Use this Tool/Trick/Tip!

There are tons of books, websites, articles and programs out there that promise to get you organized in X days. They offer checklists, products, processes! There are a lot of great ideas out there. I like to keep on top of the latest tips because I’m always looking for a better way of doing things.

Sometimes a friend might ask, “What should I do to be more organized with __________?” My first instinct is to reach into my mental file and pull out a tip or tool that can help them. Later on, however, I find that my friend is struggling with the same problem. They didn’t take my advice.

I used to think, “What is their problem? Why won’t they listen to me? I know my solution will work!” I couldn’t figure it out. There was one person who did this continually. I knew they didn’t hate me, so there had to be something else.

Over time, I watched this person and their lifestyle. And it turned out that the key word was “lifestyle.” The person was pretty unencumbered by “things”…never had an organizer, didn’t have one place to put the things they’d need every day. There was no way they were going to go out and buy an organizer, let alone use one. In other words, traditional organizational tools are lost on people like this.

Clearly, there are people (A) who are very compartmentalized and like their ducks in a row and (B) who live life by the seat of their pants and somehow it mostly seems to work out for them. Traditional tools and tips are made for people A. But what about people B, who say they want to be more organized, but whose minds simply aren’t wired that way?

I think some of the answer lies in my belief “Use the right tool for the job.” With a person B, you need to redefine what “the job” is – what does it look like from their perspective? For example, I often use my paper organizer to plan my week and schedule my appointments. Sometimes, though, I might forget to look at my organizer, especially early in the morning (pre-coffee!). That didn’t help me when I was supposed to pick up a co-worker on the way to work. Although it turned out that it worked out for her (long story), I was mortified! And I made sure it never happened again. After that, I used my cell phone’s alarm system to ring out just before pick-up time. When I heard the alarm, I didn’t even have to check my cell phone; I remembered what I was supposed to do.

Figuring out what a person B needs to be more organized takes more work, that’s for sure, and a little more creativity. For a person A like me, that can be a challenge! But who knows? Maybe the least obvious way of doing something may actually be better!

Any B people out there? Got some funky tips for us?

Welcome to the Grand Opening of The Efficient Matrix!

Lately, folks around me have asked for advice about organization, productivity and efficiency, and I’ve found that I actually have something to offer. I would discuss their situations and obstacles, suggest improvements, and offer advice. I also have always loved to write. As a child, I wrote stories; as a teen, poetry; and as a young adult, most of my writing would be for business. Now these two strengths have come together here.

I’ve always been kind of a “Felix Unger”. But when I became a mom, I learned that being organized and neat wasn’t good enough, nor would it work necessarily. I had to re-prioritize and discover optimization rather than perfection. Then I became a working mom and the ante was upped yet again. Not only did my stuff have to be organized, my time had to be organized –my family had to be organized!

I’d like to share what’s worked for me, ideas I’ve gotten from others and even a little organizational philosophy (after all, it’s a mindset, I believe). Do you have questions, good ideas, resources? I’d love to hear from any readers out there.