(Almost) Effortless Organization

When I was a child, cleaning up my room was really easy - all I did was open my closet door and pitch in everything that was lying around in my room - clothes, shoes, toys. Then I'd close the door, confident that the room looked great. I could make my bed and "clean up my room" in under five minutes - which worked really well when my mother said I only could go out and play once my room was cleaned. Look Mom, it's done!

The problem came once a month or so when my mother opened the closet and said. Clean this out too! Then I knew that I'd be there for several hours at least!

Times have not changed that much - it must be the personality I was born with! Only now I don't throw things into my closet. My little study is the catch-all I use when I want to tidy up some corner of the house. If someone is coming over for a visit, I often pile up books, mail or newspaper clippings I want to keep and carry it all to my study desk, with the intention of dealing with it later.Then I close the door. I dread those days when I realize I have to clean the study up too!

One of my problems - I think - is that I am a visual person, so if things are out of sight, I tend to forget about them. In order not to forget about a bill or a check, for example, I have to put it out in clear view.

Another problem is that creating a system for keeping important papers or newspaper clippings takes a lot of time and mental effort. That's why I have a number of file folders called "Interesting Info" in my filing cabinet. It's easier to put a clipping in there than to think about what heading to file it under - so that I'll be able to find it later on!

I recently watched a video lecture on Time Management by Randy Pausch, the university professor who gave a famous "Last Lecture" on Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams when he realized that he was dying of cancer. Although his time management lecture had a lot of really good ideas, like using a speaker phone when you know you are going to be on hold for a while (and having a task like folding laundry to do while you wait), it was obvious to me that I could never replicate his amazing organizational skills. It's just not me. But that doesn't mean I can't pick up a few pointers.

So today, as I try to restore some order to my study, I will resort to a system I used as a child when I had to clean up my closet. I tell myself: Just put 10 things away. That's all. Just 10.

Once I quickly do those 10, I either have a warm, fuzzy sense of accomplishment in the fact that I am seeing visible results from my efforts, or I get so caught up in what I am doing that I keep going, oblivious of the time.

Either way, I make some headway - and then go off to do something I enjoy more.