neat Tip Of the Week
Children's clothing is much smaller, use smaller hangers to maximize space
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By Clare Kumar - It’s like a little gift this time of year…the feeling of a fresh start, an 
opportunity to reset - to change direction, to better ourselves, to grow. How do you set your New Year’s resolution and keep it from feeling like a burden?
Many of us choose our resolutions based on wanting to stop doing something, for example to stop smoking or to stop eating unhealthy foods. How about switching perspective and articulating what you want to do? For example, declare your desire to live at your ideal weight, or to live in a serene, uncluttered space.
Those of you who have already read Rhonda Byrne’s “The Secret” will appreciate the sentiment that thinking about what you do want to achieve, articulating in positive terms and visualizing it are all ways to encourage your intended outcome to actually happen. Give it a try. See if you feel a difference through the simple act of using positive words to define your goals.
Here’s a story about a resolution of mine. Last year I decided that I’d had enough ‘first’ meetings with people that I’d eventually, and to my embarrassment, find out I had met before. I had to do a better job of connecting names with faces. My intention: I will remember people’s names!
Through the year I kept trying different ways to remember names…repeating them three times to myself while shaking someone’s hand, using the name in conversation…but it really wasn’t getting any better. A few weeks ago I read a book by fellow Professional Organizer Hellen Buttigieg and coach Sari Brandes: “Organizing Outside the Box – Conquer Clutter Using Your Natural Learning Style“. The book explains specific learning styles – visual, auditory and kinaesthetic, and offers tips on how to work with yours. I realized that I’m a highly visual learner. I’ll remember a face but the person’s name escapes me unless I’ve seen it written down. So I resolved to imagine a name tag with the person’s name on it every time I meet someone new. So far it seems to be making a difference!
I realized the simple act of declaring my intention helped me keep a conscious effort throughout the year so that I’d be open to an opportunity or new approach to progress.
If this is the year that you’re committing to living a more organized life, here are a few tips to make sure you get started on the right path.
1. Commit - Congratulations – you’ve already taken the first step in identifying and articulating your intention.
2. Set a goal - Choose an area of your life or work that needs attention and determine what it is that really needs changing. Is it that you want to start work every morning with a clear desk? Is it that you want your mornings to run more smoothly? Do you want to make time and space for a new activity?
3. Start small - Turn the goal into a series of small steps so the task doesn’t feel overwhelming. If it’s your desk surface that needs clearing, examine what the causes of the problem are (need for more storage for files or supplies, need for a process to deal with paper etc) and tackle each issue one by one.
4. Schedule time - Recognize that making a change takes time and energy on top of the commitment. As you plan each week, make sure to identify and block time for how you will work towards achieving this goal. Using the example of a clear desk, perhaps this means scheduling time for filing every day.
5. Be accountable - It always helps to have a little support when making a change. Find a friend or family member who you can talk to about your goal. Talk with them at regular intervals to “report” on your progress. This works even better if your partner has a goal they’re sharing with you.
So, if you haven’t already, give some thought to what you would like to accomplish this year. If it involves finding ways to simplify your life, to find what you need when you want it, to feel like your day flows more smoothly, visit this site regularly for ideas you can take and try on in your life. You can create an environment that serves you and how you want to spend your time, your most precious commodity. Skip forward to Dec 31, 2010 and think about what you’d like to say you’re proud of having achieved.
Good luck!
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