Getting organized is a popular New Year’s resolution that people set for themselves, along with losing weight, exercising more, saving more money, etc.
But the problem with having “Get Organized” as a goal is that it’s just too general.
Depending on your current level of disorganization, it’s important to remember that change doesn’t happen overnight. It’s very likely that it took time for your home, a room in your home, or a section of your life to become disorganized, and it’s going to take time to fix it.
Set a Specific Goal
Just saying that your goal is “Get Organized” is too broad of a goal. This will make it exceedingly difficult to achieve. Instead, make your goal more specific. Think of your goal like a funnel, with “Get Organized” at the top, or the widest part of the funnel. Funnel your goal down until it is something that you can achieve. Maybe it’s “Organize my Bedroom.” For some, this is an accomplishable goal, but for others, it still might be too big.
The next level might be, “Organize my Closet.” Again, for some people, this is a good-sized goal, but it still might be too overwhelming. The next level down could be, “Organize my Shirts” or maybe you go another level down and it’s “Organize my T-shirts.”
Make a list of all the areas of your home or office (or anywhere) that’s disorganized, and then break them down into smaller tasks.
Getting specific will help make the goal more attainable.
Put it on a Schedule
Once you’ve created your goals, put it on your calendar. Maybe you take one step toward accomplishing your goal each week or each month.
Set these tasks realistically according to your availability.
This is when you’ll be able to tackle the small goals you created. For example, maybe every Saturday, you spend two hours on organizing. By the end of one month, you could have your closet done.
Consider What’s Coming In
Depending on what your organizing goal is, there are often two parts to it. For one, you have to deal with the current items in your home. Secondly, you’ll have to plan for the items coming into your home.
If your goal is to get organized, yes, you’ll have to organize what you currently have. But start thinking ahead about what you’ll be purchasing and bringing home in the coming weeks, months, and year.
When you’re shopping and adding items to your cart, start thinking about where it’s going to go in your home. Do you have a place to put it? Do you really need it?
You don’t want it to sit around and become clutter.
If paper or junk mail is your nemesis, consider removing these items from coming into your home by adding your name to the “Do Not Mail” list.
Stay Motivated
It’s easy to lose motivation, especially if a goal takes a long time to achieve. Setting smaller, attainable goals will help with this. Maybe you set one small goal each month instead of one giant goal for the year.
One of the main benefits of hiring a professional organizer is that we can help hold you accountable for these goals. We’re setting appointments for you and push you to reach these goals.
You can also consider reaching out to a good friend to help hold you accountable. Can you hold each other accountable without judgment this year? Maybe you can both help each other get organized.
Another way to hold yourself accountable is to post your goals. This could be posting them on the fridge, on a blog, or on social media. Put it out there so people expect to see results.
Taking before and after pictures is also a good way to keep yourself motivated. As you’re working on your project in small chunks, you’ll forget how it looked originally. Take pictures along the way so you can see your progress.
Don’t forget to reward yourself during the process. This could be allowing yourself a lunch date instead of organizing for a day or maybe you purchase a nice jacket once you clear out a section of your closet.
Of course, having an organized space will be rewarding on its own for many reasons. Maybe you’ll spend less time looking for your keys every morning, or you’ll be able to take more Zoom workout classes with the added space.
Getting organized is a personal journey, and your goals surrounding it should achievable for you!
Jan. 10, we’re kicking off a “Get Organized” series at the Main Library on Goodwood. Join Alyssa for the first session on “Organizing for Your Weight Loss Goals” at 3pm. RSVP here!
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