Soon the holidays will be over and another year ended. We often take stock of the past year analyzing what worked and what didn’t work in our personal and professional lives and we make New Year’s Resolutions to improve our lives in the coming year. We see a lot of information about losing weight, quitting smoking and “getting organized” in the media because these are the most popular resolutions Americans make. The trick is how to make resolutions you can live with till you accomplish the desired result. If “getting organized” is one of your resolutions for 2009, these steps can help you start, stay on track and get organized:
1. Make your goal specific. Know what you want the finished area/room to look like when it is finally organized. Stating that you will “organize the whole house” is too vague and is an overwhelming resolution.
2. Decide on one area or room to start. Start small, in one corner, and work your way around that room systematically. Don’t bounce from one corner to another, you’ll get confused and go off task. Don’t start in another room until you are finished with the first.
3. Set a realistic completion date for that room/area (if it’s a whole room, give yourself at least 12 hours of work time). You will get discouraged if you don’t allow enough time to complete the task.
4. Write down your work times for each week. Remember the “average” room will take about 12 hours to organize. Try one to two days each week for at least one to three hours each time.
5. Make an appointment with yourself for these organizing sessions, and keep your appointment!
6. Solicit help from a friend or hire a professional organizer to work with you. You will get twice as much done, the time will go faster and they can help you stay focused and on task.
7. Once you start, have someone you can check-in with each week and report your progress. This will help make you accountable and more likely to achieve your goal.
Barbara Ricketts is a Certified Professional Organizer (CPO) and member of The National Association of Professional Organizers. If you need professional assistance to get organized, contact her at MessDoctor@Mac.com or call 661-263-0124.