Three New Year’s resolutions are get fit, lose weight and get organized. At the beginning of the year, health clubs are crowded, there’s standing room only at Weight Watchers meetings and The Container Store is jammed. But so often that resolve fades by the second month of the year.

I’m not a fitness or nutrition expert but, as a Certified Professional Organizer®, I can help you achieve your New Year’s resolution to become better organized. Here are some tips to get started now.

Name It: What does being organized look like to you? Does it mean that your bills are paid on time, or that you can see what you have in your closets, or that you can quickly find the papers you need or that your bedroom is free of clutter? Define specifically what you want to be different so that you know exactly what you want to work on changing.

Pace Yourself: It’s not unusual to have a client say “everything is bothering me!” You can do it all but you can’t do it all at once, so break it down and decide what you will work on first, second and so forth. One of my recent clients is choosing to work on one room of her house each month, including her home office, over the next 12 months in order to stay focused and not get overwhelmed.

Book It: Book appointments with yourself to work on the areas you want to focus on and keep them just like any other appointment you wouldn’t dream of cancelling.

Make Small Changes: Small changes can make a huge difference. For example, putting each load of laundry that comes out of the dryer away immediately, sorting the incoming mail every day, spending 10 minutes a day putting things away, or deciding on regular days each month that you will pay bills are all small steps that can dramatically affect how organized you feel.

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t achieve your goals right away. Although it’s great to have resolutions, making a behavior change is a process and backsliding is normal. So stay committed and you will succeed!

Linda Goldman is a Certified Professional Organizer® and the owner of Altogether Organized. You can learn more about how she helps people get and stay organized at http://www.altogetherorganized.org