Resolve to Get Organized
How many of you ever made a New Year’s Resolution? I know I have. They have ranged anywhere from vowing to work out, to taking up a hobby and a bunch of things in between. If breaking up with clutter is on your resolution list for 2017, you are not alone.
Getting Organized is right up there next to losing weight and saving money as one of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions. So much so, that January has been deemed: National Get Organized Month!
As with any resolution, most people start strong, but by mid-February are slipping back into their old habits. Why do so many resolutions fail? De-motivation and frustration.
If you are committed to getting organized, you’ve come to the right place. Below are 5 tips to keep you on the “Organizing Bandwagon”.
- Prioritize. If I asked you what area of your home you want to declutter, you may want to respond “all of it”! But Rome wasn’t built in a day and your clutter didn’t accumulate overnight, so slow your roll sister. As much as I applaud your attempt to dive right in, the best advice I can give you is to prioritize the areas that are the biggest pain point for you and go from there.
- Incorporate into your routine. I have news for you, getting organized isn’t a “one and done” thing. It’s an investment in time and discipline. Whether it’s putting your keys in the same spot each day, working with your kids to put their toys away, or trying to train your husband to put his clothes in the hamper, it all boils down to one word-discipline. Establishing a routine that you stick to is a game changer.
- Change the way you think. Clutter is the end result of X (lack of time, too much stuff, poor systems). How many times have you organized your closet only to find it a hot mess 3 months later? Anyone can get organized, the catch is learning how to stay organized. The key to success is changing the behavior that allowed clutter to accumulate in the first place.
- Keep it Simple. The one thing I can tell you from years of experience is simple always wins. The more complicated the system the less likely you are to stick with it. Think about other areas of your life: recipes, doing your hair, taking off make-up…the more steps it has, the more work it becomes to maintain. Life is already filled with enough things on our to-do list, which is exactly why simplifying the way we find food in our pantry, tools in the garage, or clothes in our closet is invaluable.
- Set Realistic Expectations. If you were going to run a marathon you wouldn’t just wake up one day and run 26 miles. You would have a plan, a strategy and small benchmarks along the way helping you get closer to reaching your goal. Organizing your space or time is no different. Whether you have 20 minutes or 2-hours, do what you can-the key is consistency.
If you are committed to making 2017 the year you said goodbye to clutter, I’m here to help. Subscribe to our NEW weekly podcast, This Organized Life where you’ll get a first-hand glimpse into my world of kids, clients and organizing strategies that work for people who have little time, a lot of stuff, but don’t have a clue of what to do with it. If there are topics you want us to talk about, please leave us a comment, we’d love to hear from you!
xoxo-
Laurie