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Do you have an easy time setting organizing goals, but a hard time following through on them? For a lot of people, making plans for getting organized at home or work isn’t the problem; it is turning those organizing dreams into realities which poses the challenge. In Part 1, I shared the following tips for getting organized:

1. Make it a commitment.
2. Start small.
3. Set up your environment to support your goals.
4.Create reminders for yourself.

Here are some more hacks which can help you to achieve your goals.

5. Do not get discouraged by lapses in the beginning.
It takes time to learn a new habit—probably much longer than you realize. It may be weeks or even months before a daily organizing system or any other regular schedule for organizing actually becomes second nature. In the meantime, you will have lapses. So instead of getting down on yourself for them (which just increases the chances you will give up), accept that as a reality and move past it.

6. Recognize that willpower is limited; give yourself breaks.
The newest research suggests that willpower is a limited resource which can be drained and needs time to be replenished. If you are really hardcore about your organizing schedule and you do not give yourself any freedom to take a break from your obligations, you increase your chances of burnout (which often leads to giving up for another year). You may want to schedule a day or two every week where you do no organizing.

7. Reward yourself for your hard work.
One of the reasons why it is so hard to follow through on goals is because we make them with the future in mind, but we exist in the present. The rewards in the future may be great, but in the present, we just see the hard work, and we lose our motivation. You can offset this effect by giving yourself short-term rewards for following through on your weekly organizing goals.

8. Make it part of your identity.
One more excellent discipline hack which can make a huge difference when you are trying to get organized is to make organizing into a part of your identity. This can reduce the amount of willpower you need to do your tasks each day.

Basically, instead of waking up each day and saying, “Organizing is something I have to do,” you wake up with the belief, “I am an organized person.” You teach yourself to perceive of organizing as something natural and latent to you. It is no longer something you “have” to do—it is simply who you are. This reduces internal friction and makes it easier to follow through.

Hopefully these tips for following through on home and workplace organizing goals will assist you in achieving your goals and doing so with less stress and hassle. With these hacks on your side, you may be amazed at what you are able to achieve!