And Other Resolutions

Happy New Year! Once again, I’m dumbfounded that it’s already January. I sound like I’m 100, but each year seems to go by faster and faster! But this time I’m glad it’s January. I’m glad it’s a new year. For some reason a new year always feels like a clean slate, a fresh start. And even though that’s not entirely true, I enjoy the psychological benefits of viewing it that way (too bad that philosophy doesn’t apply to the rest of life!). This year I’ve set some business and personal goals that are going to help keep me focused. I’m writing this blog, so I guess they’re already working! ;)

How about you? Are you freshly motivated to dust off your running shoes or to get out of debt? Maybe travel more or learn something new? I was surprised to read this year’s list of top resolutions, according to GOBankingRates.com. The number one resolution is to enjoy life to the fullest in 2016.  While my lessons in S.M.A.R.T. goal setting are making me cringe at the vagueness of that phrase, when applied to various decisions, it could have a lot of application. For some, enjoying life to the fullest might mean spending more time with family, traveling more, or being less stressed. For others, it might mean working less, being healthier, bungee jumping, or simply going out with friends more. I suppose you could ask yourself, “Is doing XYZ going to help me enjoy life to the fullest?” or simply have a “Go for it,” attitude (but I still think you should make it S.M.A.R.T.!).

Because my life is focused on organizing, I can’t help but see the organizing implications in this #1 resolution. The tagline for The Organizing Co. is “life’s better when it’s put together.” So, to me, it’s only natural to conclude that in order to enjoy life to the fullest, Americans need to get organized! Organization affects every area of your life, and by getting your things, your time, and your systems organized you can spend more time with family, travel more, have less stress! Getting organized means you can work less, be healthier, have money to bungee jump, and go out with friends more! Hopefully it’s fairly obvious why for some of those things, but let me elaborate on a couple. 

Example Uno: Getting organized means you can spend more time with family. When your house (and your life) are in chaos and disorder, it’s natural to feel stressed, irritable, and tired. Maybe this morning there were no clean bowls for your kids’ cereal, you had to waste 5 precious minutes searching for your keys, and you couldn’t find an important document at work. Not to mention all the things you stepped on (or over) at home while rushing to get ready. Getting organized means you have a system in place for dishes, you have a designated spot where you always keep your keys (preferably out of the reach of little hands that think it’s funny to throw things in the trash), and you have a system for papers (or for going digital) at work. All that stress and rushing is eliminated, and you can enjoy actually sitting down to eat breakfast with your family! After work you and your family can have dinner, relax, and take 5-10 minutes to tidy up instead of tolerating the “survival mode” that is disorganization (especially if you have kiddos). In addition to the actual time you save when you’re organized, your mental and emotional health are improved, which means you’re actually present when you’re with your family and you have the emotional energy to invest in them (instead of wasting it on nagging them to pick up after themselves). Boom. You’re enjoying life to the fullest. 

Example Two: Getting organized helps you get healthier. Maybe your fridge and pantry are so full and haphazard that you don’t even know what you have to eat, and maybe you don’t have the energy to rummage through every shelf to find something to make a healthy dinner. So you grab the microwave popcorn and have an Olivia Pope dinner. And maybe simply looking around your house stresses you out and overwhelms you to the point that finding the motivation to get up and go to that Zumba class is next to impossible. If you’re already wanting to find an excuse to not exercise, needing to clean and tidy up becomes your procrastination. Now imagine a fridge and pantry that are sorted and labeled. The greens are prominently in view, the amount of junk food is decreased, and finding the pans and ingredients for a healthy dinner is no longer a Where’s Waldo experience. You actually start to enjoy cooking! Next, imagine a home that you love to look at. A home that both relaxes and energizes you. A home that inspires you. When every single thing has it’s place, a 5 minute nightly tidy up suffices and you can hop over to that Zumba class after all (or spin, if that’s your thing). Procrastination because of disorganization is no longer an obstacle, you exercise more, and you crush your 2016 goals. Living life to the fullest: Check. 

I could go on and on about all the ways that getting organized affects your everyday life, but suffice it to say that life’s better when it’s put together! So whether it’s your 2016 New Year’s Resolution to enjoy life to the fullest, or whether you just want to focus on a few select areas this year, getting organized will help you get there.

So ask yourself, what resolution can you accomplish when you get organized?

Thanks for reading!

Happy resolution making!

Christina + The Organizing Company

January 03, 2016

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