S.M.A.R.T. Goals

"Where do I start?"  This is the question I asked myself as I thought more about the nagging voice in the back of my brain telling me to start professionally organizing.  How would I even go about that?  And just like any good organizing task set before me, I took it one step at a time and made a lot of to-do lists.

There are probably three hobbies I love most in this world - organizing, planning, and crafting.  I love it.  I'm great at it.  It makes me happy.  The problem is that I only have so many things to organize, plan, and craft plan at home without driving my husband crazy.  I needed an outlet and making some income while I'm at it was a big added benefit.

For any big organizing project, it's important to break it down into manageable goals.  Your goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant/realistic, and timely/time-bound (in other words, a S.M.A.R.T. goal).  If you can meet these requirements, your goals are sure to be motivating and rewarding.  I know you probably have heard of this cheesy acronym before and I'm not usually a bit fan of things like that, but this is actually really helpful.  It an easy way to make sure you are going to be successful.

Have a lot of clutter smothering your house?  Have guests visiting soon?  Break it down:

Let's start in the basement because that's where the guests will be staying (specific and relevant).  This weekend (timely) we will go through all of the holiday decorations (measurable) and decide what we want to keep, throw away, or donate (attainable).

I think that's doable in this busy life so many of us lead.  And if you break down all of your organizational dilemmas into smaller goals, you'll be clutter-free in no time!