Are you trying to get organized or make other big changes? New Year’s headlines are full of ideas on how to make changes stick. Here are 9 simple ways to change this year, whether you are getting organized at home or changing something else. These change-makers really work for me and my clients.

It’s my tradition in January to publish every day to help you reach your organizing goals. This year my articles will focus on one room each week, and we’ll be talking about these in our private, free Facebook group, to support you in having four rooms fully organized by the end of the month. If this sounds like a real struggle for you, I’m here for you. Tomorrow I’ll start with a focus on kitchen organizing, since so many people also make weight loss and health resolutions. Follow along as we work through storage areas, main living areas, and bedrooms. Adding these nine simple ways to change this year to your organizing plans, you have a chance to make some real changes this year. 

9 Simple Ways to Change this Year

1. Track it. My gym has an app that shows how many times I’ve been there each month. Whenever I check the gym class schedule, proof of my visits to the gym (or my absence) is staring right at me. I like to keep the cost-per-visit of my gym membership low, which means the more I go, the less each visit costs. Sometimes I’ll go the last three days of the month, just to make sure I meet my goal, but at least I’ve gone! If your gym doesn’t have an app, load your own habit tracking app.

2. Write it down. This is an oldie but goodie. If you haven’t put your goal down on paper yet, it isn’t real. Write it on a Post-It Note. Write it on a napkin. Write it on a blog post. Just write it down.

3. Change your perspective. If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. You’ve heard that before. So change it up. Move the furniture around. Go meet a new group of people. Make yourself get up earlier. Travel to a new place. Do whatever it takes to give you a new perspective. We humans are wired for change, so give your brain a boost with something new. [bctt tweet=” If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. – 9 Simple Ways to Change This Year” username=”DarlaDeMorrow”]

4. Learn something new. Podcasts. Online classes. Apps. Community seminars. On-demand documentaries. There are so many ways to learn something new these days. Chances are, whatever you are trying to change, there’s a way to learn about it that you hadn’t considered before. Just search (Google) “how to ____ near me” to get started.

5. Read a book. Never underestimate the power of a good book to point you in the direction of change. Books change lives every day, including, I am proud to say, my book. Whether you read on paper or on an e-reader, rediscover your love for books this year.

6. Build a system. A system involves place, supplies, time, and the steps to complete something. Have you defined all four of those things for the change you are trying to make? A goal without a system is only half the equation.

7. Automate it. Go one step further, and automate your system if you can. Trying to save money? You can automate deposits from your paycheck. Trying to lose weight? You can automate lunches with a high-quality frozen meal each day, reducing the chance that you’ll overeat at the deli counter. Trying to get organized? Make it a habit to run your dishwasher every night before bed.

8. Get more sleep. Everything is easier when you have enough sleep. When your brain is tired, you tend to eat more and have slower reaction times. The science is out there to back this one up, folks. I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know.

9. Believe you can. People are amazing. I see it every day as a professional organizer. People I work with struggle with so many things, and consistently beat their demons. I believe you can do whatever it is that you are trying to change, whether it’s stopping a bad habit, starting a good one, or changing the situation you are in. I believe you can. Do you?

If you are trying to change, but haven’t put your goals out there for the universe to respond to yet, what are you waiting for? I invite you to join our Clutter-free facebook group, where you can share your organizing work in a safe, non-judgemental space. We are all about encouraging you.