Illustration by Sarah Price/Getty Images - Pulled from Bizwomen.com

Often a new year ushers in moments of pause and chatter around setting resolutions for the next 12 months. Rather than making goals lists and fleeting grand statements, I encourage you to start small. One day, at a time, even, one moment at a time. Create a new perspective and set easily attainable micro-goals, fueling productivity, positive affirmations, and personal accomplishments buckets.

Embracing a slight change to your physical environment will help move you in this direction. By restoring order and honing at-home organization, your brain will register these visual modifications in a new form. Whether it's making your bed first thing after waking up (a Tim Ferris hot tip for starting the day off successfully) or conducting a 4-minute sock purge — these are manageable places to begin to create a significant impact.

Here's how the 4-minute sock purge works:

• Pull everything out of your sock drawer and place it on the ground.

• Immediately remove socks that are missing their partners, then sort into categories (dressy, everyday, athletic, novelty, and so on).

• Remove tattered, stretched, or damaged socks.

• Scan the types and ask yourself if you need 11 pairs of black knee-highs or if seven pairs of grippies are overkill.

• Return the remaining pairs and insert them into drawers by categories listed above, plus others you may have.

After completing this activity, I promise that when you open your drawer each morning, you'll feel an effusive rush of calm and order — what a grand way to start your day.

A few of my trusted resources for sock drawer tidiness:

• 32-Compartment Sock Drawer Organizer

• Linen Drawer Organizer

• Darning Egg (they’re also fun decorative items)

This article was first published on Bizwomen.com on January 17, 2021, by Ellen Sherberg.