A New Year = A New Organized You?
Turning the calendar to a new year often brings up interest in turning over a new leaf. From resolutions to eat more vegetables, read more books, spend less time on your phone, etc., the list of improvements you might pledge to do is endless. Wanting to get more organized is another worthy option.
Do I think that eating more vegetables or getting more organized will have a positive impact on your life? Sure! Is setting new goals for ourselves worthwhile? Absolutely! The difficulty I see with this time of year is the messaging around how we should achieve these goals. “Buy this!” “Subscribe to this!” “Follow this sure-fire 7-step method!”
Some of those tools and purchases might indeed help, but there’s a big BUT! There is nothing you can buy that will make all your problems and organization issues go away. And despite all the methods that promise to get rid of your clutter forever, unfortunately it is easy to get frustrated or feel shame when you don't succeed in using that “guaranteed” fix. Whether you are determined to get more organized in January or July, remember that the most important thing you can do in order to be more successful in sticking with any resolution is to focus intently on your goal.
Take a deep dive into the details of your goal. Developing as specific a goal as possible will help you maintain focus and motivation. Choosing a smaller goal (or breaking a large goal into 4-5 individual small goals) will also help you get more clarity on how exactly you will make progress.
Instead of “I want to get more organized at work.”, try “I want to clear the top of my desk so that it’s easier for me to focus.”
Instead of “I want to clean up my kitchen.”, try “I want to get rid of all the expired food on my shelves, so that I can see what food I have and stop buying duplicate groceries.”
So, ask yourself “What do I want for myself next?” You can start with the big goal of wanting a more peaceful, organized house, but then break it down into more specific wants until you have a goal that you can wrap your head around with concrete steps to take. That’s the recipe for successful organizing! And remember to give yourself grace when you run into big or small stumbling blocks. There’s no shame in not reaching your goal without some slip-ups! We are all human.
If you need help creating that specific goal and necessary steps, please reach out to Grace In Cycles. We are based in Harrisburg, PA, serving south central Pennsylvania in person, and nationwide through virtual organizing sessions!