Real World Resolve

Many of us have made our New Year’s Resolutions. And many of us have already fallen a little short of keeping them. Whether the goal is to eat a healthier diet (that surely excludes leftovers and lattes) or go to church every Sunday (that surely did not include Sundays when the temperature is below freezing), us mortals have to feel the benefit to stay on track.

Psychologists tell us that to change habits we have to be able to identify the benefit to ourselves and change our behavior for at least thirty days. So here are a few things for folks who resolved to be more organized this year to think about.

Some benefits of being organized are:
You have more money in your pocket. You do not have to pay late fees for bills that got lost in the bottom of a pile of mail. You do not buy duplicate products because you cannot locate beauty supplies or toiletries. You do not waste food by letting expiration dates expire. You take better cares of coats and clothes and can locate them when you need to wear them instead of buying something new.

You are not ashamed to have someone in your home. That means less expensive entertainment, richer friendships, better relationships within your family, and a better feeling about yourself.

You have peace of mind because you know where important documents are located and have a plan for emergency preparedness.

You can enjoy the things you have more fully--no small thing in difficult times.

Once you have identified the benefit to yourself, write it down and post it in a spot where you will see it everyday. Then do something to achieve that goal every day for thirty days. It can be hanging up you coat when you come in the door, then putting your clothes away or in the laundry when you undress, then putting laundry away the same day it is done. It might be getting a basket to hold all the mail, then going through the mail nightly, then paying bills every week. The important thing is to do something to reach the goal every day. If you miss a day, don’t give up. Start over the next day, until you have thirty consecutive days and can see the results.

Help reinforce your resolve by telling a friend or calling a professional organizer for support. A little bit of organization can make life a lot easier. That is a good goal for 2010.

Beverly & Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net

What is “Organized” Anyway?

What does it mean to be organized? Our favorite definition from Webster’s Unabridged English Dictionary is “to arrange advantageously for oneself.” It does not say that organized is everything in a certain place in a pristine orderly fashion. It implies that there are different ways to achieve organization and the main principle involves the well-being of the person getting organized. It also takes into consideration that the system used must meet the requirement of the system user.

Those principles are at the heart of every consultation we do for our clients. They should also be the guiding principles for do-it-yourself organization projects. Ask yourself these questions when you begin to organize a closet, a bookshelf, your calendar or any other aspect of your life.

1. What am I trying to achieve with this project?
   Example: I want to find my clothes within five minutes each morning
   I want my expenses and receipts to be ready when I do my taxes
   I want to answer my e-mail within 24 hours
   
2. What will the finished project look like?
   If you cannot envision the finished project list as many attributes as you can think of.
   
3. What steps do I need to take to make that happen?
   Break the project down into small outcomes and identify the tasks to achieve the outcome. They can be as simple as establishing a system for hanging clothes or scheduling time on a calendar to craft responses.
   
4. What will it take for me to maintain the system I envision and will I be able to maintain it?
   This very important question is often overlooked in the excitement of getting organized. A beautiful shoe rack may seem just the think when you are planning, but, if you know that you are not going to carefully replace you shoes everyday, an alternative may be easier to maintain.
   
5. Does this really do what I expected it to do?
   This question comes after your project is complete and you have tested it for a few weeks. If it has problems, change the system until it works for you.

Good luck getting organized and remember it is supposed to “arrange advantageously” for YOU!

Beverly and Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.com