy bear for my sister, DONE! Bear is in car to be delivered Wed.
3. call library tomorrow and see why they froze my account. DONE, and fixed, yay!

NEW
2 - iron a basket of small linens for our fleamarket business
3 - pot up some cuttings that have been in water in my kitchen window since, oh, I dunno, May? June?

[Gardenarian]

For this evening:
1. Help dd throw out old art supplies.
2. Pick up my holds at the library.
3. Get to bed early.

[fidgiegirl]

Yippeeeeee! Finished the chair cushions!! They look good!!

New list:

1. Craft room: clean out laundry basket
2. Bring albums to SiL's house
3. Make mashed potatoes for Thursday (tomorrow)

[Gardenarian]

1. Remember to stretch and walk frequently - working a ten hour shift today!
2. Update my AirBnB listing
3. Complete the photo book I'm making on Snapfish.

[early morning]

I haven't had time to post here but I've been doing the 3 things pretty consistently - it helps me focus. Too bad I can't narrow down my scope at work to finishing 3 things at a time!! Yesterday my 3 were: get my sister's store room cleaned, pick up a stack of NCR cabinets I purchased, make a decision about what to take to a volunteer party at the museum. DONE! Today my focus is MAKING the stuff for the party (done!) cleaning the bathroom (uhhh, not done....) and finishing the porch decorating (that should take all of 2 minutes - it's the hour or so locating and exhuming the stuff I want that's the challenge).