It’s a new year and many of us have made New Year’s resolutions. Three common ones are that we want to lose weight, save more money or get better organized.
Many people don’t make it one month without breaking their resolution(s). We fail because we do not put an action plan into place or we have not faced the emotional hurdles that got us into these circumstances. All the work lies in the decision making.
Circumstances change, life changes and our needs become different especially as we age.
Five resources will help us get organized.
One is energy, both physical and emotional.
Two is Time.
Three is money. Do you want to avail yourself of the services of a professional organization? They cost more, but they have experience to help you achieve your goal sooner.
Four is skills. Do you have the skills to organize this portion of the project or should you solicit a friend/neighbor to help you stay on task and make the hard decisions.
Five is space.
Laura Moore talks about these resources on her YouTube channel “Clutter Charity.”
Making a decision is 75% of the battle. Every decision you make either costs or replenishes your resources. Once you decide you no longer want/use/love an item, then what you do with it is straight forward.
Ask yourself, can I live without it? Don’t ask if you need it. You’ll always find a purpose for everything in your home.
Secondly, ask yourself where you’re going to store the item. If you only have space available to store an air fryer or a punch bowl, ask yourself which one do you use more? Get rid of the other one. You can always borrow items that you only use once a year.
If you can live without an item, donate it. I’ve written in past columns the places that will take your donations. The less clutter you have, the easier it is to keep your home tidy and clean. Most homes we envy are ones that “look so clean,” when in fact they are really just tidy.
Except for the bathroom and kitchen, the rest of the home could be cleaned once a month AS LONG AS it is tidy.
So put on your sneakers, start somewhere for a realistic amount of time (5-15 mins.), make decisions on at least five items and feel refreshed with the baby steps you are taking.
Remember the fastest way to walk a mile is to take the first step. Let me know how you are doing, too!
