As we finish up the last week of the first month of the New Year, we’ve talked about GO Month a few times & mentioned its’ basic importance. Sure, NAPO designated January as GO Month (or “Get Organized” Month) in 2005 as a logical association with starting & establishing resolutions for the new year, but really the focus of establishing new routines is a goal you can carry through the rest of the year-and it goes well beyond just organizing.

Before we dig in, ask yourself: how many times a week you search for your smartphone or keys before you leave your home or office? What about other things like your workout bag or earbuds for the gym? Can you calculate the amount of time it takes you-every day and week-to find your everyday items? If you did, you’d be surprised how much the time you spend adds up. Days of the Year illustrates this point:

Research shows that people waste as much as an hour a day, on average, looking for things they’ve misplaced. That means that many of us waste as much as 15 days every year because of disorganization. So, it clearly pays to get organized because time is the one commodity none of us can recover.

The key to getting organized successfully is not as much about developing a system but more about sticking to that system.

This is the key to GO Month. Though we’re moving into February, the lessons & focus of GO Month and your resolutions go hand in hand in forming a solid bond between your resolutions and your day-to day systems to keep you on track. Organization is not just addressing clutter or things, but it’s what those things do to affect your time which can make a difference in the way you spend your time in 2016. So make it a good one!