New Year's Resolution: Getting Organized

When we think of New Year's Resolutions, we often hear the same ones: losing weight, exercising (oddly enough, these first two don't always go together), spending more time with family... and one of the ones that tends to make it to the top ten every year is getting organized. In fact, for 2014, getting organized was 2nd only to losing weight. We live in a society where we want to have more, more, more. And when do we want it? NOW! And we wonder why we live in such a chronic state of stress. I think people get that there's something amiss in their lifestyle. So maybe if they ate healthier, they would feel better. Maybe if they got out more, exercised more, did more of this, more of that. Are we seeing a pattern here?

So let me suggest something... what if we did *gulp* less? Okay, before you dismiss what I just said thinking I'm crazy, just hear me out. What if we did less of all this stuff? Maybe we weren't created to live such a crammed lifestyle. Kids in schools these days are far more stressed than they were before because of all the MORE they have to do. MORE homework, MORE practices, MORE activities, and unfortunately less of, well, nothing. The good kind of nothing. The nothing where you lay on your bed and dream about what you want to be when you grow up. The time to play.

So what does any of this have to do with organization? Well, we focus so much on the more, and we don't realize where our time goes. Seeing it in an organized fashion and planning it all out helps you see where you have too much, and something needs to change. This is where I found myself, having far too much to do, and not knowing how or where to start. Not just work related goals, but I found myself longing to build a home - homecooked meals (and healther ones!), organizing chores lists for my kids to teach them to be independent, finding time for myself, finding time for my spouse. I began to prioritize - what are the things that are truly the most important to me, and is my time being designated accordingly?

 
Maybe you chose getting organized as your new years' resolution for 2015. Maybe you (like me) have tried getting organized many times before, and have found yourself back at square one, hoping to find a better way. If so, follow me! I'll be sharing my organization adventures to build a healthier home...and healthier me! Isn't there a saying: "When Mom's happy..."

So, I commit this to you: I will blog once a week on this topic of organization. I need accountability. Although I am blessed to have an accountability partner, this is another way to keep me motivated to keep moving forward. I'll share resources I find and share any I create myself. Don't reinvent the wheel. Wish me luck, as I wish you luck as well! See you next week!

Tip of the week:

I have begun using the Passion Planner, which is a calendar planner / journal / sketchbook that does so much more than just keeping you on track. It helps you turn your dreams into attainable goals by setting milestones on a timeline, creating reasonable and achievable tasks, which will ultimately turn those dreams into reality. It's been a couple weeks (since the 1st), and I've mostly spent my time doing the task planning and have barely touched the actual calendar section itself. However, it's been an amazing tool to help unload all the clutter in my brain and finally get it all on paper so I can do something with it. I've probably re-sketched my goals 3 times as I'm learning more and more what my real priorities are in the now. It's bringing me down to reality and placing my feet on solid ground. So, check it out if this is something you might be interested in:

www.passionplanner.com