Digging Deeper Into Your New Year's Resolution
Happy New Year from Room Service Home Organizing! January is a great time to set new goals. If you've decided to make a New Year's Resolution, let's set you up for success with it. This month I'll be talking about strategies for digging a little deeper to get at the meat of why your resolution is important to you, so that you'll be more likely to achieve it.
3 Questions to Ask Yourself When Making Your New Year's Resolution
1. Why is this resolution important to me?
What is your "Why" behind the resolution? If you are trying to accomplish a goal, especially if it's one that feels particularly difficult or time consuming, you need to have a really good understanding of what is important to you about it. A strong "Why" will help keep you going after the initial inspiration and novelty of a new project has faded.
2. How will life be different after I achieve this resolution?
Answering this question will help you be clearer on your "Why". What are some concrete ways your life will change as a result of this kept resolution? What are some ways the lives of those around you will change? For example, if your resolution is to get your paperwork organized and systematized, then an example might be:
"Once I have better systems and routines for handling my bills and paperwork, I won't be paying late fees and missing deadlines due to disorganization. I will feel less stress because I will know where to find important documents easily, and they won't be cluttering up my surfaces. I'll be able to spend more time crafting because I'll have clearer surfaces to work on. My family and I will be able to eat meals at the dining table more easily because it will be clear."
3. How will I reward myself for making progress toward my goal?
Rewards help to keep us motivated when inspiration wanes, and help us to associate more positive feelings with tasks we may not otherwise find so enjoyable. Decide ahead of time on some smaller rewards for bite-size progress, and bigger rewards for ultimately achieving your goal. Write them down, and stick to them.
For example, with the goal of organizing your paperwork, you could decide ahead of time that if you spend 60 minutes purging papers, you get to treat yourself to some nice take-out. When you get through the whole file cabinet, you get a massage. When you have all your papers organized and systematized, your reward might be a weekend trip to San Diego.
The key to this is the rewards shouldn't be things you regularly do for yourself anyway. If you regularly get manicures, don't set a manicure as a reward. It won't be very motivating if you know you'll do it anyway. Choose things that genuinely feel like a treat, and congratulate yourself on the progress you've made towards your goal.
Reduce Your Clutter (and Your Stress) in the New Year
Thinking about getting more organized for your New Year's Resolution? My blog post "The Link Between Clutter and Stress" can provide some great motivation for getting organized!
Wishing you all so much joy and simplicity in 2020!
And as always, if you're ready to pare down, simplify, and get organized this year, or your house needs a refresher, I'm here to help. We can do this!