|
September 2004
“I’m hopelessly disorganized.
I’ve been this way forever; people at work shudder as they
walk past my little desk of horrors. From my parents to my husband,
they all confirm I’m disorganized. I guess this is who I
am.”
You’ve heard these self-limiting remarks made by people
you know and like, sometimes even from yourself, about yourself!
“I’m always late” or “I procrastinate
my life away.” We talk ourselves down as if we aren’t
capable of being on time or being productive, as if we have a
permanent genetic defect with no cure. We store up images of our
“faulty” behavior over the years, and live out what
we’ve chosen to believe about ourselves, a self-fulfilling
prophecy.
The research on left and right brain functions are not new; we
know that each of us is wired a certain way from the factory.
If you use the left hemisphere of your brain predominantly, you
will tend to be organized, among other things. Does this mean
that if you are organized, forget about being creative? Or conversely,
if you tend to utilize the right brain hemisphere, does it mean
you will be artistic, but never organized enough to keep your
art supplies in order?
I believe everyone can get better organized at home and work,
regardless of brain dominant tendencies, or the habit of putting
yourself down. There are no hopeless cases in organizing. Organization
is something that can be learned by doing.
So when you hear yourself saying, “I’m not good at
organizing”, purge the thought and ask yourself why not.
You can get better at anything you choose to focus your time and
effort on. While your favorite organizing consultant can help
you become better organized, ultimately the key to being better
organized is you.
|
