Alrighty, now that you’re geared up it’s time to tackle the fun stuff. Many people tell me how warped I am to view organizing as a hobby. But what they don’t realize is that in order for it to truly work for me I have to keep it as a hobby. Further by viewing it this way it takes on a positive connotation that can help me want to explore it. And we all know how big a factor motivation is.

Warning! Organization is a tool that when implemented can become a way of life. But be careful, if you tip this pyramid over, your life will topple from the imbalance. It is the fundamental foundation of success as it burrows its way into everything from our time management to our resource management. But it is only one tool (important as it is) in achieving balance in our lives. If you make it your life, spontaneity is lost and thus the fun of life. You become a drone - a human “doing” instead of a human “being.”

Today’s tip: Mapping

When I began this series, I challenged you to make a decision to track how you spend your time. You have to start somewhere and you can’t make any progress if you don’t record/track your efforts. This is the first step in organization: recognition converted into recording/tracking the observations. Once this is done you have a starting point to begin mapping and planning - - yes that my friends is the fundamental task called organizing. It’s simpler than it sounds because it may be identifying that “closet” as something that needs attention. You’ve just made a visual recognition and mental recording of a task (and you thought it was going to be a complicated algorithm!)

You are now getting a picture of your elephant. As you grow in this exercise you’ll get better at adding detail, for now just make sure you’re getting the basics of body, head and legs. *wink* In time you will also see when the elephant breaks out into more than one, making pinpoint mapping more successful and you more powerful.

So now you can see your elephant you need to break it down and tackle the beast. Here’s where we move into phase two of mapping: defining your goal. The best advice I have here is don’t simply ask yourself what you want to accomplish. Ask yourself, “What do I want to have happen.” That simple shift will help you explore better the possible actions that will leave you with satisfactory results.

Take that closet for example. Maybe your answer could be: “I want to be able to easily find what I’m looking for.” Compare that to the standard: “I want to make my closet neat.” *See* how you just better defined your path? The end result is going to be the same - the closet will be neat and more orderly but by using the first answer as a finish line you’re going to be happier with the result because you will likely have organized your closet belongings in a way that makes sense to you and makes it possible to see contents in an orderly way. In short you will have brought the end result closer to the visual picture you put in your head - even though you may not have known you created one.

Think of your elephants like file folders. Each parent or root file is for general areas of responsibilities or projects. Sub folders will be created in their respective areas. The reason I bring this is up is because by visualizing an order system in your head it’s easier to see where you’re going and you’ll be far more efficient. I’m a very visual person so this is what the picture in my head looks like.

Some people can keep it all in their heads. Some have to keep it all on a list in front of them. As I get older I’m finding I do a little of both. There are some things I don’t need to put down on paper to get done just like I don’t need to put milk and bread on my weekly grocery list. They are givens that are constant so I don’t bog down my list with them. But then there are those speciality items and things you don’t buy often like the daily shower spray refill or fajita seasoning. Those do need to go on the list. And on days when I begin feeling like I’m starting to dog paddle, it’s time to pull out the ordered list so I can clearly see what things I need to get done that day to start feeling in control again.

Remember the importance of seeing your accomplishments. If you haven’t done something that you can *see* you need to put it on a list so you can visualize what you got done.

Tune in tomorrow for my tip on how I use technology to aid my organization efforts!

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