New Year’s Resolution # 87

Don’t you just love that it’s the middle of February and I’m still talking about my resolutions?  I thought so!

It’s actually been really good for me to think about these over a couple of months.  And let’s be very real here, it’s very unlikely that I will EVER spend the month of December thinking about anything other than December!  (Between my birthday and Christmas, how would I think about anything else?)

So here’s the next resolution.

Get organized.

Now this may sound extreme and perhaps even a little over-reaching, but I’ve been working on this goal for almost 6 months ago, and it’s really happening.  I’ve read several organization-for-Dummies type books and gotten ideas that help my naturally unorganized brain.  I’ve given away lots of stuff and I am thrilled with the way my house is feeling.  But there are a couple of hot spots that just seem to gather chaos faster than I (naturally unorganized brain, remember?) can figure out how to deal with it.  (See picture of desk above.)

This is my challenge for 2011.  Conquer those areas, but even more importantly, figure out what strategies enable me to keep up with the piles.  I can tell already that one strategy is dealing with as much stuff in the moment as possible.  The mail pile—if added to the already existing pile it becomes overwhelming, so I just need to deal with it in the moment that it is in my hand.  I’m also working on having some fluid/temporary file folders in my filing drawer that can hold things until I need them. 

I used to have 2 sets of book ends on my desk, and I “grounded” myself from them a couple of months ago since I figured they were just adding to the clutter.  I think I have to put one of them back, because this is the logical place for my library books to live—I just need to make sure other books don’t land there since they do tend to breed.

And interestingly enough, I’ve learned that I’m much better off if I fold all of the clothes right out of the dryer (except for the whites) and put them away—then they don’t just stack up in the “laundry hall of shame.”  (Now I should tell you that I don’t do my kid’s laundry—they do their own.  So I’m only talking about household laundry & mine & Russ’s.  Before you get too impressed.)

 

I’ve been really helped in my efforts to organize my house by reading two books that have been teaching me how to do a better job of making change really happen.  The first one I’ve already mentioned, called “This Year I Will,” and the second is called “Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals.”  Good stuff!