Being organized is a talent that none of us can afford to do without. The only problem is there are too few of us that really understand what being organized is all about. The best approach is one day at a time.
Day one
Develop a list of rewards you can give to yourself. Make the rewards short, let's say fifteen minutes each. You can then work yourself up to longer time periods: The rewards can be phoning a good friend, or playing a complete round of golf, or perhaps tearing that engine apart.
Day two
Try writing down your goals. This act alone creates a commitment on your part, and it allows you to look back over time to see where your mind was at any given moment. The goals should be in bite sized little bits so that they can remain manageable. Your action plan should entail getting more information, doing research, or communicating with people.
Day three
Now is the time to transfer your tasks to a pocket notebook. Divide the tasks into calls, errands, things to do, and things to write. Example: You can call a career counselor, set up files, go shopping, or draft that resume you've been putting off for months.
Day four
It's okay to buy a pocket calendar to record appointments and deadlines. The list should include "must do" tasks that can be done on a daily basis. Examples could include scheduling vehicle maintenance, dropping the kids off at the babysitter and so on.
Day five
You can use this day to choose other tasks from the notebook that are still unfinished. Utilize any time where there's a break in your schedule. The tasks you choose should be reasonable and fairly easy to complete.
By the end of the first week, you should be well on your way to establishing a pattern of being better organized. It'll take time to work out the bugs, but your life will benefit because of it, and getting organized first with the smaller things will allow you to reap awards unimagined.
Former Co-host of Spike TV's "Xtreme 4X4"
"At WyoTech, I received the skill set necessary to take me as far as my imagination will lead me."
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