One bite at a time together

When I first read about Tsh’s new ebook, I immediately purchased it. What a fabulous idea, right? And oh so clever. The elephant analogy? Love it.

I realize there are thousands of “Simplify Your Life” books out there, but what I love about One Bite at a Time is that it’s broken down into simple, manageable chunks that I can actually incorporate into my day. Oftentimes, the Simplify books just end of up overwhelming me with yet more things for me to deal with…and all kinds of things I need to go out and buy.

You can’t be organized unless you buy 24 of these $10 containers.

You can’t simplify until you stock up on 16 of these racks and gadgets.

These $12 jars will make your life complete! You just need 35 of them.

Buy, buy, buy.

Yuck.

Granted, sometimes buying into a system that helps you stay organized is a must, but too often I find that Simplify books just end up being a long list of to-dos and to-buys.

Which is anything but simple, and the last thing I need. I had three kids in two years. I have enough on my plate thankyouverymuch.

But, if you’re anything like me, you skimmed, jumped, and flew through Tsh’s ebook in a flash. Great stuff, all of it. Yes, so simple! What a great idea! Hey, I’m doing that one already! Awesome!

And then I set the book back down and walked away. Thinking I’ll just magically incorporate the lessons into my life. Because that’s how things happen, right?

Right.

The brilliance of breaking up the overwhelming and ever ethereal task of Simplifying is that it makes it manageable… But to really get the full effect, you have to intentionally and systematically implement it.

You know, the way Tsh says you should do it right in the Introduction. Fancy that.

I decided that there had to be other people out there like me. You know, the ones with good intentions and all the tools at their fingertips, but not quite the system in place to stay on track?

So I started blogging my progress through the projects. One at a time. In order. Bite after Bite. I report back how I did that week, if I had challenges, and if I think I’ll realistically keep it up. I’m calling it One Bite at a Time: Together.

Encourage one another, share advice, what worked, what didn’t… Laugh at our failures. Celebrate when we find a project that worked for us. Shrug our shoulders when a project wasn’t what we had hoped it would be.

I started out blogging my progress weekly…but I think I’m going to switch it up and start doing it monthly. That way, if I have an especially harried week, and didn’t get to really doing what I was supposed to because kids were sick, camping trips were to be had, or trips to the Emergency Room were made, I can give myself some grace and make up for it the following week. (For the record, all three of those things happened in the last 7 days.)

After all, this is life. You know, the one I’m trying to simplify. It’s not always pretty.

Would you like to play along? We’re only through Week 3 so you can jump right in without being too far behind. I’d love to hear your thoughts as we move through the proverbial elephant!

If you haven’t already, buy One Bite at a Time and get started! I’m excited to meet you!

Think accountability would make simplifying your life a little easier? Maybe more fun?