How long is your “project to-do list”?
Perhaps your list is a mile long, filled with tasks such as clean out the garage, digitalize the family photos, work through your yarn stash and finish all of those as-yet-undone projects, read the Bible in one year, grow our own vegetables this summer and can enough to get through next winter, and read the entire Kinsey Milhone series.
Perhaps, though, you’re like me. Perhaps your list isn’t so terribly long, but it’s still a bit overwhelming for one reason or another.
Last Wednesday (“It’s the Most Intimidating Time of the Year”) I promised I’d share an opportunity with you, so here it is. You are cordially invited to join my Facebook group “19 in 2019”!
This group will not “coordinate” with my blog posts; it is an entirely separate entity, and I hope you will check it out and join us.
So what is 19 in 2019?
First, it is NOT another to-do list or obligation or chore.
Instead, it is a group of individuals who want to make some changes in 2019, but they want to do so in a place where people support & encourage each other and in a way that is fun and free of stress and judgment.
I’ve done this before — in 2016 and 2017 — and we had so much fun, but with all that was going on in my life in 2018, I just didn’t get it going again. I missed it and decided to make it a priority again this year.
Here’s how it works.
First of all, there are no rules. The following are guidelines for you to adapt and mold to fit your own situation and personality.
Each participant will choose 12 “challenges” — one for each month. They can be things you want to do (ex: take a 15-minute walk every day), things you want to stop doing (spending hours each day mindlessly surfing the net), or things you want to change (eat 4 vegetables a day instead of the 2 you currently eat).
You will also choose 6 “treats” — one for every 2 months (Jan/Feb; March/April; etc). The “size” of the treats is unimportant; examples include a Saturday spent in your pajamas with a great novel and snacks, a massage, buying that scrumptious yarn you’ve had your eye on, etc.
Some people tie the “treat” to the challenges, but I don’t do that. I give myself the treat whether or not I complete the challenges for those 2 months. You also don’t have to wait until the 2 months are over; treat yourself when you need or want to!
Finally, choose 1 larger, more challenging task to complete before the year ends. One person painted their entire house (inside), and I really need to digitalize 28 years worth of photos and memorabilia!
Some people choose all 12 challenges and the 6 treats at the beginning of the year and make no alterations; others choose them at the beginning but make adjustments; other people just wing it and set the challenges and treats as they go along. Remember, do what you want — there are no rules!
A few “maintenance” details you need to know.
1. The group is a closed group, meaning anyone who searches FB can find the group and request to join, but non-members cannot see what is being posted.
2. I will be moderating as closely as possible, checking in at least twice each day; I will remove and block anyone who doesn’t play nicely. 🙂
3. I will be opening threads every month and every 2 months so you can share your challenges and treats.
4. I will be posting encouragement, funny memes, etc., at least once a day almost every day. My goal is to share something uplifting every single day, but I know that sometimes life doesn’t go along with our plans, so I’m going to do the best I can and extend grace to myself when I don’t meet my goal.
So there you have it! I hope you’ll head over to Facebook 19 in 2019 Group and join the group. I’ll be opening the January challenge and January/February treats and 2019 mega-challenge threads on Saturday!
Before you go, please share any questions or comments via a comment. I love to hear from you 🙂