“If I want to be alone, some place I can write, I can read, I can pray, I can cry, I can do whatever I want - I go to the bathroom.” - Alicia Keys

After a few days of spending time in think mode, I finally came up with my first plan. It involves decluttering my home. For me, a clean and organized home is key to my happiness.

Since I can’t do it all at once, I will start with one area of the house a month and focus on it. In her book, The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin declares January energy-boosting month and explains how she gets rid of the physical clutter in her home. I don’t have time to get rid of the physical clutter in my house in one month, so focusing, really focusing on one area of the house for one month is better for me. This doesn’t mean that I will neglect washing the dishes or clean the living room until it’s Living Room or Kitchen Month. It only means that I will focus ondeep-cleaning that particular area for one month, one step at a time.

January is Bathroom Month at the 760 Days Project. I moved in with my boyfriend two months ago and yesterday was the first time I got around to tackling the bathroom. Needless to say, it was a disgusting mess! Dust had nestled everywhere. Old perfume bottles, cleansers my boyfriend never even opened and over-used plastic bic blades cluttered the little space we already had. My stuff was also everywhere. Who needs ten different kinds of lotions? I guess I do.  The very first thing I did was take a big box and threw lotions, cleansers, perfumes, after-shave,toothbrushes, toothpaste etc. into one big box until the whole bathroom was completely empty. Then I sprayed my favorite bathroom cleanser everywhere and wiped and scrubbed as much and as fast as I could. I did not want to spend too much time since I had other tasks (like schoolwork) waiting for me. I did not do much scrubbing, but that’s fine.  I have a whole month to go slowly. By the way, I love Vim’s bathroom cleansers. That baby kills grime like nobody else!  Next, once everything was clean, I slowly sorted through the items in the big box and decided what I really wanted to keep. Then, I assigned a specific place to each item. It doesn’t have to be a permanent place for now, but at least my bathroom looks so much better on the outside and I am ready to tackle it more slowly and more in deep for the month of January. I love it!

Here is my first plan/goal for 2010.

Plan 1: Organize and Declutter the Home

For 2010, I will clean and declutter in deep one area of the house at a time. I assigned a room to every month of the year.

January – Bathroom

February – Bedroom

March – Kitchen

April – Living Room

May – Office

June – Back Yard

July – Storage closet

August – Linen Closet

September – Hallway

October- Nook

November – House entrance

December – Boot Camp Perfect

How do you clean your house?

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“After enlightenment, the laundry.” - Zen Proverb

EXCITING MOMENT OF THE DAY: I got a photo gig! Someone wants me to do their head shot. Could this be the beginning of my dream?

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” - Aristotle

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I had a good day today. My boyfriend and I got a lot of things done around the house and I am filled with happy feelings! The bathroom is clean, the laundry is done, my photo project is updated and we had a delicious supper made from leftover steak.

I have yet to make a concrete “plan” of my happiness project. However, I am still in the thinking phase and that is okay. I  am thinking about how I want the next 758 days to unfold and what I would like to accomplish. I haven’t written anything down yet. Right now, I try to scribble thoughts  and things I would like to get done either by writing it on a pad or by  recording it in the notes application of my cell phone. And that is okay because I am not in a hurry. I have all the time in the world and I want to do this slow in order to make permanent changes.  Baby steps!

While I am bathing in thinking mode, I try to accomplish small things every day. For example, I set myself 6 things I want to do every day: make the bed every day, drink 2.36 bottles of water every day (4 x 590 mL Dasani water bottles), walk our dog every day, get 8 hours of sleep, braid/twist my hair every day, floss and brush my teeth every day. They are mundane little things, but they provide me enormous satisfaction and feelings of happiness. Today, I managed to accomplish some of those things quite well and I am very proud of myself. You have no idea how amazing it feels to make the your b

ed at the beginning of your day. Thank you Gretchen Rubin for that amazing tip!

There are also other things tha

t I have to play catch up with. For example, I am late in two of my university classes. I did not hand in two assignments last semester! I waited until the last minute. It is one of my biggest flaws: waiting until the last minute. When I was younger, I was able to do research and write a 30 page essay in one night. I am slowly realizing that I can’t do that anymore. Unfortunately, I had to find this out the hard way by not submitting anything! So I have to catch up. Sadly, in the next two days, I will play extreme catch up! I have to! Money, grades and future depend on it! Either way, I CAN do it if I set my mind to. However, for the next projects that come up, I will break them into small manageable tasks.

Right now, I feel like my posts are a little disorganized, but that is also okay. They do not have to be perfect. I will let this blog develop in time and not rush it. A few days ago, I would have stressed out so much over the appearance and the content of the blog. Right now, I do not feel like worrying. I feel like doing what I feel like doing and that is fine.

THINGS TO REMEMBER

- Break goals/projects into small tasks.

- Do one thing every day.

- Keep a journal of your progress.

- Write down tasks/ideas as they come and review them every day.

- Review goals every day.

I am going to bed to finish reading Gretchen Rubin’s book! YES!

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1) MAKE BED EVERY DAY

I did not make my bed today. I woke up late and completely forgot. Things will be different tomorrow. As soon as my boyfriend and I wake up, I will make that bed so good it will make the Hilton Hotel company cry!

2) DRINK 2.36 L OF WATER EVERY DAY

Despite the drinking schedule I set out for myself, I failed to keep up with this resolution. But that is okay. Failing is fun. Now, why didn’t I keep up with this resolution? What seems to be the problem? Well, this may sound stupid and completely crazy and ridiculous, but I keep waiting for the day when I will be able to afford a fancy aluminum bottle. I cannot believe myself. For now, an old 590 mL Dasani bottle will do the job. Tomorrow, I will start my day by sucking on a bottle of Dasani filled with delicious tap water. Water is good for you. Obviously.

3) WALK DOG EVERY DAY

I walked the dog today! I took her with me when I went to get coffee for my boyfriend and I. I even took a detour on the way back to make the walk last a little longer for her. I feel proud of myself because the dog was happy. She already is not walked enough. I honestly think it’s because my boyfriend and I are lazy farts with horrible time management! Ha! So it made me extremely happy to walk her and I will try to walk her again tomorrow, even if it’s for five minutes up the street!

4) GET 8 HOURS OF SLEEP

I think I got 8 hours of sleep once I went to bed at 3 AM and woke up at 11 AM.  Although this resolution was met today, I am disappointed at myself because 3 AM is not a good time to go to bed, especially since most days of the week, I have to be at work by 7 AM.  I should really work on getting to bed on time to avoid being tired at work or in class. At least, I got 8 hours today. I am definitely failing on January 3rd since it is 4:19 AM now and I am tying this. Oh! When will I ever learn?

5) BRAID MY HAIR BEFORE BED TO AVOID SPLIT ENDS

Doing it now!

6) FLOSS AND BRUSH MY TEETH EVERY DAY

As mentioned in another post today, I brushed my teeth and I feel wonderful!

So, day 1 was not so bad. I am a tad anxious about some tasks I have to tackle on day II.

What are some things you would like to implement in your daily routine that you think you would benefit from?

I really am not pleased with my teeth right now. I should have listened to my mother after the dentist discovered my first cavity when I was ten years old. My parents did not really have the means to pay for dental care back then and that cavity was obviously not part of their budget. I still remember walking home from the dentist holding my mother’s hand while she scolded me about eating candy and not flossing and brushing my teeth.  Back then, I didn’t understand what she was yelling at me for.  According to me, I had strong and perfect teeth! After all, biting my siblings was one of my favorite past times and my teeth have proven to be quite the defense mechanism in fights about toys.  Anyways,  for a period of time after that dentist appointment, she dilligently monitored my dental hygiene like a hawk. Every night, she would make sure I brushed and flossed. Every time, she would repeat the same thing: “One day, your dental negligence will result in horrible tooth pain and you will blame it all on me and ask me why I didn’t scold you harder.”  Man, I wish she had scolded me harder.

When I have kids, dental hygiene will be primordial. No kid of mine will go to bed or leave for school without brushing and flossing!  I don’t want them to feel the way I feel about my teeth right now. I am very self conscious about them and my smile now. Due to coffee and Coca-Cola drinking, they are terribly stained. When someone takes a picture of me, the first thing I think about is closing my mouth before the picture is snapped. I really hate feeling like this about my teeth and it is time I save my smile!

Anyways, I am happy I brushed and flossed my teeth today.  All the smelly gunk and blood is gone. I deserve a gold star! I will defnitely do it again tomorrow!

1) Make the bed every day to feel a sense of accomplishment.  I got this idea from Mrs. Rubin and I think it is a great first task in your day. I didn’t do it today, but I definitely plan on doing it tomorrow. I failed my resolution on the first day, but failing is fun and expected.

2) This is overrated, but I would like to follow a water drinking schedule. I also want to order the book You’re Not Sick, You’re Thirsty from Amazon.com and learn more about the benefits of drinking water. Here is my water drinking schedule:

- 590 mL: As soon as I wake up in the morning, before eating anything.

- 590 mL: Before Lunch

-590 mL: After Lunch/Before Supper

- 590 mL: Before Bed

3) Walk our dog every day, even if it’s up the street and back.  At least five minutes outside every day will be beneficial both for me and the dog. I also plan on taking the dog with me whenever I need to go to the grocer’s or the chemist.

4) Get 8 hours of sleep. This will be the most difficult, but the most necessary in boosting my energy levels.

5) Braid my hair before bed to avoid split ends.

6) Floss and brush my teeth every day. I am disgusted with myself. Right now, I am sitting in my parents’ living room with nasty breath and bleeding gums. I really have neglected my teeth. And my breath stinks.  

“By brushing and flossing we help to eliminate the bacteria which can lead to bad breath, gingivitis, and periodontal disease thus creating smiles which last a lifetime.”

I am starting small. Very small. Let’s see if I can accomplish this this week. I am making an Excel chart and keeping myself accountable.

One of my clearest memories about elementary school is this poster with an apple and the quote: “Today is the first day of the rest of your life”. It is completely cheesy, but that sentence has stuck with me every time I started a “start over” project. Like most people, I usually “start over” on January 1st of every year. I usually mess up by January 6th and give up simply on the basis that my resolution is now stained. I suffer from severe perfectionism. Not only does the destination have to be perfect, but my journey has to be perfect as well. I allow myself no mistakes. I now know that it is the worst way to go about things and the best way to set yourself up for failure.

Where do I go from here?

Every year, January 1st feels like the first day of the rest of my life. There is something completely magical and exciting about the month of January that makes you want to clean up your act and become that perfect person you have always aspired to be, the person you pretend to be, the person you have always wanted and dreamed to be. It seems like a great time to start making your life over. A new year is here with brand new days. You are an empty slate, a white canvas. As cliche as that may sound. Finally! You can finally start thinking about doing all those things you should be doing such as losing those extra 25 pounds, walking the dog every day, decluttering your house, starting a blog, drinking 8 glasses of water a day, remembering birthdays and updating your lingerie drawer. By February 1st, you are lucky if you didn’t gain 5 extra pounds, your house is a mess, you have only filled the About Me section of your blog, you are dehydrated, your best friend hates you for missing her birthday a fourth year in a row and your lingerie drawer is still filled with dirty old underwear. Disappointed by your failures, you give up on new year resolutions and pick up smoking, snorting cocaine, chugging Coke can after Coke can and forget to wish your best friend happy birthday again. I am starting to think that January 1st is jinxed. It’s been used, overused and abused as the first day of so many people’s lives. By now, it should be illegal to use this date as “the first day of the rest of your life”.

I don’t want to be that person anymore. For once, I want to keep my resolutions, stop biting my nails, pulling my hair and scratching my arms when I am nervous. For once, I want to be organized. For once, I want to see results. For once, I want to stop focusing on the destination and giving up when not even halfway there and completely immerse myself in the journey.

In 760 days, on February 1st 2012, I will turn 25 years old and join the quarter century club. It is an important milestone for me and there is no better way to celebrate it than by getting my life in order for once. Turning twenty-five and being twenty-five years old does not scare me. However, reaching that destination without having accomplished a set number of things scares me more than anything. The day I turn 25, I want to be happy, secure, organized, healthy, feel beautiful both inside and out and to have experienced those things I have wanted to experience before turning twenty-five. I want the next two years to be the happiest years of my life. Therefore, instead of setting extravagant resolutions for 2010, I will set small resolutions to keep until February 1st 2012.

According to Gretchen Rubin, author of the book that inspired me to start my own happiness project, “If you really want change, THINK about it, plan it, probe it, keep yourself accountable, have a plan.”

I will use this blog as my personal tracking journal for the next 760 days. I will record my accomplishments, my goals and my failures. I plan on starting slow.  First, I will THINK about the change I want and then I will plan it.

I really don’t know where I am going with this yet, but I am THINKING about it. For 2010, I plan to start by test driving  Gretchen Rubin’s plan for happiness (The Happiness Project Blog) along with Leo Balbuta’s invaluable advice at ZenHabits. For 2011, I plan to test drive Cathy Alter’s Up For Renewal idea since there is nothing I love most in this world than reading magazines; however, I rarely use the advice I spend 700$ on every year, so it should be interesting to actually follow it through.

For now, let’s see where this is going and how far I can go.  I will start by taking out those bedsheets I forgot in the washer two days ago and make the bed. I bet they are extremely smelly. Then, I will make my plan.