Start the New Year Right By Organizing Now

Start the New Year Right By Organizing Now
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Organizing during the holiday...it's practically an oxymoron, right? I know with all the whirlwind that leads up to the first of the year, the last thing we typically think about is organizing. However, with the New Year just days in front of us, you may want to consider how to make the last week stretch a homerun.

Here are a few things that I believe are helpful. And, really, these can lead you into the New Year with a plan. It may sound simple but I like to plan on a calendar. My plan consist of having both an immediate calendar and a long term calendar.

My immediate calendar consist of things that I need to complete leading up to the beginning of the year. This may be items like "attend Aunt Mary's party" or "purchase new basketball shoes for my son's end of year tournament". It could also include tasks like packaging the receipts that I need for my current year's taxes to ensure they are separate from anything that I will be tracking during the upcoming year. Either way, you get the idea.

My long term calendar consist of items that I plan to complete in the next month to six weeks. This includes items such as; inventory my product line or replace any of my tools that may be wearing out or need updating. Other areas of focus could be organizing my suite or even repainting it.

I typically ask myself two questions when determining which list an item should go on. First, is this an issue of urgency that has a timeline for completion? If the answer is "yes" then I place the task on my immediate calendar as long as it must be completed prior to the end of the year.

The next question that I ask myself is "what level of importance does this item have?" If the item is important but not urgent, I place it on my long term calendar.

For me, being disciplined enough to go through this simple exercise helps to alleviate stress as well as keep me on track. Look at this as a gift to yourself. This week, take 20 minutes for yourself and make note of the items that are urgent and important, then designate them on to the appropriate calendar. And most important, don't forget to have a wonderful holiday!

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