From Trisha
Every New Year many of us begin with the great intention of organizing and staying organized in a myriad of areas of our lives, just to kick in a few weeks into the New Year forgetting all of our goals, intentions, and new systems that are we introduced.
This year we can start over with a few inspirational tips to keep and stay organized throughout the year:
You Can Do It – Don’t let your previous track record stop you from trying for another year to stay organized year round. Take a look at the past things you accomplished and remind yourself that you can, and start with a new list of goals.
Write it down – don’t rely on your memory to keep track of your life. Use planners to create lists and calendars to keep track of your goals and lists of things you want and need to get done on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
Schedule It – I’ve found that if I don’t allocate time to meet my goals, it won’t happen. If my goal is to create a month’s worth of frozen meals, I need to mark on my calendar the day I will or it will not happen. Schedule your goals to stay organized like they were appointments.
Time it – timers are not just meant for cooking and baking, they are also a great tool to help you get organized. Set a 30 to 60 minute page every day or weekend to organize a project on your list or organize an area. Using a timer will help you stay on top of things, stay focused, and see results when the timer runs out.
Make it a habit – The latest research says it lasts 66 days to form a habit. Give it a try yourself and try my 10 Organized Mom Habits for 66 days. You will begin to feel a sense of control over the chaos in your life. Click here to read the 10 Habits of an Organized Mother.
Where should I start? Ready to get organized and stay, but wondering where to start or what to do first? A good place to start is with my January organization checklist.
January Organized Checklist
Start on the right foot with the January organizing checklist:
_____ Set yourself new year goals
_____ Fill out your new calendar with any upcoming activities, such as: B. from year to year Birthdays and anniversaries.
_____ Set up your New Years files for bills, taxes, and other office needs.
______ Schedule your dental, medical, and eye exams for your entire family. Check that all vaccinations are up to date.
_______ Make a clear schedule for the month to clean closets, drawers, and cupboards.
______ Turn all of the hangers backwards. Flip the hanger in your closets while you or your family members are wearing their clothes. Anything that is still back on June 1st, donate it.
_____ Have a house fix it / update it list of all areas in need of repair, replacement or cleaning.
______ Create a birthday card file and purchase a year worth of cards so you are prepared for the next birthday on your list.
______ Clean out last year’s pile of magazines.
_____ Clean your medicine cabinet of all expired and no longer needed medicines and refill them as needed.
_____ Change your oven filters and water filters. Make a note on your calendar that it will change again in 3 months.
_____ Keep your home healthy by wiping down all doorknobs, light switches, cabinet handles, etc. with a disinfectant cleaner.
_____ Start a new one, take care of your self-regiment – go to the gym, start daily walks, take vitamins or other supplements.
_____Shop January deals with organizational supplies, white linen sales, Christmas decorations on clearance and sales of winter clothing.
Remember, it is up to you to begin the process of organizing and staying – You can do it, make these lists, set these timers and make it a daily habit.
Which area of your life would you like to organize and stay organized this year?