There is something that drives me absolutely nuts. It makes me want to gnash my teeth and say things I'll regret. It annoys me to no end.

It's when my kids wander into the room and say they're bored.

Drives. me. crazy.

I usually reply with some comment about the number of tasks on my To Do List and how they are welcome to do a few of those to fill their time.

They generally respond by rolling their eyes and mumbling something under their breath that we're both pretty sure I shouldn't hear. Then they go someplace else to mope instead.

It's always a real bonding moment.

Lately, I've been getting that same bored feeling as my kids.

I've been noticing a not-sure-what-to-do-with-myself kind of feeling coming over me a lot, which is strange since I have so many things to do all the time. But for some reason, it seems like I'm doing a lot of wandering.

I'll go into my room to fold some laundry....I'll check my email while I'm standing there....I'll lose interest in the laundry and carry a glass into the kitchen....I'll start to unload the dishwasher....I'll peek at facebook....I'll look for something else to do and leave the half-empty dishwasher for later....I'll start to pick up the newspaper....I'll stop to look up the book I wanted to order online....round and round the hamster wheel.

I leave tasks half done. I give chores half my attention. I work with half my effort.

I have an unsettled feeling.

I find myself looking for excuses to get out of doing what needs done. I search for conversation online, and I fill my time with unproductive (and unimportant) activities.

Then, when the day is coming to an end, I race around like a crazy person, trying to make the house look like I actually did something with my time that day. And while our home may look somewhat presentable, my list of things I wanted to do lays untouched.

I'm annoyed because I can't seem to get anything done, but it's really all my fault (even more annoying). I'm not guarding my time from the things that suck it dry. I'm giving into every single temptation and then complaining when I suffer the consequences.

It's time to take real action.

I thought that by setting some general goals for managing my time wisely, I could change this frustrating trend in my life.

I thought wrong.

It's too easy to ignore my own good intentions. If I really want to develop better homemaking skills, then I need to make better use of my time. I need to set a measurable goal that will give me a little kick on the backside every day.

An hour a day is a good place to start.

I've decided to challenge myself to spend one hour on concentrated house-type work every single day. No excuses. No getting sidetracked. No slacking off.

Now, I'm pretty sure that, even with my aimless wandering, I'm doing more than just one hour of work around my house already, but the quality of my work is greatly lacking. And my attitude toward it just plain stinks.

It's tempting to set a loftier goal, like organizing everything that doesn't jump out of my way, or making the kids' rooms look magazine-ready, or finally getting rid of every inch of clutter.

But those goals can't easily be measured and are likely to be forgotten after a couple of days.

I think I can manage one hour. And, hopefully, that one hour will help propel me into more action throughout the day.

An hour-a-day guidelines.

Self-discipline isn't one of my strong suites. So, while I'm trying not to set too many rules for my hour-a-day challenge, I do need a few guidelines to keep me from getting off track:

~The hour each day can be broken into shorter segments, but those shorter times must be spent doing concentrated work. In other words, no checking anything online while working.

~Use a timer to help stay focused and track the time. No cheating.

~May use one fifteen-minute block for doing a Morning Routine, but the rest of the time should be spend on other tasks. (If you don't already have one, check out how to make a simple a Morning To Do List.)

~Complete Daily To-Do List tasks first. I make a weekly plan for managing a home by doing small daily tasks, but that plan only works if it's actually followed. Go figure! No more procrastinating the chores that have been scheduled.

~Work early whenever possible. Try to get most of the hour of work out of the way while it's still early. More energy equals more effective effort and more momentum to carry throughout the day. Also, doing an hour of housework when dinner should be on the stove isn't going to solve any problems.

I'm offering a challenge and some accountability.

I'm challenging myself to spend one full hour each day doing what I'm called to do, and I'm challenging you, too.

Next week, let's commit ourselves to turning over a new leaf. Let's dare ourselves to discover what happens when we set our minds to something worthwhile. Let's see what we can accomplish in one good hour of hard work.

And let's give ourselves some accountability. I need it. Remember? Self-discipline isn't exactly my thing. Let's encourage and push each other to keep up our efforts.

I'm going to be tweeting about my progress, sharing what I've accomplished on Facebook, and snapping pics on Instagram.

Want to join me?

This weekend, I'll post next week's Daily To Do List {Weekly Plan} so you can see what I'm going to be working on and, possibly, follow along, too. You may want to subscribe so you don't miss the excitement. (Yes, I'm joking about the excitement, but you still may want to subscribe.)

And I hope you'll follow, and like, and look so we can do this thing together. I'm a little bit nervous that I'm drumming up this hype and then might lose interest mid-week. I do that sort of thing. It would help to know that I'm not alone here.

So, want to join my challenge? Let's chat in the comments...

Shared with Christian Mommy Blogger, Better Mom Mondays, Grace Laced, Mama Moments Mondays. 

HOMEMAKING