“Outer order contributes to inner calm” --Gretchen Rubin

As the hustle and bustle of the season winds down, we begin to focus on the new year ahead: who we were in the last 366 days and how we hope to improve ourselves in the next 365 days.

Here are the top 2016 New Year’s resolutions, according to Business Wire:

• Enjoy life to the fullest (45.7%)
• Live a healthier lifestyle (41.1%)
• Lose weight (39.6%)
• Spend more time with family and friends (33.2%)
• Save more, spend less (30.1%)
• Pay down debt (27.5%)

If so many people are making New Year's resolutions, why is it so hard for us to stick with it past the first few weeks of the new year? It all boils down to having very little time or money to spare.

Even if you're running low on time and money, there is one resolution that can help you have more of both.

Organization. It can save you time and stress.

According to the NY Daily News, Americans spend $5,591 on lost items in their lifetime, and the Daily Mail reports people spend approximately 153 days looking for the 198,643 items they lose in their lifetime.

“For every minute spent in organization, an hour is earned.” --Benjamin Franklin

Organization is extremely beneficial to anyone, no matter where you're at in life. It improves your efficiency, time management skills and ability to plan ahead. It helps you set priorities and keep on track with your goals. It makes everything accessible, and your living space will be tidier.

Organization and planning doesn't have to be scary. The key to this process is finding what works best for you. Even the most flawless organization plan will be useless if it doesn't fit into your lifestyle.

In my experience, a planner, to-do lists and reduced paper clutter are the most effective ways to stay organized. When in doubt, always simplify.

How to organize your planner:

• Buy a planner with enough space to write everything and that allows you to add inserts for to-do lists, bills, receipts, etc.
• Use sticky notes to keep track of your schedule, goals and deadlines on monthly and daily calendars.
• Divide your planner into sections and label them. Don't forget to include a finance tab so you can keep track of your expenditures on the go.
• Color code all of your appointments, meetings and activities. It will make it easier to visualize your schedule with a quick glance.
• Keep a blank piece of paper in your planner to jot down random thoughts. This will help you remember them and declutter your mind.
• Lifestyle blogs “A Bowl Full of Lemons” and “My Love for Words” feature great free planner printables.
• Sync all of your print and digital calendars.
• Not interested in the pen and paper method? There are countless apps for Apple and Android that are fantastic for organizing your life. My Android favorites are Every Dollar, Any.Do and Bright ToDo.

How to reduce your paper clutter:

• Never keep documents longer than necessary. You have to keep your taxes for seven years, but bills can be shredded after you file your annual taxes.
• Organize, label and file your bills and other paperwork by month and year, not by company.
• Scan receipts to store them using a similar digital filing system.
• Gather up all of your mail and paperwork, and use the “Touch it Once” policy: every time you see a paper, you either trash it, scan and trash it, display it, or file it. This will prevent piles of paper from accumulating and saves time because you don't have to move that piece more than once.
• Shred and recycle receipts, bills and junk mail.

How to use Sunday to plan your week:

• Plan out and grocery shop for the week's meals. Bonus points if you prepare and cook your meals.
• Plan your outfits for the week. Set each outfit on a separate hanger so all you will have to do in the morning is grab a hanger and get dressed.
• Clean a room or two of your house, and do the laundry.
• File and shred all of your paperwork, including the ones in your purse or briefcase.

The goal of life and organization is to work smarter and not harder.