Organize Your Mind for the New Year

Many people say that getting organized is their New Year’s resolution and find that highly admirable, but on a whole, it is very generic and kind of scary. Every one of us has areas in our homes and our lives that need to be decluttered and simplified. Even I have hot spots in my home and life that I need to address and I am a professional organizer (and a human)! I recently redid my spice cabinet which was scary and exciting (yes, exciting, remember what I do for living!) and I’ll tell you more about that soon. I still need to address my closet and I would like to get better at menu planning because honestly I hate cooking dinner. If I could have a live in maid/cook, I would be in heaven. But I digress…

My point is getting organized can be a scary thing when taken as one big chunk. As with any goal or resolution breaking it down into manageable chunks will make it less overwhelming. To start my new year off, I haven’t made any specific resolutions but I would like to get my mind a little more organized. Like many people I am overcommitted and pulled in many directions.
So today, my first real day in the office in 2012, I am doing a brain dump. What is that you might say? If you are a Harry Potter fan, think of Dumbledore’s pensieve that held his memories that had been overcrowding his brain. My brain dump involves my ever present notebook, a pen and some good music. I’ve been writing a list of everything I need to do (short term and long term) and goals for the year (personal and professional). It ranges from making that eye doctor appointment I keep forgetting about to finalizing my annual budget to exercising more. Some will take minutes and others are more ambiguous and long lasting. The point is that I am getting these things out of my head and onto paper. Now I can more rationally review what I need to do and prioritize. If I don’t make that eye appointment until next month, the earth won’t stop revolving around the sun but if I don’t get my NAPO-GA board report in today, I will be on somebody’s bad list. It’s a great tool and stepping stone to creating change in my own life.

My January 4, 2012 Brain Dump
One of many pages!

So if you are overwhelmed in your life or if your project seems overwhelming to you, take 15-30 minutes (or do it over the course of your day) to dump all those to-dos, should-dos, would-like- to-dos onto a piece of paper and free you mind. It will thank you!

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Andi Willis is a Professional Organizer and the owner of Good Life Organizing. She is passionate about helping people find creative solutions to organizing their homes and simplifying their lives. From bedrooms to playrooms, home offices to kitchens, no project is too large or too small to tackle. Working with clients from busy moms to busy executives, Andi can help you get past the clutter and get on with your life!

For more information, please visit http://www.goodlifeorganizing.biz/ or contact Andi at glo@comsouth.net or (478) 550-1969. For daily tips, techniques and information to simplify your life, please “Like” Good Life Organizing on Facebook (www.fb.com/goodlifeorganizing).