The New Year is just around the corner, which leaves many of us thinking about New Year's resolutions. Should we make them? Will we keep them? What should they be?
Whether your resolutions revolve around organization or something else entirely, here are a few ideas to keep in mind.
Keep it simple. Choose one thing, one space, or one habit. A laundry list of resolutions is overwhelming and difficult to keep up with. If you have multiple things, spaces, or habits you want to work on, consider splitting them up, choosing one for January, one for February, and so on.
Define your why. Why do you want to make this change? Why does it matter to you and/or how will it improve your life? If you can't answer at least one of these questions, is it really worth investing your energy in this change?
Adopt a strategy and keep it simple. Big, fat, hairy plans can be intimidating and hard to keep track of. Better to choose one simple strategy that's easy to implement into your existing routine -- a baby step that's not too time-consuming -- than to attempt a complete overhaul of anything. If the first strategy you choose doesn't work, you can always modify your plan.
Describe your desired outcome. Keep it clear. What does "clean out my closet" mean? What will it look like when you're finished? How will you know you've succeeded?
Confused? Frustrated? Annoyed by my interference in your plans to make your world better? Feel free to ignore me and proceed as usual.
Interested in giving this a try? Let's take the "clean out my closet" example and go step by step.
Simple: Get rid of clothes I no longer wear.
Why: Because my closet is overstuffed and/or I can't find what I need when I need it and/or I'm tired of putting on clothes that don't fit or flatter every time I get dressed. Removing clothes that don't work for me will, in the end, make me feel better about myself because everything in my closet fits me and makes me feel good when I wear it.
Strategy: Here are three ideas (choose ONE):
- I'll spend 15 minutes to an hour each weekend pulling all the clothes of one color or one category (e.g. dresses) out of the closet and going through them, keeping only those that fit and flatter and donating the rest. (Why only one color or category? It's an easy way to remember where you left off from one session to the next). OR...
- I'll keep a box in the bottom of the closet. Every time I put on something that doesn't fit and flatter, it goes into the box instead of being returned to the closet. When the box is full, I'll donate its contents. OR...
- I'll hang questionable clothes (we all have them) on a different colored hanger (or turn the hanger backwards) and make a rule for how long to keep the item. 2 weeks? A month? Until the next time I put it on and am unhappy with it? When I reach that deadline, I'll make a final decision based on how it fits and how it makes me feel.
Outcome: A closet with contents that make it easy for me to get dressed with minimal frustration because I can find what I need when I need it and I'm happy with everything I put on.
Your answers may be very different from mine because our circumstances are likely to be different. If, for example, you're a young mom considering a future pregnancy, your goal might be to remove all the maternity clothes from your closet now but, rather than donating them, you might relocate the box to a more out-of-the way location. If you're downsizing or pressed for space, you might take a more ruthless approach, or determine a plan for seasonal rotation of your clothing.
Whatever you decide to do, keep it simple and give yourself grace. Planning to tackle that closet every Saturday, but finding that you get there once a month instead of once a week? That's still a step in the right direction. Accept that life intervened and move on, adapting your plan to fit your life.
Finally, if your New Year's resolutions are organization-related, don't forget to factor in your styles. They might fit into any of the steps (simple, why, strategy, outcome) above, depending on where you are in your journey, but they can play a key role in the success of your plan.
Whatever you decide, good luck! And remember: it's a process.
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