A New Years' Commitment

When it comes to New Year’s Resolutions, I had initially decided NOT to write about it because it seems so cliché’ and predictable this time of year. But seriously, as an Organizer, I can’t seem to dismiss the idea (and problems) of resolutions in relation to organization.

I have found the following saying to be true in my life: “If you want something you have never had before, you have to be willing to do something you have never done before” And in the case of wanting to get organized, the one thing you need to have, that you never had before is RESOLVE!

Resolve:
1) a: to deal with successfully b: to clear up c: to find an answer to d: to make clear or understandable e: to find a solution for.
2) a: to reach a firm decision or determination

As a Professional Organizer, I deal with the issue of “resolve” with almost every client. It really is the one thing that separates those who experience success in organization from those who never “quite” reach their goal. I generally find that out of every 8 clients I work approx 3 are actually resolved to get organized and see it through to completion successfully. And then there is the 1 that actually gets organized and successfully STAYS organized.

So, what separates the 5 that fail to ever “get organized”?

FIRM DECISION vs. fleeting moment: Some get bit by the momentary organization bug, and call an Organizer in the “moment”. Once they realize that getting organized and staying organized is work, and some changes to habits might have to be made, or cost may be involved, and so they abandon the fleeting idea. Make an educated decision to get organized.

EXCUSES & DISTRACTIONS: Some started with really good intentions and were on the way to organizational bliss… but somewhere along the way, they got “sidetracked”: the unexpected happened, momentum or interest was lost, they got distracted, or it was taking longer or was harder than they thought. Finally after many weeks or months of putting it on the “back burner” the good intention and focus is gone. A conscious effort has to be made to keep your organization efforts a priority when you become temporarily distracted or derailed. Keep your goals firmly in front of you.

ANALYSIS PARALYSIS: This is often the case for those with OCD and perfectionists tendencies. With analysis paralysis a person may overanalyze the circumstance they face. When this happens, the sheer volume of analysis overwhelms the decision-maker, weighing them down so much they feel overwhelmed with the task and are unable to come to a rational conclusion. A person may also frequently think in overly complicated terms of "what to do next" while contemplating the variety of possibilities and options, and in doing so exhausts the available time in which to act. They spend so much time “planning” they have no time left to “execute”. You got to start somewhere. A perfect, well thought out nothing is NOT a solution. In regards to organization, something IS better than nothing.

UNDERESTIMATIING: One common reason for not finishing or succeeding in the area of organization is just plain simple underestimating. It can be any area of the process; time, volume, work to be done, their ownership, their responsibility, decision making ability, or cost. When any of these areas exceeds what they anticipated, it can be overwhelming, and you can quickly lose your resolve and determination. Plan to double the time you think it will take (or more). Baby steps are ok.

IMPATIENCE: We are an impatient society, wanting quick-fix results. But it’s hard to fix what you don’t understand. Many people do not want to spend the time to find the real answer to the problem. After many years of working with clients, I often discover that they just want to put a band aid on a wound that will keep bleeding, unless they fix what is causing the bleeding. To truly be organized, you have to be willing to look at and understand how it got this way in the first place (ownership & habitual changes). A person may be willing to spend days and hundreds on organizing the garage, but never change the fact that they still use it as a dumping ground, and never take the time to keep it maintained. Ultimately they are disappointed with the results. When you are committed or resolved, you desire to find an answer to, or make clear and understandable the root of the problem. By doing this, you can best determine how to put long-term corrective measures, tools and solutions in place. Organization is a process not a destination.

VALUE PERCEPTION: Organizers frequently get desperate calls about an area in need of immediate organization, and the person will go into great detail as to how it negatively affects their life. They want to fix it but can’t justify to themselves or commit to spending too much time or money to fix it. In doing so, they clearly are underestimating the VALUE of the solution, and so are only willing to make a limited portion of the changes, leaving themselves with only a partial solution. They want their office organized, but will only if they can do it on a certain day, while the kids are napping, in less than 4 hours, and under x amount of dollars; yet admit to paying late fees each month for unpaid bills. People who REALLY want something can almost always find the time or money to make it happen. Do you want to spend your time and money on e problem or the solution?

Finally, what separates the one person that STAYS organized from the other 3 that resolved to GET organized?

They were COMMITTED: (A pledge to do (promise); being bound emotionally or intellectually to a course of action or to another person or persons) to do what it takes, and see it through to the end, and MAINTAIN their commitment. You didn’t really think I could write a blog article without using the “M” word did you? This year instead of Resolving to Get Organized – COMMIT to it!