Getting organized is such a sought after goal that it is right up there with losing weight and quitting cigarette smoking as a popular resolution at the start of each new year. Almost everyone feels that a little closet organization, better money management, or less multitasking will make life better.
When you resolve to organize your life what is the end product that you envision? More time to do what you want to do? less time spent looking for things you need? reducing the number of things, items or household chores that you have to manage?
Getting organized for most people really means that they want life to proceed in a more orderly fashion and be less chaotic and more predictable. When you organize your life you set things up so you have more control over what happens in it.
It is not easy to make changes in life habits, but small steps to improve your personal organization can be giant leaps towards better control of your life and your stuff.
Here are 4 small steps that you can take to organize your life a little better in the next year.
Organize a Closet
Closet organization is an achievable goal if you do one closet per month. That should get all of your closets done over the next year! An orderly closet feels good and will make you feel more in control of your stuff every time you open the door.
Switch to Reusable Shopping Bags
Each time you go shopping pick up one reusable shopping bag to take your groceries home. Within a month or two you should have more than enough for all your shopping needs.
Keep some reusable grocery bags in the car for quick shopping trips of the way home from work. Keep another supply right by the door so you can pick them up and take them to the car on your way out the door.
Even if you do not use cloth reusable shopping bags try to reuse the plastic ones. It is quite a small step but you will be amazed at how quickly you can reduce the amount of plastic bag clutter by reusing your plastic bags.
Improve Your Money Management
Spend one hour a month on money management. Twelve hours in one year is more than enough to set up internet banking, electronic bill payments, automatic transfers and other money management time savers. Within that twelve hours you would also have time to schedule appointments to review your investments, tax strategies and retirement savings plan to make your future more secure.
Explore the topic of personal organization
Spend one hour per month on the internet searching out articles and websites on personal organization. There is a plethora of free information at your fingertips.
Borrow books from the library on personal productivity and efficiency, setting life goals and achieving your dreams. Some of them you will like and others you will abandon or not even finish, but over time you will begin to internalize some of the ideas and you will definitely learn more about yourself. Getting organized is really all about self awareness anyway!
All big changes start with small steps. An organized life does not happen without your efforts and motivation to bring it about. When you give yourself the gift of improved personal organization it is a gift that keeps on giving back to you.
Getting organized saves time, and reduces stress. Establishing an organized home will have many benefits for health and well being for everyone who lives there. Beverly OMalley explores many of the influences on organizing behaviour at www.organization-makes-sense.com and invites you to explore the information there on how to improve your own organized home and life.