Over the past few years, I’ve tried to maintain some level of organization in our laundry room.  It appears, however, from the current state of our laundry room, that my most recent attempt has been an utter failure.  My wife does a great job of keeping our house clean and clutter-free, but the laundry room, at least the half not dedicated to laundry, is “my” area for storage.  I keep my tools, my paperwork, and even an old filing cabinet (which held my comic books when I was a kid) in my half of the room.  Right now, the room is a disaster, with cardboard boxes, filled with stuff, piled three or four high.

Tomorrow, I’m going to reorganize the laundry room, and spend whatever time (and money) it takes to KEEP it organized.

This is a strange one, I know.  I live in the rural south, and we do not have trash pickup.  Instead, I have to load our trash in the back of my old truck and haul it off to the dumpster.  I hate doing this.  No, hate doesn’t cut it.  I loathe doing this.  Taking off the trash is a miserable, disgusting exercise.  As frugal as I am, I would gladly pay double, no triple, the going rate for trash pickup.  Seriously, I hate dealing with trash - even trash that is packed securely in garbage bags.

Currently, I just put the trash in the back of my truck and make trips to the dumpster once or twice a month.  Inevitably, a cat will get in the back of the truck, tear through the trash, and make a mess.  So, from now on, I’m just going to go the dumpster every day.  As much as I hate going to the dumpster - I hate cleaning up after the stupid cat even more.

I think I need to go throw up.  Ugh.

(And, yes, we keep our trash in trash cans, but we have yet to find one that is completely animal proof.  I’ve purchased a dozen or so trash cans over the years, but, inevitably, I lose their lids or a dog dumps them over.  Plus, I have to admit, I have such a weak stomach, I can barely deal with putting the used trash can back in the back of my truck.  Gross.)

I usually wake up between 6:30 and 7:00.  I have decided to wake up earlier, so that I can a.) help my wife get the kids dressed and ready for school b.) spend more time in prayer and c.) go the gym.

I stay up late at night, after my kids and wife have gone to bed, so that I can work on my various blogs and websites.  Recently, however, I’ve been going to be a bit earlier, probably because I’ve been working out so hard at the gym, and I feel much more rested.  Getting up is getting much easier.

5:30 will be my new wake up time.

Yesterday, I received a thank you note in the mail.  I was impressed that the sender took the time to write me, considering that what I had done for them was ‘nothing much’ in my eyes.  Receiving the thank you note made me realize that I’m doing a poor job of encouraging others.  So, from now on, I’ll work harder to send notes to people.

For the most part, I’ll send old fashioned cards or letters, but in come cases, I’ll just send an email.  I have several people that I need to thank who helped me on a recent project.  Instead of just telling them thanks, perhaps a note in the mail will show them just how thankful I really am for their help.

What about you?  Do you send thank you notes - or letters of encouragement?  Why or why not?

Change 1 - Giving Up Sodas - I started out strong, backslid just a bit, and then just completely gave them up.  I can’t remember the last soda I had, and I can’t say that I miss them!  Grade: A+

Change 2 - Walking 45 Minutes - I’ve modified this change, just a bit, to fit within my new workout plan.  Basically, I’m walking and using the eliptical machine, at least 5 days a week.  Grade: N/A

Change 3 - Keep Kitchen Counter Clutter Free - This one has been a struggle.  My wife keeps the house spotless, and there are only so many places where I can actually put things like bills, newspapers, and magazines.  Let’s just say, I’m doing a pretty good job of keep thing counter clutter free - pretty good, not great.  Grade: C

Change 4 - Listen To And Learn Names - I still stink at remembering names, but I have taken to asking people for business cards or contact information.  This helps me match a name to a face.  Grade: B

Change 5 - Giving Up Candy - I’m just not interested in eating junk food.  Frankly, this one has been easy, especially for the past month or so, as I’ve really focused on healthy foods.  Grade: A

Change 6 - Organize Email - This one took a while, but now I have a handle on it.  I forwarded all personal accounts to one gmail account, and all business email to another.  Now, I check two addresses a day and I’m done.  Grade: A

Change 7 - Organize Closets - This might be my favorite change.  My closets look fantastic.  There’s nothing on the floor, casual clothes are in one closet, dress clothes in another.  Perfect.  Grade: A+

Change 8 - Perform Stretch Routine - I’ve been stretching, before and after my workouts, but I’m still not stretching enough.  I need to work on this one.  Grade: C+

Change 9 - Use Getting Things Done System - I like the system, I use it, and you should too.  Grade: A

Change 10 - Be Early - Frankly, now that I’m working out and feeling better, I’m also doing a much better job of managing my time.  Funny how so much changes when you eat well and get some exercise.  Who knew?  Grade: A

Change 11 - Delegate - Thankfully, several people who work with me stepped up and took some of the stuff that I was dealing with out of my hands.  Things are running smoothly, and this makes me a happy dude.  Grade: B

Change 12 - Organize Photos - I have backed up all of our digital photos.  Grade: A

Change 13 - Memorize Ephesians - This is harder than I thought it would be.  I’ve managed to memorize the first chapter, but I can’t help but feel that I should be better at this!  Grade: C

Change 14 - Remove Clutter From Trunk - I did, then it just filled up again.  I practically live out of my car, and there isn’t a real convenient place to put my golf clubs in the house.  Tomorrow morning, I’ll clean it out again.  I promise.  Grade: D

Change 15 - Go To Gym Four Times A Week - Yes, yes, yes, I am doing this!  And, it’s probably a reason that so many of the other things on this list have gotten easier.  I feel better - I do more!  Grade: A

Change 16 - Update Social Networking Profiles - I did this, but then I kinda fell off of the face of the social networking scene.  I need to revisit my efforts.  Grade: B-

Change 17 - Backup Home Videos - I have backed up all of our home videos.  Grade: A

Change 18 - Find Time To Read - I’ve been reading more than I was, but I’m still not reading as often as I’d like.  Monday, if I can find an hour or so, I’m going to head to the library and find a good book.  Grade: C-

Change 19 - Take Vitamins - Why did I wait so long to do this?  It takes like ten seconds to take a vitamin.  Is it doing me any good?  I have no idea, but it feels right to be taking them.  Grade: A+

Overall, I think I’m doing a pretty good job improving my life (and hopefully myself).  It feels good to make changes, even small ones.  I want to thank those of you who have subscribed to 99 Changes.  You guys keep me motivated!  Rock on!

In the past, I’ve been very hit-or-miss with my vitamin intake.  I’d buy a bottle of vitamins, take them for a day or two, then forget, then remember, then forget, then remember.  No more!  Now, I’m taking a multi-vitamin for men, three times a day, and I’m also taking some probiotics.  I feel much better, now that I’m off soda, off candy, working out more, and taking my vitamins.  It’s amazing how quickly the body responds to positive input - and the removal of negative input.

Sorry for the delay in posts.  I had some trouble on my end with the site.  All should be fixed now, so expect regular updates.  Thanks for hanging in there.

I love to read, but I have been so busy lately, I haven’t had the time to sit down and open a good book.  I’ve been working very hard to delegate some of the work that others can do, and I plan to spend a few minutes, each day, reading.

This week, I’ll read and review The Smartest 401k Book You’ll Ever Read: Maximize Your Retirement Savings…the Smart Way!

It’s been sitting on my desk for two months - and it’s about time that I read it.

I’ll alternate between works of fiction and non-fiction.

I have three kids.  As you can imagine, I’ve spent quite a lot of time videotaping them.  I have hours and hours of footage, sitting on MiniDV tapes and I need to move that video from those tapes to some other storage media.  In the past, I’ve made a few DVDs, but I want to backup the files on a giant external hard drive.

I have just ordered a pair of 500 GB drives and a 4-pin to 4-pin firewire cable.  I’ll begin to transfer videos as soon as theses items arrive.  (My new laptop requires a 4-pin adapter.)

I don’t know a whole lot about video transfer and compression, but I think I know enough to copy the files from the MiniDV tapes to the hard drive.  Any input would be appreciated.

Right now, I have profiles (which I encourage you to check out) over at -

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I need to spend some time organizing and updating my profiles.  I need to add 99 Changes to many of my profiles and I need to update many of them with my new logo.  Also, I need to focus on connecting with others, via these various sites.

I recently joined a new gym.  In the past, when I would join a gym, I’d go faithfully for a month or two, and then stop going.  But, now that I’m really focused on losing weight, I’ve decided to make this a priority.  My daughter has gymnastics four times a week and if she can go that often, and she’s 8, I can can go that often, too!

I’ll swim at least twice a week and attend ‘boxing style’ aerobics three times a week.  It might be difficult to find the time to go, but I am determined.  What good does it do me to work my butt of to save money and plan for the future, if I’m not healthy enough to enjoy it?  So, starting this week, I’m hitting the gym (a minimum of) four times a week.

By the way, this change REPLACES Change 2 - Walk 45 Minutes.  Walking 45 minutes a day has prepared me for this new change.  But, now that I have the gym, I can combine my workouts and my cardiovascular training.  This doesn’t meant that I’ll stop working, but I won’t worry if I need a rest-day once in a while.