1) Get a planner. Whether it is digital or physical, it is a great tool that can help you plan out your year and keep you organized throughout that time! It’s important to write down birthdays, upcoming events that you are planning to attend, appointments, deadlines, etc.

2) Write down your goals and plans for the year. If you feel yourself losing focus, go back and look at those goals to help keep you on track and look at the bigger picture.

3) Reexamine all your subscriptions to newspapers or magazines. If there are some that you no longer read on a regular basis anymore or don’t like anymore, cancel those subscriptions. This will eliminate a lot of incoming clutter, and you can always buy a magazine or newspaper at a news stand once in a while if there is a certain issue you want to read. It is also important to set up a system to deal with mail when it comes in the house. Have a place to separate mail that needs to be acted upon (bills, invitations, etc.), mail that needs to be filed, and mail that needs to be read. It is also helpful to place a trash can near your mail area so you can throw junk mail away as soon as you receive it. Also, remember to shred papers that have personal information so no one could use them for identity theft.

4) Make a file for all of your important financial documents and put aside time once a week or once a month (depending on what works for you) to file these documents as they come in.

5) Start at least one organizing project in a small area of your house or office. Once you have accomplished that, you will see how good it looks and feel you can do anything! Hopefully it will get you motivated to do another project or two! Start by sorting the items into different categories: Keep, Trash/recycle, Donate, and Doesn’t belong there. Group like items together.

6) Spend a set amount of time every day or once a week deleting emails you no longer need.

7) Clean out your refrigerator and get rid of holiday food that has gone bad or that you don’t plan to eat. Group similar items together so it will be easier to find things and know where to put things away.

Make sure you reward yourself every time you accomplish something – whether it is achieving one of your goals, or finishing an organizing project. This will keep you motivated to achieve more.

BONUS STEP – Use a Professional Organizer to help with a problem area. Also, visit us at www.organizeddelight.com for more info on how organizing can give you more time and reduce stress at the same time.