Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to get organized this year? That’s great that you are ready to take back your space! Unfortunately, we all know how hard it is to stick to New Year’s resolutions. Sometimes, people find that their resolution to get organized fails. Here are four reasons why they may not succeed – and how you can keep that from happening to you.
1. Not taking the time to analyze why your home has become so disorganized in the first place. Disorganization happens because of some behavior(s) that you and/or your family are engaging in. Clutter doesn’t just magically appear in your house. Therefore, it’s crucial to stop and consider what those detrimental behaviors are and make a plan to change them, so the clutter doesn’t reappear.
2. Not getting everyone in your family on board. You may be itching to declutter, but if the rest of the family isn’t interested, you will be stuck doing all of the organizing work yourself. Furthermore, if they are not willing to make changes, such as picking up after themselves, getting rid of their own clutter, and putting things back in new places, the organization will not stick. Everybody who lives in the house has to agree to make the above-mentioned behavioral changes in order for the home to remain organized.
3. Giving up too early during the digging out phase. Digging out is where you actively sort through all of your belongings and make a decision whether to keep or toss each one. It can take a long time and be difficult. Most people find they can keep the momentum going to complete a dig-out with some help, either from family and friends or from a professional organizer.
4. Not engaging in regular maintenance to keep the space organized. Your space will get messy again if you and your family don’t take the time to tidy up each day. Getting organized often involves setting up routines, and these behavioral changes are what make organizing stick. Remember to put things away at the end of the day and regularly get rid of what you don’t use and don’t want.
Now that you know why the resolution to get organized sometimes fails, you can actively work to prevent each of those reasons from happening to your resolution. Best wishes to you in your work on your resolutions in this New Year!
Image courtesy of Nicki Varkevisser at Flickr.