Many people make New Year's resolutions, only to break them within a week or a month afterwards.

Many people either do or do not set goals for themselves. Some people have no idea how to set goals.

So, let's look at the difference between resolutions and goals.

"Webster's New World Compact School and
Office Dictionary" copyright 1994, offers these definitions:

~~ Resolution - 1) the act or result of resolving something 2) a thing determined upon; decision as to future action
3) a resolute quality of mind
4) a formal statement of opinion or determination by an assembly, etc.

~~ Goal - 1) the place at which a race, trip, etc. is ended
2) an end that one strives to attain
3) in some games, a) the line or net over or into which the ball or puck must go to score b) the score made.

Notice # 2 in each definition and let's use 'losing weight' as our example. (I use this as an example because it is the number one New Years resolution).

The statement "I'm going to lose weight this year" doesn't really have any meaning, focus, or structure.

The statement "I have determined that I need to lose weight and will walk one mile three times a week so that I can wear the new dress/suit that is too tight."

See the difference? See how the second statement has more clarity and structure?

We have determined the problem, decided on the action we want or need to take, and what end we are striving to attain.

This is the way to focus on a problem, make a resolution, and set a goal. This is what I have coined a "Goal - Resolve.

"Goal - Resolve! What is this woman talking about?"

Goal - Resolve: a statement that determines a problem, what action you need to take, and to what end you want to attain.

Since this is an article about organizing, let's make a Goal - Resolve for organizing an area of your life that is driving you crazy (you fill in the blanks):

I, _________________, have determined that I need to organize my _____________, and will sort through, toss, recycle, or donate anything that is no longer of use or of value to me. I will do this for _______ minutes or hours a day until the area is organized and everything I keep has a "home" and can be easily located when needed."

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Credits: Janet L. Hall