Organization? Who needs organization?
I do. I really, really do.
I’m n
ot the most organized guy around. I leave books, papers, journals, and magazines pretty much everywhere around the house. I put them down, thinking I will eventually get back to them, but I don’t and these disturbingly large piles of printed matter begin to grow in my office and the living room and anywhere else I may have sat still for a while.
When computers came along I thought I’d have a much easier time keeping things organized. Boy, as I wrong.
I currently have a folder on my iMac titled “Blogs”. Within that folder is another folder titled “Completed Blogs” and within that folder is another folder I call “Published”.
Here’s the workflow. I start writing. I save in the folder “Blogs”. When it’s complete I transfer it to “Completed” and when it goes online I transfer it to “Published”. At least that’s the way it’s supposed to work.
What really happens is I sometimes remember to transfer it to “Completed”, and sometimes I remember to transfer it to “Published”. Often they just sit where I started them. Now I could go back to the blogs online and compare what I’ve published with what needs to be moved on my computer to “Published”, except I often change the title when I publish and do more editing so it’s not as simple as it could be.
So, naturally, rather than organize my files I decided to research clutter.
There are a metric shit tonne of sites that will help you get organized. I mean, seriously, I’m sure the people who run these sites could easily fill several months just organizing the organizing sites. Hell, there are even organizations for organizers.
The American Society of Professional Organizers, The National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (Napo, not Napop. One sounds like a fun drink the other a planet in Star Wars), and Professional Organizers in Canada (POC not to be confused with People of Colour POC), are just three. These are organizations for organizers, and not event organizers, but ORGANIZERS. Napo has Napo University where one can become a certified organizer.
I’m pretty sure if they saw the state of my desk, they would become instantly certifiable.
One site claimed that disorganized workplaces were 20% less efficient and disorganized people were more likely to feel fatigued and depressed. That’s not disorganization, that’s aging. This came from a site that was selling organization lessons, so I’ll probably take this data with a grain of salt.
What these places fail to understand is the joy of disorganization, like rooting through a pile of papers and finding something I really liked and had forgotten about. The endorphin rush is real.
Opening a file on my computer and realizing that I had stumbled onto a paper I had started and then forgotten only to rewrite it later. Joy at finding it, annoyance at having rewritten it, joy at seeing how well the two copies matched. It’s a roller coaster of emotion people.
Lots of sites offer tips on how to get and stay organized, but really “99 Tips of Highly Organized People”, “37 ways to stay organized”? I can barely remember the order I get dressed in (shoes AFTER pants) and you want me to remember 99 things?
Regardless, here are some tips to stay organized, as conveyed to me by people I don’t know and hope I never meet.
Keep on Track – If only it were that easy. If I could stay on track would I be reading your tips?
Make your bed when you wake up - and disturb the dogs? Are you insane?
Make a To Do list for the day – which is just a continuation of the lists from all the previous days.
Do one thing at a time and do it now - If I do it now, I can’t do all the other one things I have chosen to do.
Note Cards - I tried this. The cards are in a pile somewhere.
Have less stuff – oh really? And what do I get rid of? The beer stein that I never look at or use, from my first trip to Germany? 200 or so dice of various shapes in case I ever start a seniors Dungeon and Dragons campaign? And don’t even think about suggesting I cull some books.
Say No more often – based on my experience in high school and university this one is easier for woman.
I think organization is more about personality and neurology than anything else and I’ve got a brain that really doesn’t like being too organized. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.
Alright, I’m off to find…something, somewhere on my desk. Or it could be on the shelves. Might have left it beside the bed…