quickstandA very real obstacle to getting organized is that you can’t actually GET organized.  It’s a journey, not a destination.  The answer lies not in reaching the heights, but in lightening the load.

I often work with clients who think of getting organized as climbing a mountain and once they reach that elusive summit, they’ll be “all set.”

Of course it doesn’t work that way.  Such an ambitious goal discourages progress and even if you do reach it, there’s no avoiding the fact that staying organized is an ongoing journey.  There is no organizing system that is so good that it doesn’t require your participation.

Perhaps the most critical system is your to-do system.  My recommendation is to always keep it VERTICAL, VISIBLE, and MINIMAL.  All three of these features contribute to its USABILITY.  You stand the best odds of moving your to-do’s to “done” when they are obvious and manageable.

Consider the analogy of a guitarist and his guitar.  If his goal is to improve, then he needs to practice and often.  He may feel a certain sense of control by putting his guitar in a case and stowing it away in the closet, but if he wants to get better, he stands a better chance if he leaves the guitar OUT on a guitar stand- vertical, visible, and minimal.

The same is true with your to-do system.  If you simply need to FIND files then a user-friendly filing cabinet is the answer, but if you want to MAKE A POINT OF getting something done, leave it out in a position where you are most inclined to “play it,” like the guitar.

TODAY’S KEY TO UNLOCKING CLUTTER:  Sometimes the best home for your stuff is in the street, where it will be driven.