Welcome to a new year, a fresh page, a new start! Do you anticipate with excitement the adventures of a new year…or do you dread a rerun of past failures and disappointments? Take advantage of this new year by resolving to organize your life.

What does it mean to resolve? According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, it means:

• ·        “to deal with successfully”

• ·        “to reach a firm decision about”

I like the optimistic spirit of those definitions! When I resolve, I make a conscious choice. I do not just wait to see what will happen in my life. I do not let my emotions distract me from the important goals of my life. I choose to decide what I want my life to look like. For example,

• ·        If I resolve to have a clean kitchen, I wash the dishes every night.

• ·        If I resolve to pay my bills on time, I schedule a bill paying time every Monday.

• ·        If I resolve to have less clutter, I put the newspaper in the recycle bin each night.

• ·        If I resolve to get up earlier, I go to bed at a consistent time each night.

• ·        If I resolve to get out of debt, I only use cash when I am shopping.

• ·        If I resolve to have a clean house, I do one household chore every day.

• ·        If I resolve to have a tidy closet, I donate clothes I don’t like or don’t wear.

Resolutions without specific actions are useless. Resolutions with actions are powerful!

It is possible to make too many resolutions! It is much better to focus on just one thing at a time. Give yourself 4 to 6 weeks to consistently practice that one thing. When you focus, you finish! Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project, says it this way:

“What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.”

Change just one habit. Do it today. Then do it tomorrow. Keep repeating until it becomes a new part of your daily routine. If you mess up one day, just start again the next day. In a recent newsletter, NAPO member Donna Smallin shared this appropriate quote from John Maxwell:

“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.

 The secret to success is found in your daily routine.”

So start small, but dream big! Envision your success, one day at a time.

Resolve to have an organized 2016!

Check out the NAPO-OH directory to find a professional organizer near you.