Taking small bites

I get an occasional e-newsletter from an organizing website, and several times the author has mentioned the power of breaking large projects into smaller chunks.  It's pretty common advice, and I've finally decided to give it a try.  Here are a few ways I'm tackling big things in small ways.

1. Journaling
Last year I read a book about jump-starting your creativity (The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron), and it suggested writing three pages of longhand journaling every morning.  I've adapted it to a single page each morning in a very small notebook, which means that sometimes my journaling is a few mundane sentences.  "Need to clean the floors today."  "Baby slept through the night.  Hooray!"  But sometimes the single page is enough of a hook to get me started, and I end up writing much more.

2. Cleaning & Organizing
Yesterday, I looked at the giant laundry basket that is filling up with clean clothes that need ironing.  I did about four shirts, then put away the iron and ironing board and patted myself on the back for at least making the pile a little smaller.

3. Exercise
Baby is a year old now, and it's time to get serious about fitting back into the other 98% of my wardrobe.  I've started walking one mile a day, which is just perfect.  Fifteen minutes later, I'm back home.

Edited to add that the reason I titled this post "Taking small bites" is that the topic reminded me of a Shel Silverstein poem.