Organized A to Z Blog

Get Your New Year Organized and Off to a Fresh Start

January 1, 2012

Do you make a resolution on or before Jan 1st?

How much thought goes into your resolution?

How long do you keep your New Year’s resolution?

Prior to becoming a full time Professional Organizer, I operated a direct selling business. This business was set up to reach and keep goals.  In order to reach specific targets it was imperative to reach these goals. Being organized was so helpful in this process.

Try out these 5 simple tips on how to get your New Year Organized and off to a fresh start and make this new year your best one yet.

Tip #1: Make an appointment with yourself. Set aside an hour one afternoon or evening. Go to a location that makes you feel inspired. This could be your own living room or maybe it is someplace near the ocean. Make sure it is quiet. Get your favorite holiday beverage, nice pen and paper. I like doing this activity long before Jan 1st. That way I have time to really get my head wrapped around what changes, dreams, and goals I am going to go after.

Tip #2: Just start writing or drawing. You do not have to be an artist. It can be stick people and things. Write and/or draw all the things in your mind that you would like to see for yourself. Dreams and goals you would like to see for your personal life, your health, your career, and spiritually. Use lots of colour. Why not use a different colour for each area of your life.

Tip #3: Put some dates beside each drawing or written word. For example, the number one New Year’s resolution is health. Could be to lose weight, stop smoking, or exercise. If this is on your sheet of paper put a date beside when you would like to lose that extra ten pounds. Based on the fact that it is healthy to lose only 1-2 pounds per week that would give you a date of ten weeks after Jan 1st which is the beginning of March. Focus on what you can have, not on what you cannot have. Did you know the number 2 resolution is to get more organized? I love it!

Tip #4: Tell a friend. One of the best ways to stay accountable is to have an accountability buddy.  My buddy and I go for long walks and talks. We keep each other on track with our goals and resolutions. We help each other out with ideas and suggestions on how to reach our dreams, goals and resolutions. We focus on how we will feel once we have reached our resolutions. Make a list of what you have accomplished so far to date.  By walking and talking you are killing 2 birds with one stone. You are getting your exercise and you are able to talk about where you are at with your New Year’s resolutions. Now that is organized!

Tip #5: Keep it simple. If you set too many resolutions at one time you may find it challenging to reach them all. Take one goal from your list and work on that one. Once you are in the new habit (exercising or stopped smoking, for example) then you can incorporate another goal/dream from your list.

Your resolutions need to be yours. They cannot be what you think other people want for you. They have to really resonate with you, your values and your beliefs.  They need to be very specific. They need to be realistic to you and your lifestyle. Just because the person sitting beside you can run a marathon, does not mean you can or want to. You have to consider your own lifestyle, your body and your time commitment. This summer I had set a goal (I do not always wait till Jan 1st to set all my goals, I set some during the year as well) to start training for a half marathon. I thought this would be a cool thing to do for my 50th Birthday in July. Well my body is saying no way, no how are you going to be a runner. The pain is not worth it. Time to set a new accomplishment for my 50th. I’ll keep you posted.

How would you like a FREE 30 minute coaching call on how to move forward with your dreams, goals and resolutions? We will discuss systems and strategies that will help you move forward. Please contact me at we will set up a phone date.  www.gettingittogether.ca

Thanks to Organized A to Z.com partner Rowena List for contributing this article. Rowena is an organizing expert specializing in home organization. Grab your FREE copy of her new e-Book; Organized in 15 Minutes.  The e-Book gives you a simple 10-day plan for organizing 10 different areas of your home in 15 minutes or less.  Download your free copy now at: http://www.GettingItTogether.ca

Filed under: Organizing Tips

Tags: Getting It Together, goal, new year's resolution, organize, professional organizer, Rowena List