But yes, it's about getting to WHY I have these goals and WHY I want to get my life/time/tasks more organized & less chaotic. It's easy to have a surface response but I think I need to dig deeper.

The "grown up" that I want to be is the opposite of the Stepford Wife-like person who lives in Ideal World. I want to reach my goals and have fun getting there, while making sure that I have time for the things that are important to me – spending time with those I love and fulfilling my passions. The "other stuff" – like laundry – is stuff I need to get done as quickly as possible to give me more time for the other, better stuff! I want that mix of responsibility and fun.

Maybe I can find Fun Responsibility Land….

And let's not kid ourselves – an all-or-nothing attitude is H-e-double-hockey-sticks! That's where frustrations, and perfectionistic (I think I just made up that word) notions, and ultimately failure live. Not to mention it's no freakin' fun!

I love how you think that Luke is awake, just waiting for me to get out of bed and work out. That's so cute! Um, in reality he's snoring besides me. It doesn't help that he leaves for work almost an hour after me either. So – it's up to me to get out of the warm bed and drag him with me!

At this point I know it's about the journey, in regards to trying new things and getting out of comfort zone – and discovering what works & what sticks for me.

What does being "grown up" look like for you? Are you perhaps limiting your options by a restrictive definition of "grown up?" How much of realistic world do you really want to change (emphasis on want)? And you know my next question is going to be: How many of the above are intentions you really want, and how many are "should" intentions?

But I'm with ya. Really hard to find the time to do all that you want, especially the boring but necessary chore stuff.

Don't kid yourself; you're making great strides. I hope your readers know that any all-or-nothing attitude (in dieting, exercise, organization, habit-changing or just plain living) is counterproductive.

Willpower is tough…and while it sometimes gets easier, it's never easy. It's easier to eat junk, sit on the couch, zone out, ignore reality and wish the world away. But eventually, we end up with the life(style) we (mostly) deserve.

If you can't get out of bed to work out, give permission to your spouse to drag you out of bed, if necessary, and plop you down on the non-cozy floor…and hand you coffee and workout clothes. Promise him you won't hold it against him, bite him or throw the coffee back in his face. Or ask a friend to call you at 2p on a Saturday to see if you did what you were supposed to (work out, write, pay bills, pick stuff up off the floor) and then either stay on the phone with you (while she watches a movie, or whatever) or call you back in 15 or 30 to say "NOW did you do it?" No man or woman is an island–it's OK to call on support from others.

The ideal world never really changes; our real world is only as good or as rough as we make it on any given day. We strive for excellence, not perfection, and we savor small victories. Sometimes, we need to give in to our malingering, and other times we need to ask someone to help slap us out of our malaise. The trick is to always come back up swinging.