Reason #1: Your resolutions aren't integrated with how you live now.
We are creatures of habit. No matter how reasonable and do-able your resolution is, it still means you're going to have to change something you're doing now. Changing things requires attention, so you don't fall back into the old habits. To make change easier, design your new habit to fit into your life as smoothly as possible.
Here's an example: you have a beautiful home office in your second bedroom upstairs, but you spend most of your time in the family room off the kitchen. That's where the action is. That's where the family hangs out. That's what you gravitate toward.
If you're mainly doing mail and bills, get yourself a lap desk and a letter sorter that you can stash on a bookshelf when not in use. Then you can do your sorting on a comfy couch watching American Idol!
Reason #2: You're emphasizing the negative.
Getting organized is a life enhancing activity that makes things easier and simpler so you have more time for fun! If you think of it in terms of what a slob you are, or how lazy you are, or how hopeless the whole notion is, you won't get far. No matter how unorganized you are now, you can get more organized. More organized is better, and more achievable, than perfectly organized.
Make it a more positive experience by making it more enjoyable. In recent years, office supplies have become much more fun! You can get bright colored or patterned file folders, lacy mesh trays and containers and magazine holders made out of everything from cardboard to bamboo to glass.
When you have fun decorating your desk the way you do the rest of your home, you're more inclined to keep it tidy and looking nice.
Reason #3: You lack of patience and confidence.
Change takes time and commitment and happens gradually. Remember to notice how much progress you make and commend yourself for it.
Organizing may seem to go on forever. It's true that maintaining an organizing system is a daily thing. The trick is to differentiate between getting organized and staying organized. Getting organized means developing systems and putting them into action. Staying organized is the stuff you do everyday to keep it going.
Say you have a goal to get control over the mail. The getting organized part is deciding on a place to keep your mail, setting aside time to go through it, creating a bill paying system that works for you, setting up places to file documents you need to keep, assigning a place for items you need to take action on and creating reminders to do that.
The staying organized part is using this system you've already created and don't have to keep reinventing and getting overwhelmed. You know where your bills are. You know how to file. You know what to take action on and when to do it.
For the best shot at success with your resolutions, make sure they fit into your life, they feel positive and that you treat yourself kindly during the transition to better habits. Make it happen this year!
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