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Beyond Organization
If you're anything like me, you're a very busy person. Not only am I busy with regular things--teaching, family, health maintenance--I'm also in the midst of a moving, requiring an added list of what needs to be done. It's hard to believe how much has to be done in a day and because this is on my mind, I'm inspired to write more on the topic of organization as I believe it has helped keep me on even footing in a time of change.
If you’re anything like me, you’re a very busy person. Not only am I busy with regular things—teaching, family, health maintenance—I’m also in the midst of a moving, requiring an added list of what needs to be done. It’s hard to believe how much has to be done in a day and because this is on my mind, I’m inspired to write more on the topic of organization as I believe it has helped keep me on even footing in a time of change.
I don’t care much for chaos. If things need to get done but aren’t getting done, it upsets me. I realize that with change there is often chaos, and so in an attempt to minimize that, I like to shape that chaos into something simple.
If you’re busy like me, you have tasks that are both high priority and lower priority—from meetings and deadlines, anniversaries and birthdays, to picking up the dry cleaning and getting the car washed. A most invaluable thing in this high tech wold which I utilize daily is the pencil and paper and the trusted and true ‘to do’ list. Because the conscious mind can only keep seven plus or minus two pieces of information at any give time, when we transfer some of the less pressing or less time sensitive items onto paper (or into our electronic calendars, if you must), this automatically frees up space for us to concentrate on our present.
I typed the words “to do list” into Google and was given a variety of resources for online listing. Remember when a pocket note book and pen were all we needed? I happen to prefer the old-fashioned handwritten list, but if you have a Blackberry, why not put it to use?
One site that seemed especially easy to use is http://www.rememberthemilk.com/. It also has the bonus of being free. Also free is http://roughunderbelly.com/user/login. This one is persuasive for reward oriented people in that it gives you points when you finish something and it makes you charts and graphs of how productive you are as you complete your tasks.
I’ve also become reacquainted with a tool I used to use but which I lost track of. Ironically, it’s a tool to keep you organized (helping you to remember) the things you need to do. It’s called Thought Office and falls under the heading of brainstorming. It’s a creative and organizational tool that I simply love and for which I have found various uses.
When we take small steps to clear up our internal clutter and organize our thoughts, then we’re on our way to accomplishing bigger things.
Maybe you’re asking, what the heck does this have to do with persuasion?
This is something I believe firmly and have said to my students over and over. . . once we can persuade ourselves, whether it be something as involved as major life shifts like stopping smoking or losing weight, or something more mundane like dropping off that bag of clothes to donate that has been sitting in the trunk of your car for several months, then we create an internal environment where we are saying what we do and doing what we say. This works in concert with our other than conscious minds to achieve amazing results.