go monthHere we are again. A new year has begun. We can all make a fresh start, a new beginning. Time to look back at the previous year to see how much you accomplished, what worked, and what didn’t work. It’s also time to think about goals for the new year. If one of your goals is to get organized, then you’re in luck because January was designated GO (Get Organized) Month by NAPO (National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals) in 2005. January kick starts organizational goals for the new year by NAPO chapters all around the country announcing community events to help you learn about tools and strategies to bring organization into your life.

Getting organized is typically in the top 10 New Years resolutions lists. Most of us know that we need to get organized but haven’t really thought about what the real benefits are when we are organized. The list below shows some of the main benefits, but you may come up with others more geared to your lifestyle.

• You won’t waste time looking for things because everything will have a home and you will know where everything lives.

• You will get to appointments on time because you will keep your schedule with you and be aware of what you need to do and when.

• You will have less stress in your life; clutter causes stress.

• You won’t buy multiples of an item because you either don’t know you have it or you can’t find it.

• You won’t be charged late fees because your bills will be paid on time.

• You won’t have clutter because if you don’t use it, need it or love it, you will discard it.

• You will be able to spend more time doing the things you love, because you will get your work done in less time by sticking to your schedule.

• You won’t waste food by throwing away expired items, because you will use them before the expiration dates.

Now you know some of the benefits of getting organized, and if it sounds like this is a lifestyle change you want to make, add ‘getting organized’ to your list of goals to accomplish this year. Did you notice I didn’t say ‘resolutions’? I use the word ‘goals’ and that works better for me. There must be something psychological about the word ‘resolutions’ that keeps us from actually sticking to them, at least it does for me. After you set your goals, it doesn’t end there. The next steps are to determine a strategy and create a plan with the tasks it will take to achieve your goals. A blog post I wrote last year called, Planning For The New Year, will help you with your next steps. Happy New Year!