BECOMING ORGANIZED: THE HABIT OF STEADY & FLOW

"No business (or life) can succeed in any great degree without being properly organized."_James Cash Penny

Systematic and efficient way to live and work, I will admit, is something I have had quite a hard time, learning.

When I younger, I loved to read. And as much as I could, I would stockpile any readable materials that seemed interesting to me — newspapers, magazines and books — though I may not have the time to read many of them for days or months.

My step-mother was the one to compel me on a particular Sunday like that to clean up my storage space, organize my books and keep everything in order. Undoubtedly, I was and still am a pack rat. 

Growing up, this poor habit of disorganization with physical items slipped into other areas as well, like areas of duty and getting things done. 

I found myself procrastinating, a lot of times. And subtly worse, choosing to do first, less value activities and later, higher value ones. 

Thank goodness, for the golden grace of self discipline and self development, I am on a quest to getting better by learning to live and work in a systematic and efficient way. 

There is a poem by Douglas Malloch, the Lumberman’s poet, that illustrates beautifully the flaw of disorganization on how he worked and lived, at a point in his life.And clearly, it is not just a weakness peculiar to me but to many potential greats who just need a little redirection to make the most of the opportunities at hand. 

The wisdom of the poem lies not in the illustration of the weakness itself but in the essence of the need to grow as a result. And the literal challenge of what can be accomplished, if it is rectified.

Now, let’s get to it:

“IF I COULD JUST GET ORGANIZED…..

There may be nothing wrong with you, the way you work and the work you do. 

But I can very plainly see exactly what is wrong with me.

It isn’t that I am indolent or dodging duty by intent. I work as hard as anyone, yet I get so little done.

The morning goes, the noon is here and before I know it, the night is near and all around me are things I haven’t finished yet. 

IF I COULD JUST GET ORGANIZED….

Often time, I have realized that not all that matters is the man, but a man must also have a plan.

With you, there may be nothing wrong, but here is my trouble right along: I do things that don’t amount to very much….that really seem important though…

I never finished what I am at. I work as hard as anyone, and yet get so little done.

I will do so much, you will be surprised, IF I COULD JUST GET ORGANIZED?”

If we could just get organized, how much of a difference will it make in our lives?

How do we know the answer for sure? We don’t! Until we try.

As a result, I will share some tips we can all learn from some of the masters in the game. 

So, what does it even mean to get organized?

WHAT IS ORGANIZING?

“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” – A. A. Milne

The definition of organizing by A.A Milne makes good sense. Essentially, it means exactly what it says as far as doing good work is concerned. 

However, I will add emphasis to the word ‘BEFORE’ in the quote, for this is the key of the whole thing. 

You don’t organize in the middle of an important project.You do it before you begin. An error of delay in this instance can cause a big mess. 

The best way to prevent a disorder is to make a plan for the work at hand, and then work that plan till the work is done.

WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN

“Once you have a clear idea of your priorities – that is your values, goals and high leverage activities, organize around them.” – Stephen Covey

If you have a project or an important task to accomplish, write out in detail, everything you have to do to accomplish it. Everything; big and small; important and trifle. Write down…everything.

This is how we can make the most of the opportunity.

Now examine them carefully to see which of them is the most important.Once you do, give it number one and then number the rest accordingly. After the numbering, get to work by tackling each task according to its position on the scale. 

This is critical. 

Never do task number two until you finish task number one. 

Trust me, I know. And John Maxwell also knows for he says that, when we live our lives putting second things first, big problems can arise. Invariably, they will.

FIX A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING.

“A place for everything, and everything in its place.”_Benjamin Franklin

This idea from Franklin is very effective in saving us a lot of time looking for misplaced stuff and the accompanying stress of such a frenetic search.

Personally, I am still learning to fix a permanent place for everything in my space, but for some few important things, I don’t even think about them anymore.

If I should take them away for use at anytime, and I need to use them again at another time, I already know where they are, without fail. My habit ensures that I return them to their fixed place, every time.

So, choose one thing you need to fix a place for and start today. The calm that you will get when it becomes a habit will be well worth the effort in the long run.

KEEP FLAT SURFACES CLEAN

''Keep what is worth keeping and with the breadth of kindness, blow the rest away."_Binah Mcraik

It is always tempting for me to want to keep most things — some of which may turn out not to be very important after a while. 

Nonetheless, I want to hold on to them. Even if I can’t use them at moment. I want to keep them within my reach. I want them on my table. Remember, I am a pack rat.

That’s why my desk most of the time looks like the desk of Albert Einstein, filled with many books, journals, papers, and so on. 

Since it may be overwhelming to keep all flat surfaces clean at once, let’s start with a single table, the desk, the space where you do your work. 

Make that single flat surface a no clutter allowed zone. 

Anything that is not useful for today’s work should go. Keep only what you need now, and calmly blow the rest away; into the library; the bags or any where you choose but not on your desk.

This will make you work better; your desk will look neater; your chances of misplacing important things slimmer.

Becoming organized is one of the things I realized its importance a little late and in fact a core fundamental of high performing people. The people who do important work with apparent ease; the people who are quick and efficient in their actions and are rarely in hurry; the people who make things happen like a force of nature; the people of steady and flow.

I believe I can become one of them, and I believe you can too. We can all learn to become more organized, day bay day, until it becomes a fixed investment that will continue to yield bountiful results for the rest of our lives.

According to Genevieve Behrend, “organization” is heaven’s first law. 

So let’s make a habit of giving proper place to everything in our lives, and experience the amazing power of steady and flow. Remember the phrase “organize or agonize.” I prefer the former. What about you?