Comic Credit: Thompson
Michelle, a trusted friend of the Creative Marbles team and successful business woman, who is always seeking to improve, discusses what it means to be organized and the benefits of searching for order within the chaos of one’s life.
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How do you stay organized now? Or, a similar question, would your parents or teachers describe you as an organized person? Well, if either of these questions caused you to cringe or made you stop reading the rest of my thoughts, then just perhaps this is an area of your life that deserves some spotlight.
I was fortunate to have been raised in a home where my parents purposefully taught me about being organized. I appreciated the lessons learned, though arduous and time consuming, about keeping my room clean, making sure I kept a calendar of my school activities, and learning to jot down ideas before they faded away. There were “harsh” consequences of failing to do house chores well. (“Harsh” is in quotes to reflect my feelings at the time. Being grounded or losing allowance money meant sad times.)
Now that I’m in the position of leading and managing a team of knowledge workers, I’ve become extremely appreciative of good organization skills. Being organized is part of the basics. In fact, it’s written into job descriptions I’ve created and during the hiring process, I ensure that candidates are quizzed on their tenacity with staying organized.
It’s a pragmatic element of belonging to a work team. When you stay organized, the semblance of order allows you to focus on the responsibilities at hand. When things aren’t neatly in place, the chaos causes performance hits or productivity loss.
Does the mere thought of tidying up your room paralyze you? Maybe consider now the pluses of trying. A few reasons include being able to find your stuff quicker, having a place of your own that’s inviting, and to my point earlier, you’re practicing an essential skill that will empower you in your career.
Truth be told, and as sure as we all need to breathe to survive, good organizational skills will be a differentiating factor when you’re out there striving, competing or collaborating. Mundane chores such as helping keep the kitchen neat, organizing the garage, and folding laundry have far reaching implications beyond the immediate results.
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