Happy New Year everyone, and welcome to the first day of Get Organized Month (GO Month)!
Resolutions often fail but getting organized can be an attainable goal for the month. The National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals (NAPO) created GO Month to help allow individuals and families to make daily life easier by organizing life’s chaos. See some tips and tricks for maximizing GO Month without burning yourself out. Remember: it’s okay to try something, find it doesn’t work, and try something else. No one can tell you how best to organize your life; find what works for you!
- Rather than bite off more than you can chew by trying to organize your entire house, decide to give 10-15mins to organizing once a day or twice a week – however often you feel you can manage!
- If you like to-do lists, try keeping them short and to the point. Put 3-5 simplified tasks on an index card; this will help you feel more productive than never reaching the end of an ever-growing to-do list. You can also use a whiteboard to create focus tasks for the day; focus tasks are the handful of things you absolutely MUST do with perhaps 1-2 things you’d like to do.
- Stop holding on to insignificant items. Batteries you’re not sure work, charging cords to old phones, letters or cards that don’t hold emotional significance, dishes you never use but ‘might need to one day’, and more!
- Have items that hold emotional significance but don’t necessarily want to keep them? Try taking photos! This is great for everything from childhood trophies (do you really need your 3rd-place bowling trophy from 6th grade?) to letters from family members and more. This also keeps them safe from being destroyed in unexpected disasters.
- Get a ‘clutter-companion’ or body double. Invite a friend or family member to hang out with you while you de-clutter and organize. Cleaning out a kids’ bedroom is more fun with a friend, some music, and a glass of wine!
- This can also be a chance to delegate and get your kids/roommates involved. If you share a living space, it can be very important to make sure everyone agrees when getting rid of things, changing how an area is organized, and more. Make it a day of fun by ordering take-out or doing 30 minutes of cleaning with 10mins of fun-time to break it up.
- Identify areas that aren’t working in your life. Maybe you use a hook for your car keys but often fail to hang them up because you set them down with your wallet. Get rid of the hook and invest in a catch-all bowl by the door; anytime you leave or come home, you can empty your pockets into the bowl.
These are only a few of the thousands of suggestions you can find online to learn more about getting organized. So if none of these resonant or work for you, definitely look for organizing tips on your favorite browser or ask friends and family for their favorite tips-n-tricks. Good luck!