Posted almost 10 years ago

Intake to Output: More on Getting Organized

Normal 1405789847 Messy Office

Many years ago when I was immersed in a leadership training program, a wise mentor said, "the state of your vehicle is a direct reflection of the state of your life." I think about that often lately as I get into my car, cringe at the toys on the floor, the dust on the dash, the crumbs in the seats, the passenger seat piled high with resources I carry between my three offices (actually, it's one cubicle, one office, and one classroom) and/or use when out and about doing REI research. And yes, the cumulative mess often feels like one very accurate reflection of my life.

My Truth? I love being organized. In fact, I was extremely organized...in a past life...I'm pretty sure. I must have been a minimalist then too, because I can really envision life without so much stuff. I can feel the mental gridlock let up the minute I imagine, let alone actually dispose of, a useless gadget or when I create sensible homes for rogue paperwork. And yes, in the moments following a good detail job on my car, I feel more together, more professional, and less, well, trashy. I strive to be a high quality, ever-expanding individual, and truthfully, any little element of visible disregard for my person or personal property detracts from that mission. My truth: I love being organized. My reality: Following our recent home purchase and across town move, I've had a heck of a time making organization happen.

I have been exploring time management and organizational approaches, those with which I have had past successes and those recommended by others who are successful and who attribute much of their success to the systems they have in place. If you are both busy and ADHD like I am, you too may find the following recommendations helpful:

1. Take time to set goals. Develop a personal mission statement and set your goals based on that mission. (For more on creating your own purpose statement and on time management, I recommend exploring Steve Pavlina's podcasts and blog articles. He offers great experience-based insights that have turned out to be of daily use to me--This is a guy who completed a four year degree in three semesters all because he was able to mindfully manage his time). See stevepavlina.com for more, and ask me if you want specific podcast recommendations.
2. Organize your time before you try to organize your stuff, your activities, your business calls, marketing efforts, etc. Create defined windows for task completion. Make a schedule and let that schedule be your driving force, your coach if you will. Set a timer at the beginning of a window and work on one task for the set period of time. (I've started taking it a step further: I keep my tasks broken down into 5 minute, 15 minute, 30 minute and 1+ hour lists...More later about the whys and hows associate with this).
3. Now, make a To Do list in one of those chunks of time.
4.Complete the tasks on your to do list in chunks, rather than in scattered pieces: complete one task before you move onto the next (this is a really hard one if you have focus issues, but I am a personal testament to the fact that it can be done: focused attention goes further than that which is divided).
5. No matter how busy you are, make time to take care of yourself. Even if you can only manage 10 minutes a day, that's 10 minutes to take a walk, 10 minutes to meditate or pray, 10 minutes to _____________ (you fill in the blank), and if it happens every day or close to everyday, it can become a powerfully centering ritual.
6. Take concrete, measurable action on your goals EVERY DAY. We see it on BP all the time in a thousand posts: nothing good comes from doing nothing! No matter what you have on your plate, if you have your goals in your sites and written down, it is easy to take steps everyday and keep from losing momentum.
7. Create a system of accountability (I personally (ideally, of course) like to have an identified source of accountability for each of my major goals): consider members of your family and professional networks in developing your own accountability system. Being accountable to yourself is, of course, of ultimate importance, so while you're developing an accountability network, it is also helpful to create a system of measurement to see where growth and regression are present.

I have actually noticed in the last 20 years that when my car is consistently tidy, with little to no extra stuff scattered about, my life as a whole is running more smoothly. Which comes first, chicken or egg? I believe they happen simultaneously. As I organize one, the other begins to morph, and vise versa. I suppose, really, you can take any one of your life's compartments and do the same experiment (how's your desk looking? Your kitchen table? That could-be empty spot by your front door? Your stairs? Your garage? Do you know what every key on your key ring goes to, or is time to cull a little there too? You get the point).

Our lives as Real Estate Investors are full. Full of information. Full of advise. Full of new ideas. Full of past experience waiting to be applied. We are driven by goals and dreams, and the more we clarify our goals and dreams, the greater chance we have of effectively spending our time and attention on growth and goal achievement. By nature of the beast, if we have stated our goals and understand our purposes, we are exponentially more likely to reach the marks. But, let the chaos rule, the multitude of ideas wander around us, and without shepherding them a bit, we run the risk of carrying more stress than we need to, suffering from "the grass is always greener" syndrome, and ultimately living with the if-only-I-had-_______ blues and a pile of unnecessary dissatisfaction. Just sayin'.

Coming up Next:

Intake to Output Part II: Getting Organized and How it All Applies to REI and Newby Skill Development

Intake to Output: More on Getting Organized

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