January is typically a month when many of us make New Year’s resolutions. Often those resolutions include finally getting organized - but when closets overflow and paperwork stacks up, the task can seem daunting at best.

Northampton Area Public Library held a Zoom class Jan. 20 to address the dilemma, offering some great tips on not only getting started, but sticking with it long enough to reap some real benefits.

The class started by reiterating SMART goals, which have become popular with business managers, educators and the like because they actually work. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time based. Class instructor Melissa Draving helped break down these concepts into usable pieces of information.

For example, being specific about your end result, and keeping it in mind, will help you plan for success. Include milestones in your planning to stay on track and make your progress measurable. Choose goals that are attainable and fit into the bigger picture of your life. Choose relevant goals that will improve your life. Lastly, make sure those goals are time based.

Draving built on the SMART model, offering advice such as writing down your goals and posting them where you can see them each day to remind you of what you are trying to accomplish.

She also says breaking down goals into short term and long term can be useful, and writing out the necessary steps to achieve your goal can help you visualize what is needed to move forward.

To keep yourself accountable, share your goals with people you trust and/or post them on social media. Try pairing up with someone else of like mind and brainstorming with one another. You can turn it into a game, with a point/reward system and track progress to see how your habits are developing. Draving recommends trying Meet Up, Habatica, Darebee, RescueTime and Tello online for these purposes.

She also recommends reading books about organization and productivity such as “Atomic Habits,” by James Clear.

Other tips include getting all your supplies together before you begin and doing it in manageable increments so you don’t feel overwhelmed.

“Reducing your paperwork by one third is a reasonable goal,” she said.

Clothing can easily be culled at the end of each season while you still know what you didn’t wear.

And if you find yourself tempted by those daily sales bulletins that flood your email, get rid of them.

Finally, decide what you really need to keep. Not everything can be sentimental, and many things can be damaged if not stored appropriately. Consult an antiques dealer to get rid of valuable things.

Mostly, be kind to yourself so your project doesn’t turn negative, and don’t be afraid to seek the help of a professional.

Draving, owner of “Here for You PA,” a concierge service based in Emmaus, got her start in organizing by helping her parents when her mother, also a business owner, was diagnosed with cancer. She went on to become a personal assistant and opened her business in 2017.

Draving started offering classes at Emmaus Public Library as an opportunity to practice public speaking and offered a class in meal planning at Northampton Area Public Library last spring. NAPL Director Susan Sentz said Draving will probably be back, along with other Zoom offerings.

“At this point, we are trying to have about one Zoom event per month, whether it’s a class or an activity,” Sentz said.

Visit the library website, northamptonapl.org, to see what’s coming up.