It’s that time of year again when so many set New Year’s resolutions. The big four resolutions are losing weight, getting out of debt, quitting smoking and getting organized. Believe it or not, losing weight and getting organized have striking similarities. For starters, the end result of each will make you feel great!
I often compare the two; you go on a diet, you lose weight, you feel great and then you must work to maintain that weight. If you don’t - well, you know what happens. Getting organized is no different. Living an organized lifestyle is a choice. After you’ve made that choice and you’ve worked at eliminating the clutter and chaos in your life, you also must work to maintain the new systems you’ve implemented. Without maintenance, the clutter will come back, just like the weight if you don’t work at it a bit each day.
In my latest book Eliminate Chaos - The 10 Step Process to Organize Your Home & Life, I list the 10 important steps. Step 1 is to “make time.” Just like you spend 20-30 minutes a day exercising, schedule 20-30 minutes a day, to organize parts of your home or office. The feeling of accomplishment will be extremely rewarding. You will feel like a weight has been lifted from your shoulders and you will feel more “in control” and “less overwhelmed.” Step 10 is to “maintain” what you’ve created, which should just take a few minutes each day.
It's best to start small. A great place to start is with your junk drawer or pantry. It might just be time to clean out some of that food you’re not going to eat, now that you’re taking a closer look at what you eat. Donate it to someone who will eat it. Start now and enjoy all of the benefits of living organized in 2007.
Laura Leist
Business & Residential Organizing
Eliminate Chaos, LLC
www.eliminatechaos.com