My Own Personal Challenge

I suck at being organized.

I really do try. I have calendars, and lists, and all the stuff that is supposed to help you be prepared. I just suck at using them. I leave things for the last minute (my mother used to say I was a heavy procrastinator... I say it's ADD. Look up the symptoms for girls. Go ahead, I'll wait.) I just always find something else to do, and when I look up, 5 hours is gone. Yesterday, my baby woke up from her nap, and I swore it was around 4pm. All of a sudden, it's 6pm and the dishes are staring me down. Oops.

So, this year it is my intention to be more organized, and set specific goals to help benefit my family. I want to save money, be more productive, and be healthier. Here's the first few steps of my plan.

Save Money

1. Set up a budget. I have already done this at everydollar.com. It is incomplete, but it has a few of my bills as well as my savings account plugged into it. This site gives tips for how to budget, save, and prepare for the future.

2. Build up my savings account. This one is huge. I plan on putting at least $10 into savings each month. It may not seem like much, but as a person who had $1 in there for a year, it definitely adds up. Also, I WILL NOT WITHDRAW IT. We have a habit of transferring money out as soon as we put it in. So, I plan on breaking that habit. The longer I leave it in there and build it up, the more interest it will earn. (Capital One has a decent savings account with no minimum balance, and Bank Of America offers a "Keep The Change" program that rounds up your purchases and deposits it into your savings account from checking.)

3. Sign up for cash back sites. There are plenty of these around if you know where to look.

If you have kids, Upromise is great. You can not only start saving for your kids' college, but it will help you set up an account to use once your kid is ready to go.

Inbox Dollars gives you a ridiculous amount of ways to earn money. You do tasks and once you hit $35, you can cash out for a gift card or check. Also, they link to the Game Show Network site as well as Bing, which gives you even more ways to earn money.

Then, there's Ebates, which gives you cash back to shop. You just have to go to their site and find the store you want to shop at.

Be More Productive

1. Reread Push. This may seem like more procrastinating, but it's actually a really crucial step. Push is set up as a step by step guide to aid productivity and allow you to reach your goals.

2. Download a task app. I already have a to-do list on my phone, as well as a calendar. However, I don't look at either of these. So, I am experimenting with a few different apps on my phone to streamline the process.

3. Make a daily list and stick to it. Every night before I go to sleep, I will make a list of the things I want to get done the next day, and I will make sure it is all done before 6pm. To take it a step farther, I will set alerts to remind me throughout the day that certain things need to be done.

Be Healthier

1. Make sure to eat breakfast every day. I constantly forget to do this! I wake up at 7:30am, and before I know it, it's noon and I still haven't eaten. Even if it's a shake, at least I am getting some nutrients.

2. Work out at least 3 days a week... to start. It is pretty hard to find time to work out unless it is 10pm. At that point I just don't want to do it. So, I am going to ease back into it. I will even add it to my planner so I don't forget.

3. Drink more water. So far this year I am doing good with this. I used to drink soda the majority of the time. Now I have soda maybe once a week at most. When I want flavor I make iced tea, or sometimes have juice. Eventually I hope to get my snacks on track as well.

Hopefully this year goes well and I can update you in a few months with my progress! What are your goals for this year? Comment below!