2018 is officially here.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to start my year with a bang, and get my act together. I need to review my organization systems. Its time to declutter, tighten up, and straighten up, so that my time is better spent on things that matter. So I’m creating a challenge for myself.

I invite you to join me! For the next four weeks, let’s get our houses, calendars and routines tweaked to make this the best year yet. I’ve got a lot going on, and I don’t have time to waste. But time spend in planning and organizing is never wasted. When you’ve got your basic systems in place, everything else is easier!

The challenge

Here’s how it’s going to work. Sign up here and join me in organizing four key areas of our lives: our physical stuff, our daily routines, our time management systems, and how we plan out our lives. Each week, I’ll share blog posts that will help point you in the right direction. And then via email, you’ll get a short motivational video, and specific action steps. Plus, you’ll receive some free printables that will help you make personal adjustments in your own life.

What is this challenge about?

What are we going to cover during this challenge? Let’s pick apart the separate sections:

Stuff

The holiday season is over, and we’re now packing up all the baubles and goodies that we’ve gotten. Does it feel like you’ve got more stuff than ever? I know I do. My closets are bulging and I’m almost claustrophobic! During this challenge, I’m going to figure out what stays, what goes, and where it’s all going to live in my home.

Calendar

The new year has just barely started, so we’re not back to full routines yet. But I’m looking ahead to when our activities and programs restart. Does it feel like your calendar is as crowded as mine? So during the challenge, we’re going to make sure we have our priorities in line with our values, and only those things that belong on the calendar stay on the calendar.

Routines

Before we can go back into the new year’s full swing, we need to recover from the holiday indulgences, and get back to our routines. My kids and I have been enjoying later nights and sleeping in, meals that are hit and miss at times, and tons of fun, but completely different than normal, activities. But we need to start school again soon, and it’s time to adjust our days back to routines that work for us.

Given that it’s the new year, it’s a good time to review those routines and make sure they will work for the seasons ahead. So during the challenge, I’ll help you look at your evening and morning routines for ways that we can streamline and set up for success every day.

Planning

Finally, lets make sure that we’ve got a system in place to manage everything we do. Whether you use online planners, paper planners, or a combination of both, the new year is the best time to make sure what you’re using is making life better not harder. And if you aren’t using a planning system, this challenge will help you find one that will let you work smarter!

So during this challenge, we’ll explore various planning systems, discuss the pros and cons of each, and I’ll share my favorite planner with you all. You’ll be able to take a little bit of time to set up your planning system in the way that serves you and your family the best!

Expectations

Sometimes our biggest problem with getting organized is our own expectations. There’s something about a new year, a new season that makes me think that I just need the magic button, and everything will just fall into place, forever. If I could just get it right, immediately, I’d never have another problem. As if..

My biggest goal for this challenge is to help manage my own expectations for this new year. I want to make sure I’m being realistic about my home, my time, my daily routines, and my future plans and goals. Because I don’t want to crash and burn this year. I want to make sure I’m using my resources to the best of my ability.

No burnout! 

Often, I get caught up in the big plans and then reality crashes in on me by the 2nd week of January. Then February becomes a real slog. Does that sound like you? Lets avoid burnout this year. Join me in this challenge, and lets start the year off right!