Ah... New Years! Time again for resolutions. Those things we set out to do and never resolve to actually stick with. Many New Years resolutions are made tongue-in-cheek (perhaps from guilt?), while others with good intentions. But both are lacking the conviction required to pull them off. Maybe, we'd do better to refer to our resolutions as goals and program ourselves to stay focused. I recently had the opportunity to download a great free resource for setting goals from a marketing resource. The info is called Achieve Your Goals. It's a little unorthodox / "cutting-edge", with the buy-paul-a-beer donation page, but the info is fresh and comes with a 29 page booklet as well as an additional 34 pages of worksheets. The whole thing is in PDF form and zipped for your convenience. Another great resource for goals is the book, Power of Focus, co-authored by one of my mentors, Mark Victor Hansen.

This year there is one resolution or "goal" that I must keep if I'm to regain peace in my home. I must clear the clutter. Like most moms, I have the innate ability to find anything lost. Unfortunately, you have to hack through the clutter jungle to get to it. By the time you safari through the weeds of stuff, you don't have the energy to do anything else!

My favorite Jeff Foxworthy / redneck joke is "You might be a redneck if you mow your lawn and find a car." Maybe, I'm a redneck at heart. More than likely though, the clutter gene goes hand-in-hand with being an eBay seller / "collector". So, this is why I came up with the following eBay funny for you. I did try, by the way, to track down auction jokes online, but there weren't many to choose from (only a handful really), so I wrote my own...

"You might be an Auction Seller if...

...you plan your weekends around yard sales.
...the post office is a place where the boxes are free and everybody knows your name.
...you've ever 'rescued' something from your neighbor's trash.
...you've ever looked up the resale value of your kid's toys.
...you've ever kept something because it might be worth selling someday.
...you've never heard, 'OOPS! I didn't pay enough for shipping, Let me send you more.'
...you own storage containers that are nicer than your furniture.
...you've ever asked, "Did someone say FREE?"
...your idea of a vacation is eBayLIVE!
...you think the perfect storage container would be building an addition onto your house.
Copyright © by Thalia Miller"

Honestly though, getting organized isn't much fun. If you're swinging through your house from vine to vine, I think I may have some helpful tips for you. First of all, just like any other step toward successful improvement, you have to want it bad enough. To achieve this level of desire, you have to convince yourself that getting the clutter out really is the best approach. Determine how choosing to control your clutter will help you, your family, and your business in the long run.

Once you are able to visualize this concept, the next big step is to make time to carry out the de-cluttering deed, and you'll want to wrangle as much help as you need too. Don't let them get away, especially if they helped to get you into this mess. Work in 30 minute bites, taking breaks in between. Don't rush this job. It took time to create the jungle, and it will take time to tame it. In fact, it takes 21 days to form a habit. When you can control the clutter for three weeks straight, you can maintain long-term.

Now, you're ready to create an inventory. Don't panic. It's not as painful as it may sound. Think of the storage place you'll want to establish for the stuff you have to work with and consider the staging ground for the interim, the place you'll cherry-pick the clutter. Try to choose a place that does not fit the out-of-sight-out-of-mind category, but doesn't get in the way of making dinner either. The inventory items will fall into different placement which you will set up. These may include piles for items you wish to sell, donate, share, keep, use, etc. But the three main positions for items will be keep, hold and purge. It's really all about striking a healthy balance in your environment.

Find homes for the keepers. Make the most of the things you have. If you only need one of a thing, then keep one. Sort and put these items in order. Locate keepers near the activity with which they are associated. Put bulk office supplies all together in a storage cabinet or drawer. Keep business cards in a card holder or photo album and set them next to the phone. Keep a receipt box. Shelve books, CDs and small objects like awards. Turn piles into files. Find homes for wholesale catalogs, tax papers, business documents, etc. Use sticky notes to show expiration dates on projects and paperwork. Mark your calendar. Use notebooks and binders to organize papers. Store things on disk when available. And create activity centers, a mailing center, or bill center for example. Extend your work station with additional surface space by adding a table. Go vertical and optimize your use of the height in your home office.

For hold items, contain and maintain. Create memory boxes for your children with items you want them to have as adults. For example, I have created boxes for each of the kids with memories of my childhood as well as from theirs. They are things the kids may want to share with their own families someday. Sort of like hope chests. For items you want to sell, plan the year ahead and divide the seasonal stuff in clearly marked containers, so that you
have a January container, a February container, etc.

For the purging part, retire the old to make room for the new. Share the items you won't be selling. My mother, sister and I swap out clothes frequently. Donate items. Get rid of less useful items, and high maintenance items that waste your time. If it's new, consider making it a gift. If you are saving old documents that can be accessed online, feel free to pitch. Consider paring down your collections, either through selling, or purging.

For the truly clutter-challenged, take these psychological realizations to task:

• By clearing the clutter, you are not depriving yourself or your family of stuff.

• There will always be more stuff.
  

• Your stuff does not get mad at you when it is put up for adoption.

• Your stuff is just stuff.

• It's ok to say "no" to more stuff. Scrutinize what you're willing to take on, but don't guilt yourself to turn something down that you'll regret later.

• Don't be too hard on yourself. You aren't the only one who has "stuff" issues.

• You have the power over your stuff, believe it or not.

The only thing to do now is give what's left a good cleaning and enjoy your accomplishment. Set yourself a fun appointment to get a massage or see a movie or something. You deserve it after all that.

Signing off on this fun friday... Have a great weekend!

Thalia