Professional organizer Helen Kornblum helps us find easy ways to keep our busy family lives organized. “Organizing the kitchen begins with one drawer.”
Resolve to Organize In 2024!
We all know the drill. After months of holiday distractions, we resolve to reform our scattered lives by becoming models of organized perfection. We rev up the will power to last maybe until mid-February and then slip back into the comfortable habits that have kept the toys underfoot, the kitchen cabinets scrambled, and the paper piles in place. Are you willing to rethink your approach for 2024? Results can’t be guaranteed, but remember that you are supposed to be bringing in the “new.”
Define What “Getting Organized” Means in Your Household
If you aren’t specific about the changes you want, you can’t plan the actions you need to take. Your family is your brain trust so include every member in the discussion, even the youngest players. Sharing the same goals makes your team more effective.
Resolve to be functional, not perfect
Give your goals a reality check. You can’t save everything if your living or storage spaces are small, you can’t devote all of your time to maintenance when you have other responsibilities – but you can scale your goals to fit what works for your schedule and your family.
Establish mini-goals
Organizing the kitchen begins with one drawer. Purging your filing system begins with one folder.You children learn by taking small steps and so do you. Savor the incremental improvements because they will lead to bigger changes.
Measure your progress
De-clutter one kitchen cabinet each week. File papers for 15 minutes each day. Involve the children in a playroom sweep for 5 minutes before the nighttime routine begins. Use time and deadlines to keep you on task.
Create accountability
You can be a clutter club of one by keeping a notebook or journal listing ideas and accomplishments, or you can tell a friend about your efforts.A buddy system, which is a form of coaching, can support your efforts as well as give you new organizing ideas. Support also dispels negative thoughts that may creep up on you if you’re judging yourself too harshly or feel your motivation slipping. It takes a good friend to share your triumph in knowing where the stapler lives.
Accept the interruptions
A sick child, visitors, unexpected problems will sidetrack you occasionally. You can make temporary adjustments to your schedule but without using them as justification to abandon your efforts. Delegating to a cleaning service or a professional organizer can help you through the rough spots.
Getting organized is a process, not a weekend foray. Staying organized requires habits and routines that get embedded into your brain and life as you work through the process. January is a good month to tackle the clutter in your thinking, schedule and space. Create a list of goals and make your plan for 2024. A short list gives you the best chance of success. Don’t rush…you have plenty of time to take this journey, but don’t put it off indefinitely, either!