It is the time of year when the subject of New Year’s resolutions comes up in many conversations. One of the more powerful resolutions you can make for the New Year is to be better organized. It is one of the best ways to increase your productivity, and to have more time to focus on important tasks.
Set goals
If you are going to accomplish anything, setting goals is something you must do. By setting goals, you choose to be part of your own plan — not the plans others have for you.
Also, your goals have little power if no one else knows about them. That’s why I highly recommend writing them down, and to start telling your closest friends and family what you plan to achieve.
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How do I set and achieve my goals?
The most powerful thing about goal setting is that it makes you more focused. Goals will make you grow in a way that you haven’t before. Taking it a step further, it is even fair to say that they make you a better person. Goals are about navigating the short-term while simultaneously looking at the long-term.
How do I decide where to start?
Organizing becomes very easy when you have a plan that is aligned with your environment. So if you are not sure where you should start, you can start by looking at your immediate surroundings.
The space in which you spend the most time — and the items that you interact with every day — can give you great ideas on where to start organizing. Aligning your goals with your environment makes them more realistic and attainable.
Related Post: CREATE A PLAN TO (FINALLY!) ORGANIZE YOUR DIGITAL PHOTO COLLECTION
Have an accountability system
Having a set of goals for the New Year is great, but if you don’t follow through on them, they are useless. Having a system of accountability ties your goals to another person — or people — who will hold you accountable.
Obstacles are part of the process
Your quest to be better organized will definitely be met with a degree of opposition. You must be mentally ready for these obstacles. As long as you are committed to finding the most appropriate solutions, you will be able to stay on course.
New Year, New Calendar, New You
With the New Year beginning and everything getting back to “normal,” it’s important to start the year by making sure your calendar and schedule are updated. You’ll want your calendar to work for you — not against you. All those events in your life can become overwhelming, but if you use your schedule wisely, you will have no problem knowing what each day holds.
Use Your Devices – There are so many different devices at your fingertips to help keep your life in order. One of the easiest ways to always have your schedule with you is to use your phone’s calendar option. You have the ability to check it at any time. You can also download Google Calendar for free on your mobile device, and access it on any computer.
Related Post: How to Build Better Habits With the 3 Step “Habit Loop”
Color Code – It can be easy to get lost in all the appointments, meetings, birthday parties, and daily events that come up. A great way to sort them all out is to color code the events. Make all appointments one color, make all parties or events another color, make all school/work events another color, and so on.
Sync Calendars – It’s also great to sync the calendar on your phone with the one on your home/work computer. This will ensure you can add an event wherever you are, and it will automatically appear on all of your devices.
Share Calendars – Another great option is “sharing” your calendar with your spouse, family members, or friends. It will allow others to see when you’re available, or if you’ve got something scheduled. They can also have access to add events on the calendar.
Just Do It – Make sure to put everything on your calendar so that you remember to do it. Even if it’s something small — like a workout or phone call — add it so you have it written down and available. You can even add alerts/alarms for the tasks that are really important.
Alex Brzozowski is a professional organizer and productivity specialist. She started Be because she believes there’s a better way to organizing people’s lives—focusing not only on the home, but specializing in digital and business organizing and productivity, including digital documents, CRM programs, photos, music, email contacts, calendar and more! Her goal is to help her clients free up time to do what they love by bringing order and efficiency to their business, digital life and home.
Alex’s Midwest upbringing and values as well as her schooling at Butler University around “The Butler Way” are the pillars that have built her successful career in San Diego.
As a Paralegal for 5 years, she spent much of her time at a leading San Diego “paperless law firm”. As the “go to” person when it came to keeping case files and documents in order, she created a deep understanding of building systems, tracking and storing highly sensitive and private documents online and off.
Alex founded Be Organizing in November 2012. Shortly thereafter she became a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). She is active in the San Diego Chapter of NAPO and currently serving as the Chapter President. She also is Co-Author of “It’s Not About the Food: Personal Stories and Inspiration from Health Coaches and Wellness Experts to Transform Your Weight Loss Mindset and Lose Weight Without a Diet” where she writes about organizing and it’s relation to weight loss. It’s not just about the food, it’s about so much more!
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