The new year is like a renewal, a chance to try something new or a time for transformation and growth. But the best way to get clarity and get organized for the future is to look to the past.
Below are some tips to help you use what worked and what didn’t in 2021 to make 2022 a successful and happy year.
Do a recap of 2021
Take out a piece of paper or open a Word Doc and ask yourself this question,
- “What areas of your life worked and what didn’t in 2021”
Most of the time “what worked” worked because you created goals or intentions around them. What were your goals for 2021? Did you reach your goals? If yes, what did you do to make them achievable and successful? Repeat this process in 2022. If not, what stopped you from reaching those goals?
Note: If you didn’t make goals or intentions in 2021, consider making them for 2022. They help keep you on track in areas of your life that you value and want to succeed in. You can find more information on how to make specific, measurable, obtainable goals HERE.
If you’re wondering why you didn’t reach your goals in 2021, it’s most likely because you didn’t have
Systems In Place or your current systems aren’t working for you.
Below are a few systems that you can look at to understand why you may or may not have had a successful year
Goal Setting
Did you use S.M.A.R.T. goals? Did you break larger goals into smaller, more easily actionable pieces? How did you measure those goals, and how did you check in on your progress throughout the year?
For 2022, consider journaling about your goals and action plan. Keep track of your achievements, milestones, and roadblocks so you can see what’s really working for you and what’s not. This self-awareness can then help you achieve better success in the future. Click HERE for a simple system to follow if you’re looking to implement a goal-setting system for yourself.
Calendar & Scheduling
Once you have those goals in place, make sure to schedule your action items in your calendar, so you don’t forget to do them. Scheduling is key to successful goal planning.
Looking at 2021’s calendar can help you see if there are holes in your ability to put up boundaries. Did you overbook or spread yourself too thin last year? Was there enough time for you and the people you care about in your calendar?
For 2022 make it a point to say “No” to the things that don’t bring you joy, or bring you value or add to your overall happiness and success. You may want to create a script or template email for yourself when you need to decline an invite to make it easier for yourself. Or write down what you miss (like time with your family) when you’re saying “yes” to too many things on a sticky and put it on your laptop or monitor. This will be a reminder for you when saying no seems difficult.
Home Organizing Systems & Declutter Systems
Was your home in chaos and clutter in 2021? How much time did you spend searching for household items? Did you feel stressed or overwhelmed in your home? Did you eat in front of the T.V. or the kitchen counter because the dining room table was always full of papers? Maybe the food was constantly expiring in the pantry because you couldn’t find anything you needed and kept buying duplicates?
If this sounds like you, it’s time to figure out a system to help your home stay organized and clutter-free in 2022. Start here with My 7 Top Organizing Tips To Get You Started!
You can also take my Calm the Clutter Home Organization Course to ensure you’re no longer wasting your valuable time looking for things or my Paper Organization: How to Declutter & Organize Your paperwork course so you can find your files within seconds.
Budgeting & Finance
Were you able to take that trip last year or make that big purchase you were supposed to save for? Did you reach your financial goals, i.e., did you put away X amount of dollars for retirement or kids’ college fund? If not, tweak your budgeting system, so you don’t fall short in 2022.
For 2022 write down what financial goals you want to set. Do you want to make a big purchase? Do you want a specific number in your savings account, or maybe you want to learn about investments? Decide what you need to put away weekly or daily to reach those financial goals. Set them up automatically in your online banking or find software like Wave or the Pocketguard app to help you achieve those goals.
Health
Did you reach your health goals? Did you start strong in the gym in January and binge-watch Netflix in February? Were you eating out often because you didn’t have time to cook, or you didn’t know what to eat, or you didn’t have the ingredients in the house?
In 2022 be clear on what you want to achieve with your health. Maybe you want to walk at least 20 minutes a day or 3x/wk. Perhaps you want to eat out no more than once a month, or you want to have a vegetarian meal once a week. Once you’ve decided what you want to achieve in 2022, make a plan. Add it to your calendar when you’ll go to the gym or go for that walk or play that sport. Create a meal plan, so you know what you have in your pantry already and what you need to purchase at the grocery store. Download the MyFitnessPal app or the My Cookbook app for clipping recipes & meal planning. Apps can make things easier to track your success and your progress.
It can be hard to make changes, and too many at once can overwhelm and stop all efforts to reach your goals. Prioritizing goals can help in keeping you on track and making sure you meet those goals. Don’t do everything at once. Pick something that is most important: maybe it’s your health, maybe it’s getting your house organized so it doesn’t add to your already stressful life, maybe it’s finally creating a budget that works so you don’t find yourself in debt by 2023.
If it’s too overwhelming to do it on your own, get support. Ask family and friends to help you reach your goals or hire professionals like Second Set of Hands to organize your home, so you don’t have to.
Looking back in 2021 and seeing what worked and what didn’t gives us an opportunity to learn more about ourselves and become clear on what we really want in 2022.
We hope this helped you get better organized for the upcoming year.
Wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy New Year!
Kathy
If you’d like more information about the Calm The Clutter home organization course, click HERE.
You can also check out my new course Paper Organization: How to Declutter and Organize Paperwork HERE. A course for an unbelievable low price! The topics include
- Benefits of organizing your paperwork
- Paper organization goals
- What to do before organizing your paperwork
- What to keep and for how long
- How to sort and organize paperwork
- What to do with incoming paperwork
- Where to go from here!
Before you go, don’t forget to join our Facebook group “Organize For Success” HERE.
Or download my 7 Top Organizing Tips to Get You Started for more organizing tips.
