This message and blog entry is brought to you by Tracy Paye, founder of Miss Organized and Miss Organized Mommy. Mention San Diego Bargain Mama and get 25% off..just in time for the new year!

It’s almost that time of year again when everyone wants to start with a clean slate. And usually getting organized is on everyone’s mind. That’s a fantastic goal, but without a plan and a real good heart to heart, for many the dream to be finally organized goes left unfulfilled and another year of feeling overwhelmed, underproductive, frustrated and hopeless goes by. Here’s a simple plan that can help you start on your path to getting organized THIS NEW YEAR.

Start with a very small area of your home. I would say even a couple of cabinets in your kitchen. Why? Tackling something small will leave you feeling accomplished instead of overwhelmed. It will give you the motivation to continue, and you will start to move some of that stuck space, which will create the energy needed to help move you forward to tackle the bigger spaces.

Make sure you have sorting containers. I like to use either banker boxes or plastic sorting bins (Sterilite in 6, 15 and 66 quarts). Start putting all like items together (see Tracy's how-to videos). Ex: baking (flour, sugar, icing), lunch items (sandwich bags, plastic spoons, napkins), beverages (hot chocolate, teas, coffees, Crystal Lite).

Once you have all like items in a category, it’s a lot easier for you to see how much you actually have of the same item. Toss or donate items you don’t need. Think of it this way, when you look at it does it make you feel bad or good? If it’s bad, that is negative energy which will hold you back and letting it go will serve you more than holding on to it.

Now that you can really see how much you have, then decide where it‘s going to go. Create a zone. For instance the baking zone, the lunch zone, the beverage zone. Place items that you need most frequently in the most easily accessible places.

Since the zone has been selected, now decide what are you going to put those items in. Plastic Sterilite bins are excellent for storage. Typically for smaller spaces like cabinets, 6 and 15 quart bins work well. Containers that are labeled are essential to staying organized.

Ahhhhh, you are now organized. But wait, don’t stop there. How are you going to stay organized? You will need to integrate some new habits and systems. For example, when you are considering buying something, ask yourself do I have the space for this and where is it going to go? If you can’t see instantly where you would store it, don’t buy it. Also, learn how to make decisions quickly. Don’t set it down and say I’ll deal with it later. Deal with it NOW and if you can’t, create a box of all the items you need to make a decision on and then once a week go through it and decide.

As for your heart to heart, the psychological component to disorganization can’t be ignored. So if you really want to get organized you may need to come out of denial and really see how the disorganization is affecting you and your family’s quality of life. Disorganization really can be very debilitating and it may be difficult to admit that you have lost control to your stuff. If your clutter has become way too much for you to handle (anything over 8 hours of work for most becomes too overwhelming to handle on their own), then find the courage to reach out for help. You can never know how much better your life will be until you actually experience the freedom of being organized. Get organized and get living! Dont forget: Mention San Diego Bargain Mama and get 25% off!