Weekend Projects

Weekend Projects: Take One Concrete Step Toward a Goal

published Dec 31, 2021
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Fit young woman learning stretching exercise while watching video on laptop in backyard. High quality photo
Credit: sebastiancaptures/Shutterstock

Apartment Therapy Weekend Projects is a guided program designed to help you get the happy, healthy home you’ve always wanted, one weekend at a time. Sign up now for email updates so you never miss a lesson.

If you love to read, you likely have a massive TBR pile. But do you have a “reread list” as well?

I do. Some of them are classics that I read and loved in childhood or young adulthood (for example, Anna Karenina, The Poisonwood Bible, and A Separate Peace) and want to revisit with an understanding seasoned by experience. Others are nonfiction books so compelling I feel like I need a second (or third, or yearly) look (for example, Gift from the Sea).

Another of these types of nonfiction books that I’ve only read once but feel like I must read again is James Clear’s Atomic Habits. It made me feel like I could do anything and it gave me the tools to actualize what I felt like I could do.

One life-changing concept Clear talks about is that in order to build habits, you have to make them easy. This involves arranging your environment to increase the likelihood of getting those acts, which lead to habits and pave the way toward goals, done. This weekend we’re going set ourselves up for success just like this. Let’s harness some of that New Year energy and motivation to start 2022 off on the right foot.

This Weekend: Take one concrete step toward a goal.

By taking a small step toward a goal and achieving consistency, we are well on our way to creating a new habit and becoming who we want to be.

Here are some examples of small ways to arrange your environment to set yourself up for success:

If one of your goals is to exercise more, set out your workout clothes, socks, and running shoes right by your bed.

If you want to develop the habit of shutting down the kitchen, empty your dishwasher before dinnertime.

If you plan to devote more time to your painting hobby, set our your supplies on your desk.

If you are determined to write in your one-line-a-day journal nightly, set it and a pen on your pillow.

If you want to focus on eating fruit for a snack instead of crackers, prepare what you will eat ahead of time.

Sorry, this list is no longer accepting subscriptions.

Feel free to subscribe to our other emails.

You can catch up with weekend projects right here. Share your progress with us and others by posting updates and photos on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #atweekendproject.

Remember: This is about improvement, not perfection. Each week you can either choose to work on the assignment we’ve sent you, or tackle another project you’ve been meaning to get to. It’s also completely okay to skip a weekend if you’re busy or not feeling the assignment.