Get Organized in the New Year!

Did you know that getting organized is one of 2009's top three New Year's resolutions?

I will be appearing on Fox 25 News on Tuesday, January 6th at 8:45am to provide some simple steps to help you get organized in the New Year.

Here are the tips I will be highlighting:

Start with the obvious. The simplest way to begin is to do sweep of your house with a recycling bin and garbage bag and collect the obvious trash, such as expired coupons, holiday catalogs, magazines, old newspapers, and paid bills not needed for tax purposes. This is an easy task that will give you an immediate sense of accomplishment and motivate you to do more.

Identify your clutter hot-spots. You can't hide it all, but you can contain it. Look at where clutter collects and set up attractive ways to organize it. Like placing a decorative bowl on the counter for keys, or a nice basket by the front door for shoes.

Set small goals and stay focused. If you are feeling overwhelmed with a project, break things down into mini de-cluttering sessions. Stay focused on that one project until it is complete. And reward your accomplishments, no matter how small they may seem. You're moving in the right direction and that's what's important.

Sort items into categories and store like-items together. Again start with the obvious, collect all the pens and put them into a desk drawer, get all the toys into the playroom. Choose broad categories to get started and work your way up to the more complicated ones.

Make a home for everything. Clutter usually accumulates because items have no home. Assign a specific home to frequently used items. For example, scissors go into a certain kitchen drawer. Make sure everyone in your family knows where that home is and you'll never have to search for those scissors again.

Find an excuse to let it go. If you're feeling guilty about getting rid of things, then do something good with them. Make some money by selling your items online or through consignment. Or donate them to your favorite charity and take a tax deduction.

Have a Happy and Organized New Year!