Ready, Set . . .”GO”

With getting organized near the top of people’s lists of New Years resolutions, it is easy to understand why the National Association of Professional Organizers (www.napo.net) worked to get January named GO (Get Organized) Month.

When PhD and internationally acclaimed author, Sonia Choquette published her book True Balance; A Commonsense Guide for Renewing Your Spirit, in 2000 she detailed the attributes of each of the seven chakras, psychic energy centers in the human body.  The first chakra, when balanced and healthy provides the foundation for your Life.  Sonia (www.inner-wisdom.com) asked me to contribute an article on getting organized in the new year because of its importance to a healthy, balanced state of being.

The beginning of the New Year provides us with the opportunity to reflect on what is working and what is not working in our lives.  We pause intentionally to examine the quality of our life and to consciously choose to make shifts in order to experience a more satisfying life.  We are, after all, a higher order of being and are granted the gift of free will, the power to consciously choose or not to choose.

Therefore, getting organized takes on more importance.  Organization enhances our ability to focus and to not be distracted in a meaningless way by irrelevant “stuff”.  And increased focus aids us in living more intentionally, some might call it more productively, each and every day.  And intention is what enables us to be more satisfied, more content each and every day, through the exercise of true choice.

So, for those of you who are resolved to live more intentionally in the year ahead and, assuming that organization plays a key role in this commitment, here are some questions to ask yourself before moving forward:

1. Does my current environment support me in moving through my day with ease?
2. If not, what are my obstacles?
3. What is the cost of these obstacles to me?  How does this impact my day?
4. What actions can I take to resolve these obstacles?
5. What would be the positive outcome of taking this action?
6. If this resulted in freeing my time, what would I choose to do with that time?

For those of you who are less likely to engage in self-examination, here are some practical questions to ask yourself:

1. Do I flinch when I open my closet door?
2. Do my co-workers roll their eyes when I say, “I know it’s in here somewhere”?
3. Are you embarrassed to have people drop by for a visit because your home is cluttered or messy?  What is it cluttered with?
4. Was the last time you balanced your checkbook 1995?
5. Are you current on your taxes and bill payments?
6. Do you miss important deadlines or fun events because you are disorganized?
7. Can you safely get into and out of your car and garage or is it an obstacle course of hazards?

If these questions highlight a need to get organized, please check out some of my earlier posts with some practical “how-to’s” to guide you.

And, finally, I would love to hear your answers to these questions, so please feel free to comment and share.  In the meantime, Happy New Year!  Resolve to make the most of 2007!  

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