Resolution is not a Bad Word.
New Year’s Resolutions…get fit, lose weight, stop smoking, and get organized. These are the most typical resolutions made in January and also the most common that fail by February. Why? Because they are too big and vague for anyone to succeed.
The idea of a New Year’s Resolution is great as long as you set yourself up for success.
Make your resolution achievable and well defined.
It is too hard to “Get Organized”, but it is achievable to organize one thing at a time.
Here is a real, achievable example. This week you could plan to organize your utensil drawer. Notice, I did not say organize your kitchen or even bigger, the entire house. By addressing one drawer or cabinet a week, you will have the entire room finished within two or three months.
You would empty the contents on the counter, review what you have, donate or toss what you have not used in ages, and put away the good items you need and want to grab quickly. In about 5 to 10 minutes one kitchen drawer is organized.
By making smaller, well defined achievable goals you set the scene for success. Start with one small thing to organize. It could be a drawer, shelf, area, or closet. Set a time and get it done. Then celebrate your success. You will be ready for another small area to tackle next week.
In February you can reflect on each small success and use these as motivation to continue the organizing process. Happy New Year and may you reach your organizing resolutions!
What about a Buddy?
If you are still having trouble making progress with organizing, get help. An organizing buddy can be a friend, relative, or Professional Organizer who can help you define your goals and break the process down to achievable steps. By setting your goals with another person you are setting up accountability which will help you follow up. Your buddy can help you break through some of the emotional attachments and push you to see things more objectively. They will help you stay focused on your goal when you get sidetracked, which is a very common issue that holds so many people back.
