Little Bites {March 2012}

Little Bites* Tip of the Month: Take a Technology Break
One of my goals last month was to turn off the computer one day a week. I honestly wasn't sure if I could stick to it or not, but do you know something? By the end of the month, I was actually looking forward to my day of rest from technology and the social networking world! I discovered that it was freeing not to worry about who liked my link or commented on my photo, and when I checked in on Mondays, I no longer cared about what I "missed" because I discovered that I wasn't actually missing anything. If you don't already take a day off from the computer - TRY IT.

Lesson #2: If you bite off too much, be willing to back off of a few goals and focus on one or two that you deem the most important. Achieving success in one or two areas where you previously struggled is better than feeling overwhelmed and giving up on everything. One of the main ideas behind taking smaller bites is that we turn helpful, positive goals (like flossing your teeth or saving for a Rainy Day) into good habits.

Last month I set up five goals for myself:

1. Spend 1 hour a week looking into getting articles published in magazines or online

2. Spend 20 minutes a day working on the laundry room

3. Finish our taxes

4. List items on Craigslist/eBay/Amazon, continue to clean out for spring yard sale

5. Turn off computer (no email, online banking, FB, blogs, or Pinterest) one day a week (Sunday)

Rather than be discouraged that I only crossed off three and a half goals, or I chose to accept the fact that life (and sickness) happens and rejoice that I have a laundry room I can use, my taxes are done with a month and a half to spare {happy dance}, and I've developed the positive habit of maintaining the office and filing paperwork as it comes in the house. I choose to celebrate the latter developments with a major {happy dance}. 

Does that mean I'm giving up on getting published? Not on your life! In fact, I spent several  hours last month developing some ideas I had for short stories and real-life essays that I plan to submit to various publications, so even #1 could get crossed off a tiny bit. Besides, it's a new month with new goals, so I can't keep looking to the past if I want to move forward. Onward and upward!

{March Goals}

1. Finish studying for (and schedule to take) the job-required certification test

2. Spend time looking into long-term work possibilities
3. Complete three short stories/essays

4. Sell books, movies, and other items through various channels

5. Buy nothing (PH improvements excluded) other than food during the month of March

What are YOUR bite-sized goals?

*New to the whole Little Bites idea? You can read the original post by clicking HERE.