New Year, New Home Challenge: Day 1

Happy 2020! It's hard to believe that we've entered into a new decade already, but it feels like the perfect time to make some changes at home. I'm challenging myself to take ten minutes per day for the next seven days to tackle some of those nagging projects. My hope is to come out the other side with a happier home and a less stressed me. If you'd like to follow along then scroll to the bottom of the page and sign up for my email updates. I'll be sending out the daily assignments so you can play along! Be sure to post your progress shots using #NYNHchallenge and #erindavisdesign so I can see what you're working on. A challenge is always more fun with friends, am I right?!

DAY 1

Today I'm working on writing a list of home to-dos. These items can be anything from "clean the bathroom" to "organize the spice drawer" or even "renovate the kitchen". The idea is to put pen to paper and get all those ideas down in one place.

Once you have your list made, add time stamps to each item depending on how long you think it will take you to complete it. Be aware that some tasks, like painting a room, might require you to do some shopping for supplies and clean up. Be sure to factor this in.

Finally, pull out your calendar and schedule in one task per week for the month of January. If you have the time, feel free to schedule in more! The idea is to sit down and do this exercise once a month going forward. Each month review your list, add/edit/cross projects off as needed, and schedule out the ones you think you can accomplish. This helps keep you on track to complete your most pressing projects. If you have a larger renovation project then I suggest creating several "to-do" items under that and scheduling those. There's nothing more satisfying than crossing off a bunch of items so aim to have a couple 5-10 minute projects for each month.

Need some inspiration? No problem! Here's a few items on my list:

1. Paint and organize the pantry - 1.5 days

2. Clean out and sort through the bathroom drawers; get rid of anything that is expired or hasn't been used in the last year - 1 hour

3. Open and sort through the mail on the front table - 5 minutes

4. Organize my closet and donate any clothing that wasn't worn last season - 2 hours

5. Print and frame some family photos to display in the library - 1 hour

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