Decide to Be Organized: An Empowering Process for Change

“There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision.” ~ Psychologist William James

In my years of experience working with clients to improve their organizing systems, I have noticed a trend. Disorganized people and organizations often have difficulty making decisions. Indeed, these people and organizations get stuck in decision-making mode, causing delay and stress, which in turn leads to physical and mental clutter.

We are bombarded with decisions on a daily basis; some vital, some trivial. Unfortunately, we cannot avoid decision-making if we want to function in today’s busy world. What we can control is our ability to make decisions in a manner that ultimately frees us from all of the clutter.

Organized people and organizations are great decision-makers. By great, I do not mean that they make all decisions well. Instead, they make decisions quickly, efficiently, and in a manner that avoids undue stress and delay. To be fair, many organized people and organizations make poor decisions, otherwise known as mistakes. The difference is that they learn from these mistakes, and then are able to move on. They are, therefore, able to free themselves of the constant fretting and worrying that often accompanies decision-making in the minds of disorganized people and organizations. This behavioral shift makes a world of difference.

Webster’s Dictionary defines the term decide as “to arrive at a solution that ends uncertainty; to induce to come to a choice; to make a choice.” Thus, to decide embodies an active process of change. The end result is freedom from the mental clutter caused by over-thinking too many decisions, as well as the physical clutter that results. When a person or organization is unclear as to goals and priorities, the person or organization invariably keeps too many physical items. How often do you utter the following phrases or hear these phrases from those around you? “I might need that someday,” “We may use that down the road for a new business project,” “I’m not sure if I want that; I’ll just hold onto it for now.” The culmination of these delayed decisions causes the physical and mental clutter.

DECIDE™ is an empowering process that leads to change. It will assist you in achieving results at home, at work, and in life in general. While the process guides a person or organization in making decisions that lead to a more organized state, it is itself a decision; a decision to take control. Therefore, in order for it to be effective, you must decide to DECIDE™--exercise the power that you have to move forward, and make changes.

So how does the process work?

D = Discover what you have and want at home, at work, and in life
E = Eliminate what is unnecessary and does not further your goals
C = Categorize what remains
I = Implement a system designed to match your needs, habits, work and lifestyle
D = Dedicate yourself to maintaining your effective new system and integrating it into your life
E = Enjoy the freedom and positive results that being organized brings

So I challenge you to take the DECIDE™ journey. Through DECIDE™, you will learn the tools needed to get better organized, take control, and make positive changes.

Copyright © 2008 Lisa Montanaro, LM Organizing Solutions, LLC