Have you ever made a goal to get organized? Like when the first of the year comes and you set those New Year's Resolutions. Or, it's time for school to start and your kids are out of the house, so you just know you'll have tons more time to get stuff done.

If you have years or months worth of clutter that has accumulated in your home, it's going to take more than the statement "I'm going to get organized!" to tackle the problem. It's going to take a serious step-by-step plan.

I have had clients follow these same steps and have also used them myself when I felt like my home needed some revamping. Yes, I am organized, but I am also human and there have been times I've looked around my house and wanted to pull my hair out!

Here's how to identify those pesky problem areas in your home:

Decide what the room's purpose is - Sit down with a notebook and pen write down each room in your house. Then write down what goes on in that room or what you would like to be able to use the room for.

For example,let's say you would like your master bedroom to be a quiet retreat for yourself. You want to be able to go in there after the kids are in bed and watch a great movie or read a book.

Or maybe you want the garage to be an area where you can getaway and experiment with your hobbies. Possibly you would like to actually park the car in there!

Giving each room a purpose is your first step to reclaiming your house.

Decide what's wrong with the room - For this step you will need to walk around your house with the pen and paper in hand. Write down 4 things that are the biggest headache in each room. This can be anything from an uncomfortable bed to a pile of clothes that has no home.

Does your master bedroom have only a bed and nothing else for storage? Maybe your child's room look like Toys R Us threw up in there and they are always complaining about not being able to find anything.

Whatever it is write it down, but only write down 4 things. Remember, you're overwhelmed as it is.

Decide what needs to be done to the room - This is the last step in identifying the problems. You now have written down what you want the room to be used for and what's wrong with the room. Now decide what you would like to do to the room to help it fulfill the use you assigned to it in the first step. This step is all about dreaming.

Remember that master bedroom that you wanted to use as a retreat? What does it need, besides getting rid of the clutter? Maybe you would love a nice reading chair and a beautiful lamp. Or you the room needs a dresser to put that pile of clothes from the corner in.

As far as the garage that you wanted to use as a hobby area, is it so cluttered with junk that you can't even walk through it? If the answer is yes, then it sounds like you need some storage. Overhead storage and wall grids would be perfect so that the floor space would be freed up.

Like I said, this step is all about dreaming. You're probably not going to be able to purchase all these things up front, but at least you have a nice list of ideas in front of you and you know what things bother you about each room in your home.

It's amazing how purchasing the simplest things like a hamper or a chair can help you create the room of your dreams. It's all about planning and dreaming when it comes to identifying those problem areas.

Be sure and join me tomorrow when I talk about "How to Declutter It!".