I have been in the business of assisting corporations, government agencies, non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals in becoming better organized since 1982. And so you can trust me when I say, During that time, I have seen everything! Like the government agent in Washington, DC who had two drawers of napkins or the corporate manager in Virginia who had 11 glue sticks. Then there was the pastor in Maryland who had a pile of paper on his desk a full four feet tall! The only way he could work at his desk was to stand up! Then there was the brilliant, beautiful congressional staff member who had 75 bras and 119 eyeliners.
Discoveries like these have led me to adopt and try to share a basic plea with my clients: Stop, Look, Listen and Think! We simply have "TMS" -- Too Much Stuff! It's blocking out our light and air; it's choking us; it's ruling and reigning over our lives. We need to control our stuff or our stuff will control us -- and believe me, "stuff" can be a hard and cruel taskmaster!
As I have traveled across this beautiful country and worked with every conceivable kind of person, I have noticed a pattern, a consistent way of thinking. It permeates the minds and hearts of all my clients:
When you think properly about getting organized, you will take giant steps toward becoming organized.
That's the theme and key sentence in this month's Tip, and the operative word in spelling out this principle is "think," which is why I've highlighted it. If your home or work space is represented by any of the humorous illustrations above, do you need a plan to get the situation fixed? Most assuredly, yes. But first our thinking must change, not just our training or our schedule or our children or our habits or our spouses or our responsibilities -- or whatever excuse we may offer as to why we are not organized. People say, "Sue, come and help us." And I do, but it has much more chance of "sticking" when I can help them change thought processes. When we eliminate the old, outdated ways of thinking and create a paradigm shift -- an adjustment in perspective -- about getting organized, we will be well on the road to a new way of looking at ourselves and we will begin the process of organizing and staying organized.
I deal with many different ideas and plans in my work, successfully developed and shared over nearly 20 years of assisting people in becoming untangled, unfettered and newly organized so they can become more productive, happier and with a deeper sense of well-being. Consistent with my experience, I'll give you a lot of practical, helpful, easily applied Tips in future editions of this page. But nothing I know or can share will help you permanently unless you're willing to take an initial step, and that first step of the journey to better organization begins in the mind -- in your mind, with your own thinking. I'm not saying you can "think yourself to new heights of organization." I am saying, however, that if you're willing to think differently about your time, your possessions, your work space -- your very life, and what it's about -- you will engineer permanent change, not simply undergo a quick, cosmetic make-over.
Once thinking has been transformed the reorganizing process becomes a snap. As one of my colleagues says, it's organizing from the inside out. Change your paradigm and your home, office, kids, time and life will forever be ordered, and you will become a more productive person -- more productive in work, at play, at home and with your relationships. Whether you want a new (i.e., reorganized) clothes closet, your office staff to be more productive, or your kids to clean their rooms, it all starts with some adjustments in how you think about your goals. Change your thinking, and you will change your life.
Becoming organized has untold benefits. It brings a sense of stability and peace. Where there is order there is inner satisfaction and balance that liberates rather than confines. Such freedom can be yours.
