This quote from artist and textile designer William Morris is a pithy prescription for avoiding clutter in your home.

Have nothing in your house
that you do not know to be useful
or believe to be beautiful.

To earn its place in your house, office, closet or life, according to Morris, each thing must:

• Serve a useful purpose and/or
• Make you happy.

Which means you can count as clutter anything that:

• You don’t use regularly
• Doesn’t work
• You find ugly
• Has unpleasant memories or associations
• Is tatty or dirty or broken or uncomfortable
• Doesn’t suit you
• You only keep because it was expensive
• Was a gift but has so meaning for you
• You will use one day… maybe.

Take Morris’s words to heart.

For everything in your world, if you don’t use it or love it… then let it go.

You may know I’ve been running a 30-Day Weight Loss-athon over at 52 Weight Loss Missions.

Each day we completed a 10-minute task relating to diet, exercise or mindset. As with all my programs, the focus was on taking action and being accountable. With more than 2,500 people signed up for the daily emails, a lot of action was taken over those 30 days!

I’ve now packaged up the program into a neat little 30-Day Weight Loss-athon Pack containing:

• The 30-day email series
  
• An interactive workbook with:
  - All 30 x 10-minute tasks covering diet, exercise and mindset
  - To-do list for each task
  - 30-Day Weight Loss-athon checklist
  - Comment links for commitment and motivation.

The 30-Day Weight Loss-athon Pack is now available for $29. Or…

Get it absolutely FREE

…when you buy the 52 Weight Loss Missions Action Pack.

Get it for only $4.95

…when you use the coupon code 52WLM2012.

Enter the code in the final step of the checkout and the price will reduce from $29 to $4.95 – which is a very cool 83% discount. But please be quick – the code is valid for a short time only.

If you’ve been wanting to lose weight yet haven’t got around to setting your life up for success, then this little program will help you. Because remember – its’ not what you know, it’s what you do.

With the 30-Day Weight Loss-athon Pack you’ll take action every day for a month, and you’ll make real, lasting diet, exercise and mindset changes to help you lose weight.

Learn more about the 30-Day Weight Loss-athon Pack.

At the moment I’m re-reading The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. It’s a wonderful book on overcoming resistance and doing meaningful stuff.

Early in the book Pressfield says

There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t, and the secret is this:
It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is the sitting down to write.

You could say the same about decluttering, exercising, that project you’ve been meaning to do…
In every situation where procrastination raises its nasty, multifarious little heads, what’s hard is getting started.

So today, why not take inspiration from Pressfield and decide to whac-a-mole procrastination’s heads.

Forget the self-analysis, the mental games, the perfectionism. Simply focus on ‘sitting down to write’. On starting.

About to tell me all the reasons you can’t?

Instead, take that energy and grab a trash bag, pull on your workout clothes, start your project. If all you have is five minutes, do it for five minutes.

What will you sit down to write today?

Every year I run a FREE, action-based program in April.

This year my program is for people who have a few extra pounds they’d like to shed, and are looking for a burst of motivation, inspiration and community support to help them take action.

It’s called the 30-Day Weight Loss-athon and I’ll be running it on the blog over at 52 Weight Loss Missions. It involves 30 days of 10-minute actions. Easy peasy! You can get all the details here.

If you’ve been putting off your goal to lose weight, start exercising or overcome emotional eating, then this cool, FREE program could be just the kick-start you need.

Come on -  join me!

Spring has just begun in the US. What a lovely time of year!

Whether you live in the US or on the other side of the world (Australia) like I do, you may be feeling inspired to spring clean – or at least to declutter, or to do a little home organization.

To help you, I’ve put together a list of some of my most popular posts from the past couple of years on decluttering and organizing your house, or simply making a fresh start.

I hope there’s something here to help and motivate you!

• Reboot Your Motivation With Some Small New Beginnings
• Declutter Your Life and Home
• Home Organization: My Very Best Life-Changing Tip For A Clutter-Free Home
• How To Run Your Own Declutter Project
• 7 Ways To Clutter-Proof Your Life
• The One Thing You Must Do If You Want To Get Organized
• How Clutter Can Hold You Back – From Love, Success & Health
• Get Organized For 2011: 6 Dos And Don’ts For A Calm & Ordered Year
• Is Clutter Stopping You From Achieving Your Goals?

Do you have a favorite strategy or post from this list? Please let me know.

[Image by Yannick_Bammert]

I’m super-excited to introduce Kylie Browne, our fabulous new community manager.

Kylie will be your go-to gal in both Design Your Life and 52 Weight Loss Missions. Her friendly, helpful personality, plus her passion for being happy and organized – while being a great mother to two young boys – make her just perfect for this role.

You’ll see Kylie on the Design Your Life forums – answering questions, posting helpful tips and being there to support and encourage you. You’ll also see her in a brand new monthly newsletter which will give you extra suggestions and resources for making the most of your Design Your Life journey. Look out for your members-only first issue later this week. She also has a bunch of exciting new stuff planned for Design Your Life members. More to come soon…

Kylie will also be active on the 52 Weight Loss Missions comments threads. Feel free to say Hi to her!

Here’s a little about Kylie:

A passionate advocate for e-communications and social media marketing, Kylie Browne is an organized wannabe with two young, messy, fun-loving boys. Her ability to identify with people is an asset; her cooking skills – well… not so much.

Kylie loves people (and wine). In her role as Community Manager for Get Organized Wizard she loves being able to connect people from all walks of life, from different parts of the world, with a common interest. With a background in Commerce, Economics & Marketing, Training & Assessment, she has a genuine interest in how people think and engage in forums, spinning into action should someone need encouragement or resources to help achieve their goal.

I’m thrilled to have Kylie on the team. Let me know what you think!

After my post on The Best iPhone Apps For Getting Organized And Being More Productive a bunch of you asked for a post for Android users.

So I asked the cool people on my Facebook page, Facebook profile, Twitter and Linked In to nominate their favorite Android app for personal organization and/or productivity.

Here are the apps that people suggested:

• Taskos
• aCalendar
• iRecorder
• Cozi
• Out of Milk
• Evernote
• Remember the Milk
• Astrid Tasks
• GroceryIQ

You can see some of the other apps that got a mention here, here and here on my Facebook page.

Do you have a favorite Android app for getting things done and getting organized that didn’t get a nod here? Please let me know in the comments below or on Facebook.

[Image by closari]

Timeline for Facebook pages rolls out for everyone on March 30, but you can publish your business page to Timeline now.

When you do, here are 5 cool things you’ll be able to do.

1. Upload a Cover Image

Cover Image

Facebook says that:

‘Cover images must be at least 399 pixels wide and may not contain:

• Price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download it at our website”
• Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page’s About section
• References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features
• Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends”‘.

That still leaves plenty of scope for something fun or inspiring for your business page.

2. Have a Weekly Pinned Post

Pinned Post

You can ‘pin’ a post to the top of your page, and it will stay there for 7 days. A pinned post is denoted by the little orange flag in the corner.

Simply click the pencil icon that appears when you hover over the top-right of any post, and then choose ‘Pin to Top’. This is a great way to draw attention to your current top story or latest blog post.

You can only have one pinned post at a time – so make it the one you most want to feature.

And remember that it will get unpinned automatically after 7 days. It’s a good idea to make a weekly habit of pinning your top post.

3. Star Important Posts

Starred Post

You can star posts that you want to highlight.

Click the star icon that appears when you hover over the top-right of any post and voila – it will appear in widescreen. To revert to regular size click the star icon again.

You can have as many starred posts as you like, for as long as you like. But don’t overdo it or your page could look cluttered.

4. Customize Your Apps

App Tabs

The Photos app is standard and always the first one, but you can customize the order and image for your other apps.

Click the down arrow to see all your apps.

To move lower-order apps up, click the pencil icon on the top-right of an app and choose the app you want it to ‘Swap position with’.

To change the image shown for an app, click the pencil icon, choose ‘Edit Settings’ and click Change for ‘Custom Tab Image’. Then upload your image.

5. Update Your About Info

About

The About section isn’t specific to the new Facebook Page design, but the changed look might mean your About info doesn’t fit so well any more.

To edit this information click ‘About’ and then click the pencil icon at the top-right. Make sure your About section says what you want to say about your business.

For more on customizing your page check out this neat video and the tips here.

There are plenty of other things you can do with the new Facebook Pages, but these 5 are pretty cool, don’t you think?

I’ve recently discovered Clear for iPhone as a super-simple task manager, and I love it. There are neither bells to ring nor whistles to blow, but for an over-complicating over-thinker like me – it’s perfect!

Which got me wondering what other people are using on their phones to help them get stuff done and feel more organized.

So this week I asked the cool people on my Facebook page, Facebook profile and Twitter to nominate their favorite iPhone app for personal organization and/or productivity.

Here are the apps that got several recommendations:

• For organizing family stuff, the hands-down most popular app was Cozi (which unfortunately seems to be available only in the US store). Home Routines also scored some mentions.
• For task management people liked Wunderlist and Priorities.
• For notes and ideas management Evernote and Springpad were popular.
• For grocery list management faves were Grocery IQ and Our Groceries.
• For general errands and reminders, Errands and Remember The Milk were helpful.

Many other apps also got a mention – you can see more discussion here and here on my Facebook page.

Do you have a favorite iPhone app for getting things done and getting organized? Would you like me to do another post on Android phone apps? Please let me know in the comments below or on Facebook.

[Image by MattsMacintosh]

Tuesday is Valentine’s Day. Happy hearts!

Wednesday is my wedding anniversary – 15 years. I find that hard to grasp, largely because most days I feel about 12.

But also, it’s a long time, right? A long time to be in this intimate, intense situation with the same person.

So I thought I’d write about some of the things I’ve learned. And because it’s been 15 years, I’ve come up with 15 relationship lessons. Of course.

I’m not saying these observations are true, whatever that means. I’m not saying they apply to everybody. But they’ve helped me navigate the relationship seas in all kinds of weather. And not just marriage, but friendship too.

Let me know what you think…

1. Talking is not always a good idea

I’m not sure if it’s because I’m a girl or because I’m analytical or because I love words, but I do like to articulate. I have a theory on pretty much every topic and I like nothing better than to pour some wine and discuss the crap out of everything.

But, shockingly, not everyone does. This revelation has come to me rather late in life, this idea that not everyone loves a good debrief.

And when you’re going through a tough time, talking can make it worse. Not everything has to be said. Sometimes buttoning your lips is good.

2. People show love in different ways

It can take a lot of pressure off if you learn to recognize their way of showing love.

Maybe they do stuff for you, or say nice things, or show affection. It might not be the way you would ideally love to be loved, but seeing it for what it is also feels good.

3. Letting things go is the only way to stay sane

At the start of a relationship we think everything will be perfect. And in one of the infinite, parallel universes out there, it probably is. But not this one.

They aren’t perfect, you aren’t perfect. Let things go and hopefully they’ll return the favor. Which means less stress all around.

4. Tears are not your friends when arguing

I know it’s hard not to cry if you’re mid-argument and you’re incredibly frustrated, or hurt, or angry. But tears make it hard to keep the focus on the discussion at hand.

It can become about comforting you. It can be unfair to the other person. It can seem – and I’m not saying this is intentional – manipulative.

As much as you can, keep the focus on the issue and keep it together. You can go cry into a packet of Tim Tams later.

5. Rationality is worth the discipline/effort

Don’t give in to drama, hysterics and (my personal fave) histrionics.

It may give you the short-term advantage in an argument, but in the long term it may cost you their respect, and your own.

You won’t always succeed, but make the effort to think clearly, speak calmly, and stay mindful of other ways of seeing the situation. Cultivate rationality and it will become a habit. A valuable one.

6. You have to take responsibility for your own happiness

Expecting other people to make you happy is too much pressure for them, and a recipe for disappointment for you.

Taking responsibility for your own experience of life lets you enjoy people without leaning on them so much.

You might have to tell your partner exactly what you want for your birthday instead of expecting them to remember that you obliquely alluded to it three months ago. You may need to go to the theater with a friend rather than haranguing your partner to come with you and then rebuking them for nodding off before the curtain is all the way up.

But when you do, you’ll find happiness is much easier when it doesn’t involve hoping and wishing and praying people would do what you wanted them to.

7. Putting all your emotional eggs in one basket can make you a basket case

Yes I’m a little proud of that turn of phrase.

Seriously though, you need to spread your emotional capital around a bit.

It helps you weather the inevitable bad patches in your relationship if you’ve made time for other people – friends, family, colleagues. They will be there for you.

And it makes you way more attractive to your partner if you’re not a giant clod of neediness.

8. Sex makes up for a lot

Sex creates intimacy. It gives you secret stuff together. It feels good.

Nike says it best: Just do it. But maybe not while wearing the shoes.

9. Your battles will pick themselves if you let them

Let little things go. Let medium-sized things go too, if you can.

But if something keeps coming up for you, time after time, or starts leaking out into snide comments or passive-aggressive behaviors, then you probably need to speak up.

Big issues may need big conversations.

Sometimes, though, the conversation just has to be, ‘I’m not asking you to change this, but I need to tell you that [whatever] is bugging the crap out of me.’ Owning it can be empowering.

If you don’t insist they change, they might be happy to. But don’t expect it.

10. If you want the truth, be prepared for it to hurt

You can’t have it both ways. You can’t demand the truth and then be grossly offended when the answer sucks the big one.

If you ask, ‘Do I look fat in this’, then be prepared to hear ‘Uh, yeah’. You’re a grown-up. You can take it.

If what you really want is reassurance, then take responsibility for yourself and say, ‘I’m feeling fat/unattractive/blah and I want you to please tell me I look great”.

Anything else is unfair.

11. Humor is relationship lubricant

If you can make each other laugh, you’ll oil the hinges of your relationship and reduce friction. With a vocabulary of humor, you can defuse tension with a joke or funny comment.

Being silly together strengthens the bond between you, too. It’s like the five-year-old in you has its own relationship with the five-year-old in them.

When things are good, take every opportunity to laugh together.

Why do I feel like I need to go to the hardware store?

12. Friends who always take your side are not the only friends you should have

Yes you want your friends to be your cheerleaders and your support network.

But you also need friends who can give you another perspective about your relationship when needed. Friends who help you see The Other Side of the argument. (The what now? you say. Oh you are funny.)

If your friends are always happy to be the chorus in your ’97 Reasons Why My Partner Sucks’ stage show, then you need a more varied cast.

13. Keeping yourself nice is essential

No matter how secure you feel in the relationship, no matter how much they say they’ll love you regardless of how you look, don’t let yourself go.

Dress well, get a good haircut, work out, be a foxy treat.

No one wants to be loved in spite of the way they look. Make the most of what your mamma gave ya. Feel good about yourself. The less you’re insecure about yourself, the more you’re emotionally available to others.

14. You have to be an individual before you can be part of a (happy) couple

Spend time alone, have your own opinions, read the books you want, watch the movies you like, hang with your own friends.

I’m not suggesting you act deliberately contrary, but don’t force yourself into a couple-shaped package and cut off the bits of you that don’t fit.

Compromise, show respect, be considerate, but stay you. Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else, as Judy Garland so beautifully put it. You are the only unique thing you have.

15. Marriage is way hard

The things I value most in life – having great relationships, doing something I find meaningful, running a business, staying fit and healthy – they all take a slightly ridiculous amount of work.

Not all things that are challenging are worth having, but it seems as though many things worth having are annoyingly difficult.

Maybe it’s human nature to take easy things for granted. Maybe we’re wired to need a struggle. Maybe entropy makes us all Sisyphus, eternally pushing our boulders up the hill.

Relationships aren’t always this way – as Stevie Nicks says, sometimes it’s a bitch, sometime it’s a dream.

And we do need to be prepared that sometimes it really is a total, freakin bitch.

But when it’s not, we can sit back… and enjoy the dream.

Over To You…

Disagree with me? Got more things I’ve missed? Please tell me about it in the comments!!

[Image by aussiegall]

What do you wear when you’re at home?

Whether you’re working, doing chores, or chilling out, the clothes you wear can affect your mood, motivation and even feelings of self-respect.

If you find yourself struggling with procrastination, low productivity or lack of motivation, your at-home wardrobe could be to blame.

• Do you pull on any old thing because you’re ‘just at home’?
• Do you say to yourself, ‘No one can see me, so why bother?’
• If someone knocks at the door, do you stay very quiet and hope they’ll leave, because you’re too embarrassed to answer the door in what you have on?
• Do you keep clothes that look bad, are stained, tatty or ill-fitting, or just don’t suit you – because they’re ‘still good’?

If you answered Yes to any of these questions, then it’s time for a closet intervention.

You don’t have to wear your best clothes at home. If I’ve been out I usually get changed when I get home – that way my special clothes stay looking great for longer.

But your at-home clothes shouldn’t be barrel-scraping either. That will only make you feel less than your best. And huge, baggy outfits invite overeating, in my experience. (Do you find this too?)

Instead, have a few outfits that are comfortable and attractive for wearing at home.

I work from home and spend long periods of time at my computer, but I also go to the gym four to six times a week. I want to be comfortable, but I also want to feel productive and motivated, and I also want to be able to head to the gym without the added resistance and potential excuse of having to change. So for working at home I wear dance or active wear – it’s very comfortable for sitting cross-legged and typing and it also works well at the gym.

And for chilling out at home when I’m not working, I have jeans, tanks and hoodies that are perfect for embarrassment-free door answering.

Good outfits for you will depend on what you do at home and what types of clothes make you feel happy and motivated. You can safely rule out anything ancient, tatty, ill-fitting, not-you, or uncomfortable. In fact, go pull these offenders out of your closet now.

Actors often say they inhabit a character when they get into costume. What ‘character’ are you playing when you’re at home?

BTW…

While we’re talking outfits, I recently wrote the post: Have A Go-To Outfit For Business Meetings for Women’s Network Australia. You might like that too.

Image by totally pixelated

Here are some strategies to start the year off well.

3 Powerful Strategies For A Fabulous New Year

Although the start of a new year is a fairly arbitrary thing, it offers a priceless psychological gift – motivation!

Don’t waste this gift! Take advantage of the January 1 effect to get started the way you want the year to continue.

If you’re like most people, you’re hoping this is the year you get rid of clutter, lose weight, get organized, get healthier, achieve your goals…

To increase the chances that the new year is a fabulous year for you, apply the following strategies. Each one is surprisingly powerful, and can make a huge difference to the way you feel and function throughout the New Year. Read more…

Successful New Year’s Resolutions: 3 Things You Must Know To Achieve Goals and Change Habits

A study of people attempting to change diet and exercise habits, it took between 18 and 245 days for the new behavior to feel automatic.

The duration varied by person and habit, but the average was 66 days.

So 66 days is a good indicator when planning your own goal, habit change or new year’s resolution.

That means you need to allow at least a couple of months to get used to exercising… Read more…

New Year’s Resolutions: 3 Ways to Get Organized

Have you set new year’s resolutions to get better organized?

Here are three strategies for starting off the year on the right track – and boosting your chances of keeping those resolutions beyond January.

1. Scrap the storage

If you’ve got stuff squirreled away in storage, the attic or the garage, then this is the time to get rid if it. You probably don’t even know what’s there, do you?

Schedule a day to clear out your storage unit, attic or garage and take everything to the charity store or tip… Read more…

5 Steps To Making This Your Most Productive & Organized Year Ever

The way you use your diary makes all the difference to the way the year unfolds for you. Many things will be beyond your control, but how you spend your time, to a large extent, will be your choice.

Start thinking of time as your life resource. Learn to use your diary to manage time in ways that bring meaning, fulfilment and happiness to you, and to the people in your life.

Here are 5 steps for using a diary to make this your most productive and organized year ever. Read more…

Goals Goals Goals!

And here’s even more on achieving your goals and keeping your resolutions.

I hope the new year brings you meaning, happiness, love, and success in the things you hold dear.

See you in 2012 my friends!

These specials are now finished. To hear about our latest specials, join us on Facebook and subscribe to the monthly Get Organized newsletter (with FREE 72-page Organize Your Life & Goals interactive workbook).

Over the past few months we’ve added a bunch of new products to our value packs without increasing the prices – including:

• Organize-In-5 2012 Diary
• Goals & Priorities Diary
• Complete Guide To SMART Goals
• 30-Day Organize-athon Pack
• 52 Weight Loss Missions.

(This Comparison Grid shows which packs contain which products.)

However, we’ll increase the prices in the new year to reflect all the extra programs now included.

But not yet!

Right now, not only have the packs exploded in value because of all the extra stuff piled in there, but the Premium Pack, Complete Suite and Ultimate Pack are on sale.

That means, for example, that you can save over 70% with the Complete Suite. Or get programs that would cost $649 if purchased individually for only $199 – 68% off! – in the Ultimate Pack.

You’ll have a range of tools for organizing different parts of your life, and you can dip into the various programs following your mood, motivation and curiosity.

These special prices are available for a short time only.

PS Want the Organize-In-5 2012 Diary, (normally $39) for only $4.95? Here’s how.

If you’ve been wondering about the NEW 52 Weight Loss Missions program, then you can now download two FREE missions – no sign-up needed.

Download your sample here.

52 Weight Loss Missions Kindle e-Book and iPad App Now Available

The 52 Weight Loss Missions Action Pack contains the 200-page e-book as well as an interactive Diet & Exercise Diary, Workbook, Weekly Email Series, MP3 Audiobook and other cool tools and bonuses.

But for on-the-go access to the main content of the e-book, you can also now get the iPad app and the Kindle e-Book.

In fact, you may have seen on Facebook that 52 Weight Loss Missions was #20 in Best Sellers in Healthy Living on the Amazon Kindle store. How exciting is that!

Learn more here.

This offer has closed. To hear about our latest specials, join us on Facebook and subscribe to the monthly Get Organized newsletter (with FREE 72-page Organize Your Life & Goals interactive workbook).

Update: The Facebook phone app doesn’t allow you to view the code. You need to view the code from a computer.

Getting Organized Has Never Been Easier – Now You Can Do It In Just 5 Minutes a Day…

The Organize-In-5 2012 Diary gives you a 5-minute organization task for every day of the year – except Saturdays, when you get a 5-minute relaxation task.
We even provide a timer!

You’ll tackle home, work, closet, computer, health, finances, time management, relationships and family.

The Organize-In-5 2012 Diary is the time-poor, busy person’s solution to an organized life.

How To Get the Discount Code

The Diary is now available in the Get Organized Wizard store for $39. But you can get it for just $4.95 – that’s 87% off! You simply have to like us on Facebook.

If you already like us, then you’ll automatically see the coupon code required to receive this super-special discount.

If you haven’t liked us yet, then like the Get Organized Wizard page and the discount code will be revealed, as well as instructions for getting your Organize-In-5 2012 Diary at this uber-cool price.

This special price is available for a short time only.

NOTE: The Organize-In-5 2012 Diary has just been added to our Packs. So if you’ve purchased the Premium Pack, Complete Suite, Ultimate Pack or The WORKS! Pack in the past 12 months, then you can log in to your account and download your copy!

Learn more about extra-value prices for a limited time.

Note: This post originally appeared as a Featured Article in the Get Organized newsletter.

We all have goals that seem out of reach.

Things we’ve wanted for a long time. Plans that never seem to come to fruition. Desires that we can’t fulfill, no matter how hard we try.

Some of the things people chase, sometimes for years or even decades, include:

• Following a career dream
• Writing a novel
• Getting free of clutter
• Losing weight
• Finding or improving a relationship.

If the desire is there, what stops us from getting something we want so much?

And what can we do to turn things around, so we can fulfil our dreams?

Here are three things that can flick the switch and help you to finally get what you’ve wanted for so long.

1. Know Why You Really Want It
(It Mightn’t Be The Reason You Think)

Take a good look at your reason for wanting the thing you want – your reason may be sabotaging you.

For example, let’s say you’ve always wanted to write a novel.

‘I want to be famous’, you say. ‘Like JK Rowling’.

So every time you think about writing your novel you feel pressured to write something popular and adventure-filled.

But what if popular and adventure-filled isn’t you? What if your real reason for wanting to write is to express a unique, interesting and funny voice that you feel inside? Then that voice will get strangled every time you try to write.

It’s worth taking a moment to write down the reasons you want your heart’s desire.

If a reason brings up resistance, then it may not be genuine. Perhaps it’s a reason you think you should have, or perhaps it’s someone else’s goal for you.

But if the reason stirs excitement, then congratulations – you’ve unlocked your true motivation.

Now you can use this real reason to drive yourself forward.

2. Have A Powerful Process

Unlocking genuine motivation is crucial – it’s difficult, if not impossible, to achieve a challenging goal without it.

But it’s not enough. All the motivation in the world won’t get you there if you have a sucky plan.

Let’s say you’ve always wanted to be an archaeologist/tree surgeon/stand-up comedian. Then you need more than a constant craving to realize your ambition.

You need a well-thought-out program of steps to complete, tasks to tick off, and knowledge to gain. That’s how you’ll bridge the gap from where you are now to where you want to be.

Depending on your heart’s desire, putting together a powerful program could be as simple as thinking through all the steps and writing yourself a plan.

You could take it up a notch by brainstorming with a friend, or reading books on your ideal career to boltser your strategy, or buying a book or program that provides a ready-made plan for you.

If you’ve had the same goal forever, then check how you score on this step. A clear map could be the missing element in your journey to success.

3. Change The Path of Least Resistance

One of the strongest, most intractable obstacles to achieving anything you want is habit.

You can have a pure, strong motivation as well as a fierce strategy for achieving your wishes. But if you’re stuck in habits that keep dragging you back to old ways, then it can feel like you’re doomed to frustration and failure.

For instance, let’s say you desperately want to lose weight, you know why, and you have a sound plan. But you keep giving in to late-night snacking. It’s such an established habit that you can’t imagine ever overcoming it.

So there’s one more strategy to add to our arsenal of true motivation and a powerful plan: it’s to change the path of least resistance.

You can think of the path of least resistance as a well-worn track through dense undergrowth – it takes tremendous energy and effort to go any other way. And most of us are too tired, busy and distracted to spare energy and effort for fighting foliage.

This is the toughest step in achieving a challenging goal. It takes insight, self-analysis, experimentation and persistence.

A good place to start is to look at your patterns – what underlies the habits that sabotage you? Are you snacking at night because you haven’t eaten enough through the day? Because you haven’t eaten the right kind of food? Because you’re looking for a reward after a tough day?

Once you see the reason for a habit that undermines you, you can trade willpower for smarter strategies. And unlike willpower, smart strategies can change the path of least resistance – they can forge a new track that doesn’t require bashing your way through bracken.

Perhaps you can eat a more satisfying dinner. Or more protein. Or have another reward (a scented bath? an hour of novel-reading?) prepared for tough days.

The idea is to identify what behaviours you naturally fall into, and then to look at ways to substitute other behaviors that still meet your underlying drives.

When you change the path of least resistance, you don’t have to fight yourself so hard. Instead, you align your desires and behaviour.

So now we know. This time, things will be different. Let’s get started.

Summary

If you’ve struggled to achieve your goal in the past, here’s how to make this time different:

1. Know Why You Really Want It
2. Have A Powerful Process
3. Change The Path of Least Resistance.

[Image by jepoirrier]

See you again soon!

Wow!! What a fabulous response to the 52 Weight Loss Missions logo survey!

We’ve had around 650 votes – many of them wonderfully detailed and insightful. Thank you so much for the time and thought you’ve put into helping me choose a logo for my new product. I’m so grateful!

I’m also ridiculously excited about this product. It’s the culmination of everything about losing weight I’ve learned in my psych degree, life coaching training, and happiness thesis research – not to mention months of research and years (um, decades?) of my own experience with diet, exercise and mindset.

The Winning 52 Weight Loss Missions Logo

Now I feel even happier that I’ve got a logo that resonates with so many of you. And the winner, by a long, long way, is: Logo 1! (The pie chart above shows the breakdown of responses.)

I also took on board comments about the 52WLM girl’s nose. So here she is, new and improved after her um, nose job!

If you liked one of the other logos, I hope you like this version better.

The logo was created by Kim Schwede, who is also responsible for the 52 individual mission icons you see here. I absolutely love her work! She’s beautifully captured the sense of fun I’ve tried to bring to a usually humorless challenge.

The 52 Weight Loss Missions Prize Winners

It was terribly hard to choose among all the wonderful comments, but I asked the Get Organized Wizard Team to help, and we’ve selected:

• Paula
• Sharon Katzevman.

We’ll be in touch soon with details of how you guys can download your 52 Weight Loss Missions Action Pack. Just in time for a great start to a svelte 2012!

And to everyone – thank you again for your fantastic feedback!

Last September I turned 44. I was deeply relieved, as my year of being 43 was my. worst. ever.

But for all the rich suckiness that those 12 months contained, there was lots to be thankful for.

Thanksgiving seems like an apt occasion for reflecting on the good that comes out of the bad.

So here are my little thank-you notes.

Dear Fatty Bits

Thank you for sticking around so persistently for so many years.

If you had not been genetically, habitually, and psychologically entrenched in my life, I would never have had to work so hard and learn so much to break free of you.

Thanks to you I’ve worked out, in a deep and sustainable way, how to stay thin in a world of chocolate.

Dear Inane Movies

I’m absurdly grateful to you for taking over the film world so that great screenwriters feel good about moving to TV.

If it weren’t for your dross dominating the big screen, the small screen might not have been able to attract so much talent.

Because of your vacuousness, DVD box sets are now awesome and plentiful. You rock.

Dear Bad Times

Thank you for peppering everyone’s life.

It’s because of you that relief feels so sweet, that good times are so enjoyable.

If not for you, I doubt I would go looking for a better way to do something, or a different way to look at a situation. And because I keep finding these new ways, my life keeps getting better.

I know you’ll be back, and I’m not looking forward to it. But I am thankful for the changes you eventually bring.

Dear Stephen King

I’ve never read your fiction, but my feeling of malaise lead me to finally pick up On Writing, your 10-year-old memoir on, um, writing.

This book changed my life.

I read about your writing approach and it freed me to ‘trust the soup’ and be more creative and productive than I’d been before.

Thank you for the soup.

Dear Daddy

I can’t imagine how a girl could have had a better father than you.

I miss you all the time, but I’m grateful to have back the good memories in place of the anxiety and frustration that overshadowed your last years.

I can’t believe you’re gone. I don’t think I ever will.

I wouldn’t be who I am if not for you.

What’s In Your Thank-You Note?

I’d love to know what you’re thankful for this year – especially if it’s come out of something not so good.

Counting your blessings makes you happier, so it’s worth thinking about. Please share!

[Image by woodleywonderworks]

There are people who love the process of cleaning, decluttering and organizing.

These are the Monica Gellers of the world. They’ll happily spend Saturday afternoon filing or cleaning the kitchen, and they might even write organizing books suggesting you do the same.

Then there are people who love the outcome of cleaning, decluttering and organizing. They crave order and delight in systems, but don’t enjoy the work it takes to get there.

(There are also people who have no interest in the process or outcome of decluttering, but I suspect they’re off reading the Chaos is Amazeballs newsletter.)

I’m definitely in the second category. In fact one of the reasons I have a website, products and blog devoted to personal organization is that I’ve become adept at finding ways to live an ordered life without having to do a lot of organizing work.

If you’re in the second category too, then this article is for you.

See, I recently did a massive declutter of my home and office space – I even gave it a name: Declutter-Fest Project 2011.

I’m not going to lie to you – it was not what I’d call fun. But the results are totally, unequivocally worth it. Every day I feel happier, calmer and more motivated.

So I thought I’d share with you the four strategies I found most useful in getting myself through the icky process to the wonderful outcome.

1. Have A Strong Why

It sounds obvious, but without a good reason for starting a declutter project, you won’t have the energy or motivation to see it though.

In my case, the previous 12 months had been kind of sucky, and I was coming up to my 44^th birthday. I wanted to use a major declutter as a symbolic process, a leaving behind of the past and old energy and bad associations. This was very compelling for me. I strongly wanted to start my 45^th year fresh and focused.

For you, the Strong Why could be anything that drives you, for instance:

• Leaving behind the past
• Discarding negative memories
• Starting afresh
• Being a role model for your kids, family or friends
• Marking a new life or career direction
• A symbolic clearing of old energy before you begin a big goal – like losing weight, starting a business, or refreshing a relationship.

Before you begin a declutter project, think about what it represents to you. Having a cleaner house is a great outcome, but you can find more motivation if you dig a little deeper.

2. Have A Simple How

One of the biggest obstacles to a sizeable declutter project is the sense of overwhelm that engulfs you before you can say, Where do I start?

The best solution to this overwhelm that I’ve found is to make a list, a simple plan for what you have to do.

I made a list of rooms, then main areas within each room. You can see my plan, which I wrote on my office whiteboard, in the image at the start of this article.

In writing your plan, break down your space into logical sub-spaces, then list these.

If you don’t want to make your own list, you can use a ready-made program like 52 Home Organizing Missions or 30-Day Organize-athon.

Having a Simple How plan alone will reduce the sense of overwhelm. You may even find yourself excited to get going on one of the sub-spaces in your plan. Small, achievable goals can be super-motivating!

3. Do It Fast

I wanted to complete my entire house and office declutter in one speedy, big block, because:

• I don’t enjoy the process and wanted to get it over with as fast as possible
• I didn’t know if I had the drive to come back to it once I’d taken a break.

So I allocated five days for my declutter project, and that’s pretty much all I did for those five days. (I was happy to skip gym classes – decluttering burns calories! – and to make up work time on available weekends.)

Knowing I had only five days kept me motivated to persevere when I got tired and helped me to make quick decisions. I really didn’t want to leave the project half-finished! The ticking clock also kept a lid on perfectionism.

Allocate as much time as you can to your declutter project – an afternoon, day, weekend, week – and free yourself of other commitments for this period. Then divide the available time over the tasks on your list and get rid of clutter!

It can also help to use a declutter mantra to keep yourself moving – I like: Move fast. Don’t overthink. Let it go.

If you do your declutter project in one big block of time, then the momentum will carry you through, and you’ll need far less energy and motivation than you’d need if you had to start and stop.

4. Check Off Your Successes As Your Go

When you look at my whiteboard list, do you wish you could cross off those items? Well, I did too!

The lure of checkboxes is powerful. I also put a line through completed areas, which made the list doubly motivating. Each day I would tick off and put a line through finished tasks, and post an updated picture of my whiteboard on Facebook.

Give yourself the pleasure of checking off and/or crossing off each mini-area as you complete it.

Most of us are kids at heart, and these little reinforcers work wonders.

Summary

If you want to run your own declutter project, here are my top strategies:

1. Have a strong why
2. Have a simple how
3. Do it fast
4. Check off your successes as you go.

I’d love to see your before and after photos – or just the after ones if you prefer – on Facebook. And let me know if my suggestions helped!