Get Organized Or Live With Chaos
by Nathan F Shaw on 2007-09-23
11 years I obsessed over getting organized. But last year it hit me... I would never ever be caught up with everything going on in my life. I would never be organized. I will bare all... and it will be important for everything you do from this point:
From Franklin Planners to David Allen's Getting Things Done, productivity and organized living is becoming more and more important and desired because modern life is so fast paced full with options and choices.
And today I read this about a Professional Organizer and her client..
"...together they purged her office of unnecessary clutter, set up a system of file folders and discussed strategies that would allow Mohan to make decisions more quickly. Not only is Mohan's desk spotless, but her files are so organized she can delegate more work to her assistant. The cost of Hemphill's consultation: $5,000. "It was outrageously worth it," says Mohan.
$5,000! And yet still 'outrageously worth it'. Yes, even those high level business exec's with that kind of money to spend on getting organized are 1. incapable of knowing how to get organized without help and 2. can appreciate the value of getting that help.
Perhaps you don't have that kind of money, or perhaps you would rather do a few simple thingstake measures right now to get better organized before getting so disorganized that your only course of action is to pay through the nose for such drastic assistance.
And here's what I discovered for myself in 2006. Getting organized is impossible! But even better than that is when I saw that getting organized is not even important.
So let me tell you the secret of what really does matter. It's not getting or being or staying organized. Simple example: As soon as you use the kitchen to make dinner, you've made a mess.
Surely life is meant to be lived, and our environment is meant to be lived in, which means it has to be organized just enough to be functional and enjoyable.
The secret then, in a word, is efficiency. I came across an old 1920s business course on efficiency published by the Emerson Institute of Efficiency. But we lost touch with that concept in favor of ‘getting organized’. But now after some 90 years, we have come to realize getting organized doesn’t work.
And here's what economist Mark Zandi of Moody's Economy.com said which exposes the serious need for this re-discovery of efficiency as being more important now than 'organized':
"I just can't physically find another spare moment to do more, so I've reached the point where I need to ration what I do, or do what I do better".
With his BlackBerry, laptop and mobile phone, demands on his time and productivity exceed the available time.
People still use the phrase ‘organized living’ a lot but what it really should now be is ‘efficient living’.
Organized... or Efficient means being efficient enough to get done what you want to get done, find time to enjoy yourself, and let the rest go to hell, for you needn't sweat the small stuff, right?
Now going over to the extreme are some people taking advantage of the breakdown in normal 'get organized' philosophies like David Allen or Franklin Covey, and saying that chaos is the better way...
The mess-for-success author like Abrahamson and Freedman say that turning your life over to any "system" has a downside.
Well, what do you think about that? It doesn't stand to reason, it doesn't hold water...
Even Abrahamson, the advocate of messiness, has found he can't manage his time wisely without putting every appointment in his Outlook calendar, which he syncs to his handheld computer AND his wristwatch!
But it sure sounds cool, that being messy and living via chaos is the solution to the get organized problem of our times, but...
Please make permanent note in your thinking that the true distinction I teach is Organized Living means more about being efficient than getting organized, because chaos really doesn’t lead to success, and getting organized really is impossible.
You need a sensible middle ground of balance between 'knowing where everything is' and flexibility of letting some things 'go to hell' because you have to prioritize what you do with your time. That, my friend, is the goal of Organized Living.
From Franklin Planners to David Allen's Getting Things Done, productivity and organized living is becoming more and more important and desired because modern life is so fast paced full with options and choices.
And today I read this about a Professional Organizer and her client..
"...together they purged her office of unnecessary clutter, set up a system of file folders and discussed strategies that would allow Mohan to make decisions more quickly. Not only is Mohan's desk spotless, but her files are so organized she can delegate more work to her assistant. The cost of Hemphill's consultation: $5,000. "It was outrageously worth it," says Mohan.
$5,000! And yet still 'outrageously worth it'. Yes, even those high level business exec's with that kind of money to spend on getting organized are 1. incapable of knowing how to get organized without help and 2. can appreciate the value of getting that help.
Perhaps you don't have that kind of money, or perhaps you would rather do a few simple thingstake measures right now to get better organized before getting so disorganized that your only course of action is to pay through the nose for such drastic assistance.
And here's what I discovered for myself in 2006. Getting organized is impossible! But even better than that is when I saw that getting organized is not even important.
So let me tell you the secret of what really does matter. It's not getting or being or staying organized. Simple example: As soon as you use the kitchen to make dinner, you've made a mess.
Surely life is meant to be lived, and our environment is meant to be lived in, which means it has to be organized just enough to be functional and enjoyable.
The secret then, in a word, is efficiency. I came across an old 1920s business course on efficiency published by the Emerson Institute of Efficiency. But we lost touch with that concept in favor of ‘getting organized’. But now after some 90 years, we have come to realize getting organized doesn’t work.
And here's what economist Mark Zandi of Moody's Economy.com said which exposes the serious need for this re-discovery of efficiency as being more important now than 'organized':
"I just can't physically find another spare moment to do more, so I've reached the point where I need to ration what I do, or do what I do better".
With his BlackBerry, laptop and mobile phone, demands on his time and productivity exceed the available time.
People still use the phrase ‘organized living’ a lot but what it really should now be is ‘efficient living’.
Organized... or Efficient means being efficient enough to get done what you want to get done, find time to enjoy yourself, and let the rest go to hell, for you needn't sweat the small stuff, right?
Now going over to the extreme are some people taking advantage of the breakdown in normal 'get organized' philosophies like David Allen or Franklin Covey, and saying that chaos is the better way...
The mess-for-success author like Abrahamson and Freedman say that turning your life over to any "system" has a downside.
Well, what do you think about that? It doesn't stand to reason, it doesn't hold water...
Even Abrahamson, the advocate of messiness, has found he can't manage his time wisely without putting every appointment in his Outlook calendar, which he syncs to his handheld computer AND his wristwatch!
But it sure sounds cool, that being messy and living via chaos is the solution to the get organized problem of our times, but...
Please make permanent note in your thinking that the true distinction I teach is Organized Living means more about being efficient than getting organized, because chaos really doesn’t lead to success, and getting organized really is impossible.
You need a sensible middle ground of balance between 'knowing where everything is' and flexibility of letting some things 'go to hell' because you have to prioritize what you do with your time. That, my friend, is the goal of Organized Living.
About The Author: Nathan F Shaw offers a 3 week mind-cleanse for life purpose and direction as well as a new time management system.