January Organization Challenge: 4 Spaces in 4 Weeks!

We Made It To The First Sunday of 2016!

Can you even believe it?!

It's been a long weekend filled with stress, anticipation, excitement and enjoyment, and basically every emotion in between. I was so fortunate to be able to spend a few days with some "long lost" relatives that I have missed dearly over the years, and it makes me remember the importance of staying in contact with those that are near and dear to your heart.

This is the time of year that we all like to start off on the right foot and get the new year started with a few resolutions. It's been my goal to get as organized and clean around the home as possible and I began working on it since my move in October. What better way to start off the "new year - new me" than with an organization challenge! Yay, hooray!

January conveniently has 4 full weeks - enough time for me to complete one big organization project a week. The first thing on the to do list was to establish my 4 challenge areas. It took some deciding, as almost every aspect and location of my life can still use quite a bit of organizing... but here's our final list:

• Remy the Hemi... My Car

• The Linen Closet

• The Kitchen

• The Master Bedroom

As a little sweetener to our upcoming dish... here's a little preview about what we are about to tackle. Be gentle... We're not starting off strong but we will definitely finish with a bang!

The Car

The Linen Closet

The Kitchen

The Master Bedroom

Taken Upon Moving In - October

My vanity became a dumping grounds when I moved in with the mentality of "throw it up there now and organize it later." As you can see, we're still still waiting for that to happen. And yuck to these outdated ugly carpets, walls, windows, AC units.... pretty much everything, am I right?! I'll be so happy for this update.

Next on my list was to create my colorful little printable and begin my brainstorming process of how I am going to tackle each project. I created my pretty little sheets in Excel using the same method as my quick and easy labels.

My goal is to begin each challenge on Sunday mornings - probably while I am enjoying my early morning coffee, and finish my final editing and posts by the next Sunday night. Throughout the week I will give you little glimpses and glamour on where we are and what we've accomplished so far. I'd love feedback from you and any tips or insight to what you think!

Are you ready to tackle a month of organization on your own? Let me know what projects you are currently working on and provide photos or a link below! 4 spaces in 4 weeks... we can do this together! Happy Organizing, Friends!

2016 - Welcoming a Brand New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

May your day start out with a Mimosa and an Asprin from last night's festivities! I know that I had a blast bringing in the New Year and am so excited for what is to come! 2016 is predetermined to be amazing and I am so looking forward to experiencing everything that is right around the corner.

Here at Life of a Dabbler, I've been making it my personal goal the last few months to stay dedicated, motivated, and organized as I continue my journey through life and all of it's ups & downs.

I started with my big move back in mid-October, as well as getting this little blog up and running at the end of October. I am happy to say that so far, everything I have set out to accomplish since then has been a success!

Now you all may be shaking your head at the realization that mid-October was a mere 2.5 months ago.... I know, I know! But for someone who has had a habit of accidentally jumping on the procrastination wagon, this has been a huge accomplishment for me. Reaching each of my goals that I have laid out for myself has acted as a self-motivator to continue down my path to self-improvement.

Taken on One of My Toughest Days in 2015

With the new year in play, there's no better time to map out my year of goals and accomplishments that I want to reach and create a 2016 timeline for myself. When I first started brainstorming this list I came up with things like 'don't freeze on a daily basis' and 'put the second donut down' - but these aren't the type of goals I'm trying to conquer and maintain this year (although in reality, I really donut need that second donut... Ha! Get it?! Did you see what I did there?! Okay, moving right along.) 

Instead I set out to create a tangible list; something that I can track and mark off and have rewards for. I wanted to be as specific as possible. Too many of us write out our yearly goals with something vague like "Get into shape"... Okay... fine... but what do you consider to be shape? I mean, round is a shape. And if you're like me, triangle is a shape - and will be my life defining shape. Holla for small middles and a big booty! Thanks, Mom!

I can continue on and on about the subject of setting and accomplishing goals - but for both your sanity and my lack of coffee, I won't. I present to you, my glorious readers, my list of resolutions for 2016.

BLOG GOALS

Complete Dream Page Design [March]

Begin An Affiliate Program [May]

Increase Subscribers by 100 [June]
Reach 50,000 Page Views [June]

Attend Blog Conference [July]

Create Guest Blog Post For My Favorite Blogger [September]

Begin Earning Revenue [October]

WORK & SCHOOL GOALS

Maintain 3.8-4.0 GPA [All Year]

Complete Remaining Required Courses in Degree [Year End]

Take Next Promotional Step and Move to Mid-West [October]

Apply for Training Academy [Year End]

FINANCIAL GOALS

Add Biweekly Paycheck Allotments to CD [February]

Create Emergency Only Fund [February]

Begin Extra Car Payments [Year End]

Pay Off All Remaining Debt With Dave Ramsey's Snowball Method [Year End]

PERSONAL GOALS

Convert to Completely GF and DF Diet [June]

Create Family Tree Binder [July]

Create Backyard Lounging Area [August]

Open Etsy Shop [October]

Make 10 New Friends [Year End]

Give Blood 6 Times [Year End]

Read 12 New Novels [Year End]

Visit Colorado and Hawaii [Year End]

Phone the Family Weekly [Ongoing]

The Voice Auditions [TBT]

Visiting My Sister in Hawaii - May 2015

There you have it ladies and gentlemen - my 25 goals and resolutions for 2016! I encourage you all to make your lists and begin working towards the type of life that you want to live. Your life is now, and you're never going to get this opportunity to be in this exact moment again. Make sure you take full advantage.