Day 8: Embrace the Bite, Part 2.

So, you've started that big nasty project by taking the smallest possible action. Now, you need to get the rest of that beast done.

A great way is to bite size your project. It's a wonderful way to keep yourself moving forward on a complex or time consuming project.

Right about now it's time for me to start thinking about switching out my summer clothes for fall. This year, I've decided to break down the project into small bite-sized steps. That way, I can take any of those steps whenever the opportunity arises, instead of trying to fit in a big chunk of time to do it at this busy time of year.

What does switching out the summer for winter clothes involve?

Essentially, you're just putting away the summer stuff, taking out the winter stuff. As you do that, you'll donate anything which you no longer like or need and take a quick inventory to see if there's anything you need.

Here's what that looks like.

Outdoor Clothes:

1) Take the winter coats to the cleaners (if, like me, you didn't do this in the Spring when you really should have) or wash them.

2) Make sure everyone has winter boots that fit and aren't falling apart.

3) Put "winter boots for _______" on a shopping list.

4) Go through scarves, hats and gloves and make sure there's enough for everyone. Don't forget to check coat pockets!

Indoor Clothes:

1) Put warm weather tops and bottoms into storage as they come out of the laundry.

2) Grab the cold weather tops and bottoms when I'm putting away the summer stuff and put it into my dresser drawers.

3) Go through my closet and see what fits and what doesn't and ascertain what I may need. Do this 15 minutes a day until I'm done. (In truth, I'm going to skip this. I know what I need.)

4) Go shopping for whatever we need. (You could break this down into bite sized pieces, too, if that's convenient for you, say, picking up an item or two every few days after work.)

I find it really helps if I write it all out like this, too, so I can check off what I've done as I go. I love those check marks!

Does it seem more overwhelming to see it all written down like that? If it does, just take a post it or something and cover up the next step. Focus on the step right in front of you and just do that. If that seems to complicated, it probably is! Simplify it as far as possible until it would feel silly not to do it.

Is there any task you're currently facing which would benefit from being bite-sized?

ETA: You can catch all the posts in the series here.