New Year's Resolutions should be for life, not just for January

All those of you who have dreams of changing something about your life – for example by decluttering or getting more organised - please raise your hand. 

 

Keep your hand up if you plan on making a New Year’s Resolution to make that change become a reality next year. 

Now keep your hand up for at least two minutes (preferably three) if you honestly believe with all your heart and soul that you’ll be able to achieve your goal of achieving that resolution next year. 

Difficult isn’t it?!  If you managed it, very well done indeed – I applaud your resolve and unwavering willpower!

It’s easy to get swept away by the media excitement and glamour that New Year’s Resolutions brings, and feel pressurised by the annual publicity machine about making resolutions – sometimes making us believe we might be the odd person out if we DON’T make a New Year’s resolution. 

Some people feel that New Year's resolutions are an utter waste of time (and often money), whilst others feel they put artificial pressure on us to conform/follow trends and achieve goals that can be unrealistic and difficult to achieve.  

That feeling of embarrassment that we’ve not done what we’ve told our support network we would do makes us feel despondent and frustrated so that our resolutions become burdensome and weigh us down with guilt and sadness.  Our energy gets sapped away and we end up making the situation worse that we set out to change in the first place. 

• “I can’t lose weight so I eat more because to cheer me up because I’m feeling miserable”, or
• “I’ll move this pile somewhere else so I can’t see the clutter, or split it into smaller piles so it doesn’t look so daunting”

If you’re one of those people who kept their hand up and is determined to make a New Year’s Resolution to declutter and getting organised, my suggestion is to make a few smaller resolutions rather than one big one – so that they are more achievable, and you stay motivated. 
 

And whilst you’re making your resolution, set yourself a special reward at the same time, so that you can celebrate your success.  This should help spur you on, encourage you to keep going and keep on feeling good about yourself.  Isn’t that what life’s about?  And we only get one shot at life, so make it a good one. 

Sorting out your handbag or a single drawer one step at a time is a great place to start, as they can easily become muddled - and remember to take before and after photos to prove to yourself how much progress you've made.

Then re-visit what you've done often, to make sure you're maintaining the organised momentum, and calculate how much time you've saved by doing it!

Another tip is to play your favourite uplifting music quietly in the background whist you’re decluttering or getting yourself organised, to inspire you, provide “virtual” company and keep you calm and relaxed. 

At the same time, place a couple of drops of Rosemary essential oil in an oil burner to help keep you focussed – or perhaps a touch of Peppermint oil to clear your mind and keep you uplifted, or Basil essential oil to keep you calm.

Finding someone sympathetic to your cause to help you – whether it be a supportive impartial friend, one of the Rainbow Red team or a fellow professional organiser from The Association of Professional Declutterers & Organisers UK (apdo-uk) – can make an enormous difference to keeping you on track and make what can be an emotionally draining activity fun, especially if you’re a team person and prefer not to work alone.

Finally, why if you live in Surrey (UK), why not attend one of Rainbow Red’s decluttering workshops, so that you can interactively  learn about things like:

·         Overcoming decluttering challenges
·         The decluttering & organising process
·         Where to get help

Maintaining the resolution beyond January can be challenging, so don't be too hard on yourself.  Try the little-and-often principle - rest assured, it WILL work, if you're determined enough!

To find out more, please:

·         LIKE us on Facebook
·         Follow us on Twitter - @RainbowRedUK
·         Email us with your enquiry: cherry@rainbowred.co.uk

Or phone us on 07931 303310 to book a workshop or discuss your decluttering/organising/project management needs.