We have bid good-bye to the year 2021 with its challenges and rays of hope. Many of us have endured illness, separation from loved ones, and work challenges while being sequestered at home for longer than we ever expected. For some, it was a time to take a good hard look at our surroundings. Being home forces folks to face their demons – the worn, torn or broken, and the giant elephant in the room – clutter. We can rationalize our clutter in many more ways than before the pandemic, but we can’t will it away.
January is the month of resolutions about our health, our relationships, our finances, and our homes. It ends in 31 days and that’s usually about the time our resolve ends as well. We can think about changing and that is good, but if we don’t take some action, life will get in the way of our good intentions. Taking control of our lives is important to our well-being and, it feels good! So, let’s clean up our act and start to get organized, ridding ourselves of our weighty clutter – physically and emotionally.
Action is the critical word. Even one small action and the great feeling of accomplishment that follows, can trigger a whole set of actions! So where to begin to help us succeed when we feel overwhelmed?
• You must really want to change, so stop being defensive and making excuses.
• Start by making a plan of what’s needed to be done that works for your schedule (even if you don’t know exactly where to start – start somewhere!)
• Allot a block of time when you won’t be rushed or pressured, (get into some comfortable clothes and put on some music).
• Assign a manageable task (cleaning out one drawer, one closet, etc.).
• Accomplish this task by not only organizing what’s in that space, but by throwing out or giving away what’s no longer used
or needed.
• Reward yourself (take a hot bath, get a massage, buy something new to put in the space you cleaned) or – feel so good that you want to continue and tackle another space!
• Don’t overdo it physically or emotionally.
• Plan your next project and set-up a future schedule.
• Always keep the larger goal in mind, but reach it by continuing to accomplish a series of smaller, more manageable tasks.
• Now that you’ve got the hang of it, try to always keep clutter under control. If a space takes no more than 15 minutes to clean up, you’re a winner!
You will discover that organizing is like a game. Once you learn the rules and play it for a while, you can get really good at it. And when you’re able to let go of your stuff, you’ll feel happier and so will those around you; you’ll even feel lighter.
It’s also a fact that one successfully accomplished resolution generally leads to another. So, if your reward for getting organized is a gym membership instead of a hot fudge sundae, 2022 might be your best year ever, no matter what else is going on around you. Gift someone you care about with a visit from Natalie!
20 lucky winners will win $500 each in prizes totaling $10,000. 