Your resolution for the new decade.
Getting organized is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions to make—and it’s a resolution we wholeheartedly endorse, especially when it comes to preserving your precious memories. But as the year wears on, the likelihood of achieving these resolutions wanes.
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In order to help you stick to your resolution, we pulled together a list of tricks that will make it much easier in 2020.
From USA Today: “3 New Year’s tech resolutions you must keep.”
Break Your Big Resolution into Smaller Goals
If your resolution feels insurmountable, then it will be! See if you can break out your big goal into smaller more manageable goals. For example, if your resolution is “Get more organized,” try breaking it out into smaller tasks like:
- Create a filing system for the home office
- Buy and install a key rack for the mudroom
- Sort and preserve old print photos
- Set up a digital file backup system
- Tackle organizing the pantry
- Stick to a calendar system
Then schedule these smaller goals out over a series of weeks. Before you know it, it will be 2020 and your life will be much more organized.
Get an Accountability Buddy
This was a tip we learned from Andrew Mellen, one of the pioneers of professional organizers in our top viewed interview. He said when sorting through old photos, it’s good to have someone who will help you make tough decisions and ensure you get the project complete. This concept can be applied to any project as we tend to stick to our commitments when we know another person is counting on us.
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Scan Your Photos
Jefferson Graham at USA Today shared his top three tech tips for New Year’s resolutions you must keep, including digitizing pictures using ScanMyPhotos.com.
Be Flexible
Things happen. Plans change. That’s okay! Give yourself permission to adapt your goals when life throws you a curveball. Say, for example, you planned to clean out a garage one weekend but your grandkids planned a surprise visit. Don’t let this hiccup deter you from your project. Instead, get creative! Put the grandkids in charge of sorting through old memories (so you can share your past with them while sticking to your goal) or agree to spend one hour after the kids leave to get the project started for next time.
Set Some Milestones and Rewards
Who doesn’t like celebrating? Once you detail your smaller goals, make sure you give yourself an incentive to achieve them! Rewards can range depending on what you enjoy–anything from a relaxation day to a special slice of cheesecake.
So, if one of your smaller goals is to sort through old photos, then be sure you are also preserving those memories for generations to come.
