Natalie Weinstein, Allied ASID
 
It's a New Year! As we look back at – on our accomplishments and our intentions, we now get another chance to move ahead.  Perhaps in the past few weeks you were able to reflect on friends, family and other special people who have loved and inspired you throughout the year.  In your gratitude, perhaps you’ve also been thinking about ways to be a better person to yourself and others in the new year.   

​ Statistics tell us that the two most popular New Year’s resolutions are to lose weight and get organized.  So it’s no surprise that January is National Clutter Control month.  Funny isn’t it?  It’s almost as if clutter were an uncontrolled epidemic, one which needs a clean slate and a “new-year” to attempt to contain.  But if we do things the same way as last year, we’ll probably get the same results.  So how can we change?  Most of us need help - and help is all around us if we reach out and are willing to hold ourselves accountable.
            Exactly what does accountability mean – in business and in life?  This past year, I renewed a friendship with a young man, Hal, who was dead on arrival at the hospital after a horrific car crash.  By a miracle, he was revived and after 2 years of excruciating surgeries and rehabilitation, he defied the odds and returned to a normal life.  As I was enjoying his company at a business summit, I asked him how he did it.  He wrote a book about his experiences, started a successful life coaching business, appeared on national T.V., all while in his 20’s.
            Hal smiled and said it wasn’t easy – but it was simple.  “I simply held myself accountable for the things I could control,” he said.  “Each action that takes me toward a goal, even the smallest step, is an accomplishment and I never let myself off the hook.  I set my sites on the next step, determine a deadline, and hold myself accountable.”  What a powerful concept and what an inspiring young man.  As a life coach, I could see why he is successful and how his basic tenet could be applied to everyone and almost everything. 
            So let’s apply Hal’s rule.  What if we could find ways to assure our accountability?  We could establish a nucleus of people who could show us how to work towards our decluttering and organizing goals – coaches to help us get to the finish line, people like personal professional organizers, feng shui experts, garage and storage fabricators- or people like me, helping people like you. So let’s begin with some basics:

• Start with a plan.
• Leave time to execute your goal.
• Set small goals- i.e. one drawer, one shelf in your pantry, a pile of clothing, etc.  Add a new accomplishment every day and reward yourself when you do (but not with fattening food or you’ll have broken your other New Year’s resolution!)..
• Establish a system:  keep, throw away, give away, can’t decide (Don’t make the last one your biggest pile).
• Accomplish one space (i.e. bedroom, kitchen, bathroom) and it will spur you to go on to other areas in the house.
• Create a new organization habit, i.e. set out clothes the night before, designate a place for keys, glasses, etc. and only put them there. (You’d be surprised how much time you’ll save).

And don’t forget- ask for help if you need it- and hold yourself accountable.