Just 32 days to the New Year! The countdown continues here at I Resolves To . . . In the 45 days leading up to 2014 I have been sharing my 'Best Of' my columns since founding I Resolve To . . . in 2005. For a complete list of 'Best Of' articles please visit Kim Simpson at Ezine Articles. To help with your brainstorming, feel free to use the I Resolve To . . . Work Sheet.
Obviously, I love making and keeping New Year Resolutions, but I also love another activity/skill that can make or break the best of intentions: the power of organization. I love lists and planning, and I carry my calendar and journal everywhere I go. I still use a hard copy calendar because I enjoy marking it up in ink and covering it with colorful stars for victories, notes and other reminders. In the coming month, I intend to get uber organized, including embarking on a major house (and office) cleaning. I love starting the New Year Off with a clean slate – figuratively, and in daily practice. If you are looking for some tips to ignite your organizational mojo for the New Year, read on . . .
New Year Resolution Tips – Get Organized! (Re-Print)
January 1 is right around the corner…Why not use the New Year, that customary time of 'rebirth and renewal', as an opportunity to get 'uber' organized? As the big day approaches, adopt the 'Chinese New Year' custom of cleaning the entire house before the festivities begin. Or maybe think of these cold-weather organization goals as an 'early Spring cleaning'! How about throwing open the windows, clearing the cobwebs out of house and head before and after the frenetic holiday season, and moving forward into the New Year with an energetic and positive attitude, and a nice clean, organized home and office. It is common to feel cooped up, and suffer the winter doldrums in January and February, but instead of moping around, get moving. Get a jump on 'Spring Cleaning' for the New Year and throughout the winter months. Get clean and organized now, little by little, one room, one closet, one drawer at a time, so you can spend your time outside enjoying the good weather when Spring actually arrives in March.
I find that giving my house and office an intense top-to-bottom-cleaning – what I like to call a 'Major House Cleaning' – three or four times each year makes me feel fabulous. I love a clean house and office. In addition to making me feel great, it increases my productivity and my creativity. A 'Major House Cleaning' forces a person to clear the piles of clutter, banish the dust, and generally get 'stuff' organized. You are probably asking, "What does this have to do with making and keeping New Year resolutions?" Actually, cleaning and organizing can have a huge impact on dreams and resolutions in the New Year. Personally, I make it a point to do a 'Major House Cleaning' for the New Year before and after January 1, and again in the Spring, Summer and Fall. I find that it is a really positive way to move on to the next chapters in a life well lived. Each season brings an opportunity to begin anew. While January 1 and Spring are probably the most celebrated times to write the next chapter of your life on a 'brand spanking new, clean sheet of paper' – you can actually get clean and organizedany time of the year, just as you can make and keep New Year Resolutions virtually any day of the year.
In addition to making you feel better about yourself and your life – cleaning and organizing all your 'stuff' can make you more productive and prepare you for the rigors and challenges of achieving dreams, resolutions and daily goals. After you organize your house and/or office – and while you are still enjoying those feelings of reward and accomplishment – set aside a few hours of quiet time to review what you achieved in the previous year and to brainstorm ideas and plans about what you intend to accomplish in the coming 12 months. Think about what you 'want and need' to do next. Plot and plan all the many, small daily steps that you need to take to achieve your dreams and resolutions. Then commit yourself to making those dreams a permanent part of your life – make them 'Lifetime Resolutions'. Instead of sulking about the cold, dark days of winter – view the coming months with a 'glass half full' perspective. Get moving and get motivated. Make the most of what you can achieve 'indoors' now, so that you can head 'outdoors' and bask in the joys of Spring and Summer when the time comes!
Remember: I Resolve To . . . Achieve My New Year Resolutions, One Resolution, One Day At A Time For One Year.® It's your choice. Do it today. Turn your resolution into reality in five simple, common sense steps: Dare To Dream, Decide, Define, Develop A Plan, and Do It Daily. Make your resolution a permanent Lifetime Resolution, something that's with you for good! Above all, Be A Resolutionista, someone who makes resolutions, keeps resolutions, and enjoys the journey! Let's Go For It!
Need More Inspiration? Wear Your Resolution By Visiting The I Resolve To . . . Shop At CafePress: IResolve To . . . Resolutionista Gear And By Joining The Official I Resolve To . . . Group At Gather.Com. Get going on your 2014 New Year Resolutions with the I Resolve To . . . Work Sheet. View my 2009-2014 Health & Happiness Tapestry by clicking through Daily Resolve Photo-Resolutions.
Kim M. Simpson – November 30, 2013 Copyright © I Resolve To® . . . Inc. * All Rights Reserved
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