It’s January, 2011. Have you made your New Year’s Resolutions? Have you broken your New Year’s Resolutions? Have you given up making New Year’s Resolu...
It’s January,
2011. Have you made your New Year’s Resolutions? Have you broken your New Year’s Resolutions? Have you given up making New Year’s Resolutions? Let’s see if a simple word change can alter your perspective and increase your success in organizing your personal and professional life in 2011.
According to the Fourth Edition of The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, the word resolution means “the state or quality of being resolute; firm determination.” Such a definition may overwhelm you because it doesn’t seem to allow for mistakes. In addition, it is lacking a call to action.
On the other hand, the same dictionary defines the word goals as “the purpose toward which an endeavor is directed; an objective.” Advancing goals is easier because they encompass objectives and tasks to achieve those purposes. Certainly it is possible to develop a “firm determination” to complete a task, but “being resolute” is certainly more difficult to measure.
Let’s boost your 2011 accomplishments by setting SMART goals. You may have heard of SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. Without becoming overwhelmed or too legalistic, you can make SMART organizing goals. For example, if you work every Saturday, your goal could be to only work three out of four Saturday’s each month.
Take another example: you have piles of paper in your house, which are spilling off every surface and onto the floor. Most likely this is because the papers don’t have an appropriate home. The goal would be two-fold: set up an appropriate filing system by the end of January and then designate at least two 30-minute times per month to file the papers. If you review the criteria for SMART goals, you will find that each of these objectives are SMART.
Another benefit of setting goals instead of making resolutions is that they can be started at any time. Okay, technically resolutions could be as well, but we tend to associate them with January 1. Goals are linked with intentions and it just seems simpler to adjust our plans than to change our “firm determination.”
Let’s get practical by trying two ideas from my book entitled Get Organized This Year! Your first goal is to decrease the amount of incoming mail in your home. The method is to have your name removed from the databases of businesses that sell marketing lists.
One organization to contact is the Direct Marketing Association: www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.html. You will need to fill out one form for each variation of your name and others who live in your household. Consider designating 15-30 minutes two times during the month to complete this task. You can set a timer to remind yourself that this is a time-limited task. About 60-90 days after you are completely finished, you will notice a decrease in the amount of mail that you receive.
Your second goal is to organize one “junk” drawer in your office or home. First, decide what category or categories of items you want in the drawer. Gather a couple of boxes or bags to sort the items into groups: designated to stay in the drawer, discard, or distribute to another location. Next, measure the drawer and equip with drawer dividers to help separate different types of items. You can purchase these at a variety of discount stores or you can use empty jewelry boxes.
Position dividers in the drawer and place items into the appropriate size divisions. These activities can be completed over several short sessions. Consider playing your favorite music while you are sorting the objects, it will make the time go faster. When you are done, stand back and admire your newly organized drawer.
If you complete these two goals, you will finish January more organized than when you started. Don’t be discouraged if things don’t go exactly according to plan. Sometimes it is two steps forward, but one step backwards. Just remember that if you fall short of your goals, you can revisit them and modify accordingly.
Now generate two goals for February. Two SMART goals a month will decrease the stress associated with clutter and increase opportunities to pursue new interests.
Be intentional about the goals you set in 2011!
