5 Strategies to keep the two most common New Year’s Resolutions
No surprise that after a season of over-indulgence, two of the most common New Year’s Resolutions are: 1) to lose weight and 2) to get organized this year!
As a Professional Organizer, and as someone who has always watched her weight, I have noticed that the two objectives have a lot in common. So I thought maybe one can tackle both goals by applying similar strategies.
We all know that you can lose weight by taking the “fast & furious” approach. If you cut down your diet to liquids, carrots & celery and run a couple miles every day, in two weeks you’re bound to see some results. Likewise if you take the time to throw out half the clutter in a room, re-arrange the items that are left, put up shelves with bins or whatever you need to contain your possessions, you will have an organized room, even if the rest of your house is a disaster. We’ve all seen it on TV. And I think we can all imagine what happens after the dramatic make over. Visit those people or those rooms in a few months, and they’re right back where they started. So what strategies can help you sustaining the long-sought-after goals of being in shape and organized? I came up with five common principals that seem to be the key to success in these areas:
It’s best to set interim goals that are realistic and measurable so you feel motivated to keep up with the progress however slow it might feel. For example, “I am going to hang all my clothes in my closet and whatever doesn’t fit, I will donate.” Or, “I will stop eating fast food for the next three months.” Achieve these little goals that will help you work towards the big goal by the end of the year. Don’t expect to lose 20 pounds in a month for that high school reunion. And don’t expect to have your whole house organized in a weekend. You’ll just set yourself up for failure.
Daily routines will help you maintain – All the new shiny equipment in the world can’t help you if you don’t have healthy routines. I’ve seen it many times. Someone buys a new weight bench thinking, “This will help me get in shape.” Someone else buys a desk or closet “organizer” and thinks, “this will help me get organized.” Wrong. Only you can get yourself in shape and only you can get yourself organized. The equipment can help you, sure, but first you have to decide what you want and how you’re going to get there. Then buying the appropriate equipment will make sense. We’ve all heard the basic routines of dieting: eat healthy foods and exercise every day. For staying organized I recommend straightening daily, cleaning weekly and cleaning out certain areas on a seasonal basis. It’s also good to involve your family or whoever you live with so you’re not trying to do either resolution alone.
Other than that your just stuffing yourself and in the end you will not feel good about yourself or your environment.
In all things, balance – As with the crash dieting you can’t be too extreme. You have to have a balanced diet just as you have to have a balanced life in order to be organized. The best example of a balanced schedule is one that is color coded. You can do this with many applications, including Google calendars. If you designate a color for work, exercise, family time, education, etc. you can see how balanced or not your weekly & monthly schedules are. Just as a healthy plate is full of color, so is a healthy schedule. And if there is no room in your schedule or no room on your plate – your simply doing or eating too much! So trim it down to reasonable portions.
Reward yourself appropriately for reaching your goal. You can’t go out for a huge meal to reward yourself for losing weight. Just like you can’t go shopping to fill up a closet that you just pared down. Remember, “All things in moderation.” Reward yourself with a new dress or suit for getting to your ideal weight. And reward yourself with one decorative piece for organizing a room in your house. And that’s it. Don’t over-indulge or the cycle starts all over again!
So what is spring cleaning? Does it mean we have to clean up around the outside of our house? Use vinegar on the windows? Beat the carpets? Or is it that desire to air out our homes and hang our linens on the clothesline for that crisp clean smell?
I guess it means something different to everyone. Here's what I like to do once the snow has melted and the temperature rises:
Get outside and play & pick-up sticks with my kids. Literally, have them help you pick up sticks that have fallen all winter. Set a timer and make it a game or have a contest to see who gets the most. Then tie them up or put them in a trash can and dispose of them.
Give the house a thorough cleaning from top to bottom. Start on the top floor, and clean each room until you reach the basement. This may take a day, a week or a month. Also, look up in your rooms - at the light fixtures or tops of shelves. These places are often neglected during your regular cleaning. And move the furniture to vacuum underneath.
Clean out the closets - This is a great time to purge your clothes and the kids'. My method is to take everything out and put back what fits, box up what doesn't and give it to charity. Make a list of what staple goods you need for spring & summer and reward yourself with a little shopping spree. But bring the list!
Dare I say it? Put the shovels, the ice melt and the Christmas lights away. Use a cord wrap for the lights and tuck them away in the garage. Make sure spring items are easily accessible: bikes, baseball gear, roller blades, gardening supplies, etc.
Air out & switch out your linens. Time for lighter blankets & sheets so wash the winter ones and tuck sheets sets into a pillowcase, making it easier to find the sets together next time. Just for fun, wash the curtains, area rugs and maybe put out some spring throw pillows and blankets. Crack the windows on a nice day and you just might & catch it - spring fever!
As you are going through the house make a list of “fix-its” or projects you would like to accomplish this season. Then discuss priorities & budget for these with your spouse. I always get 3 quotes and then tackle one project at a time. Plan to finish before your summer vacation!
Debbie Lillard Professional Organizer NAPO-GPC Professional Development Director Author of "Absolutely Organized" www.spacetospare.com
Summer is just about over, and the new school year is about to begin, so take some time now to help your children get organized. Transition times are a great reminder to do some cleaning out & organizing. Just as the change in seasons reminds us to switch our clothes, the end or beginning of a school year is a great reminder to organize all those categories that go along with having children.
Whether you collect school papers in a bin, a drawer, a cabinet or all over your house, plan for at least a one hour project to pull them all together and sort through with your child. Make a Yes and No pile. “Yes” means you want to keep it and “No” means it goes. For those items you keep (like beautiful artwork or creative writing pieces) find a portfolio or bin big enough to hold all you have plus some more. If you have a prolific artist or writer, you may need one per school year. Label it with the grade and your child’s name. Then designate a spot where these boxes or bins will be stored, like a shelf in the closet.
If you’ve been meaning to make a scrapbook for your child, don’t let perfection stop you! Gather their memorabilia like certificates, special cards, ribbons or extra photos of your child’s special moments, create a simple scrapbook with your child. Let them decorate the pages with stickers, markers or other accessories if they like. Put in everything you have collected so far. For the upcoming school year, have a place where you will collect new items. A small desk drawer or an accordion folder work well.
If your children like to collect knick-knacks but you don’t like the cluttered bureau look, try hanging a display shelf for all their favorite items. Encourage them to keep like things together, for instance: pottery, trophies, wooden boxes or dolls. If you have too much for one shelf, hang several or put some items away and change the display throughout the year.
To get ready for the influx of papers in September have a two pocket folder for each of your children. These are great for keeping all of your reference material for the school year such as class lists, calendars, handbooks, etc. Keep all your folders in one central location for easy access and remember to clean it out each year.
To keep up with growth spurts, hang a large gift bag or shopping bag in your child’s closet. When they find something is too small, they can toss it in and when the bag is full you can drop it off at a clothing collection spot.
The best way to keep your children’s stuff organized is to teach them a daily routine as early as possible. Every day they should make the bed, put laundry in a hamper, clean clothes in the drawers, books on the bookshelf and toys in the toy bin. Keep it simple and be consistent.
Debbie Lillard Professional Organizer NAPO-GPC Professional Development Director Author of "Absolutely Organized" www.spacetospare.com
In a previous article, I discussed a few key tips to keep in mind for a stress free move. In this section, it's important to know one of the most important features that will turn potential buyers around when they walk through your door...clutter.
‘Stuff’ has a ‘visual noise’ about it (to coin a phrase) that makes it difficult to think clearly. How can anyone decide if their stuff will look good in your space if that space is chock full of furniture and decorative items?
Cleaning your clutter is a wonderful opportunity for you to weed through your belongings. After all you want your next home to literally represent a fresh start.
If you're not sure where to begin, pick a simple room. Start at one end and work your way through to the other. Stay focused on small areas and allow your success to move out into the room. All those newspapers and magazines you’ve been meaning to read can go to the recycler. Whittle down your memorabilia so that you aren’t lugging too much of the past into your future.
If you already have the new space, draw diagrams and place your furniture to your liking. Remember, don't force furniture to fit into your new space. It’s time to be ruthless! You can donate, or sell, the pieces you can’t take with you. You might even fund your move if you sell enough pieces!
From the outside in…
If your home is clutter free and presents the ideal neutral image but the outside is a tangled mess of half dead plants, a broken fence and paint peeling off the sides, don’t expect the real estate caravan to make a pit stop. Your home will be the ultimate drive by!
Ask your real estate agent which exterior projects will help you get your asking price. Fixing everything may not be needed, and you can choose to focus on one or two repairs. Play your cards right and your profit will reimburse all your improvement expenses.
Regina Leeds The Zen Organizer Author of New York Times Best Seller One Year to an Organized Life Column on ClosetFactory.com appears every Monday If you'd like to ask 'The Zen Organizer' a question, email info@closetfactory.com
The first days of spring each year finds us filled with hope for positive change. A wonderful way to mark the passage is to bring order to your clothes closet. If you get dressed with ease all year, you will save time and energy. You will also save money. How? When you see those beautiful black pants in the boutique window, you won't be tempted to buy them. You will remember you already have 3 pairs at home.
Here are some tips and tricks professional organizers use to make closets not only organized but beautiful.
Group clothes by type. You can save time if all of your slacks, jeans, blouses and suits are together in one section.
Within the clothing categories you create, keep everything in the same color order. I use: white/off white; beige/brown; blue/purple; pink/red; green/yellow; and grey/black. What order will you use? Be creative and consistent.
Get your shoes off the floor! Use a shoe rack for every day pairs; hang sports/exercise shoes in an over the door canvas shoe holder and store dress shoes in an acrylic shoe drawer. These can be kept on a shelf or stacked on the floor, depending on the number of shoes and the available space.
Use one style hanger. I prefer wood myself but plastic, tubular and the hangers from the Home Shopping network all have their place.
Toss the plastic cover and the wire hanger your cleaner sends home with you. The former takes up room and seals in potentially carcinogenic cleaning agents. The latter quite simply destroys your garments.
Line your purses in color order on your closet shelf. A little tissue paper inside will help them keep their shape. Store your evening purses in an acrylic container. They will stay clean and you can admire them all year long.
Separate the items you keep on your shelf with a shelf divider. You don't want your sweaters falling onto your purses.
Sweaters can be stacked by color on a shelf, folded in a dresser drawer, tucked into sweater bags or stored in stackable acrylic shelves. It all depends on how may you have and how often you wear them. Don't forget a few cedar or lavender chips to protect them. Avoid moth balls at all cost.
Finally if you have a huge space between your existing shelf and the ceiling, pop in another shelf. It can provide a convenient area for off season storage.
For detailed instructions on how to organize your closet, pick up a copy of my New York Times best seller, One Year to an Organized Life. Looking for a specific type of tip for future newsletters? Send your ideas, comments or queries to me from my website: www.reginaleeds.com.
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Regina Leeds The Zen Organizer Author of New York Times Best Seller One Year to an Organized Life
