Real Solutions For Living...Realistic Organizing Resolutions You CAN Achieve

"This year I'm going to get organized!"

That's it? That's your resolution? I can tell you right now you are setting yourself up for failure. Before you get mad at me, read on........

To achieve your goal to be more organized, you must follow some basic goal-setting guidelines. First, be specific about what "be more organized" means to you. You need to be able to measure your success at reaching that goal, so think about how you need to define "more organized".

Maybe you are wanting to be on time for work and social obligations? Then your organizing resolution -- organizing goal -- is "to be organized to the point of being on time for work and social obligations." Now your goal has a defining outcome you can measure.

The next basic goal-setting guideline to keep in mind is to be realistic. I can tell you that, coming from a perfectionist mindset, I often set out to do it all and to do it all right and to the best of my ability. If I fall short in any way, I end up feeling like a complete failure! I can't see, nor appreciate, any of what I did accomplish. I only see what didn't get done or did not get done to my level of expectation.

To set yourself up for success, think about your organizing resolutions for 2008 very seriously. Are you being realistic? Do you have the physical capability, the energy, the drive, and the commitment to tackle all that you have in mind? What has happened in the past when you have set organizing goals for yourself? Have you had the tendency to bite off more than you can chew?

According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, more than one in three Americans break their resolutions by the end of January. Why? Overly ambitious goals. The antidote is to start small. Try concentrating on one area, one room, or one project that you would like to organize. Let that be your New Year's Resolution.

Another basic goal-setting guideline you'll want to implement is support. Is there a friend, sister, neighbor, or online chat group you can team up with to help keep you moving toward keeping your organizing resolution? You will want to have someone to hold you accountable to what you have committed yourself to. Knowing there is someone to cheer you on, to listen to your frustrations, to come over and lend a hand if needed, can be a tremendous boost to your drive.

We often neglect this next basic goal-setting guideline. If you find yourself falling off track, pick yourself up and start again. I mean it! “Success consists of getting up one more time than you fall.” I love that quote. Some of you may remember one of my philosophies on why clutter builds is that life simply happens. And when life is happening all around us, we can often get behind, forget things, routines and needs change, and so on. So we find ourselves getting off track and surrounded by more chaos than usual.

Rather than surrendering to the disorganization that has evolved, we should roll up our sleeves and dig in little by little. Do what we can to clear things up as we are able.

So if you find yourself getting off track with your New Year's Resolution, don't throw in the towel! All is not lost! Pick up where you left off, or chisel away at what's accumulated, and get a rhythm going again.

Here's a fun and MUST DO basic goal-setting guideline. Reward yourself when you achieve small successes. Treat yourself to a movie, dessert and coffee with a friend, a walk through a museum, or whatever tickles your fancy each time you have reached a significant point in your journey. If you determined to work on your organizing resolution three times a week for just a half hour each time and you accomplished that, then give yourself a reward! What can you dangle as a "carrot" in front of your nose to help you keep moving toward your goal?

Last but not least, is: work away at your organizing resolution one little bite at a time. It's the same as eating an elephant. Try to eat one of those big boys and you'll be overtaken by the enormous size of the beast, not to mention possibly choke to death as you try to swallow him whole in one bite! You can eat an elephant; you just have to eat him one bite at a time.

Approach your organizing resolution the exact same way. Break up this goal of yours into smaller goals. Chip away at it bit by bit. Sneak in those rewards for yourself as you accomplish each little bite - I mean, goal. Have a trusted buddy to support you and be on call when you need that extra encouragement or helping hand. Be sure you have clearly defined your resolution in a way that is measurable. And one last thing - make sure you have set yourself up for success - be sure your resolution is realistic and something you can attain!