Dispelling One of The Big Myths About Being Organized

Recently, a woman called to ask whether I could help organize her husband's home office. My first question to her was whether or not her husband had requested help organizing his office. She sheepishly confessed that it was her idea because his messy office was driving her crazy. Next, I asked her if she knew whether or not her husband had trouble finding things in his office when he needed them. She said that he never complained about it and did not seem to have trouble finding what he needed when he needed it (though she couldn't understand how he did it!). I then inquired as to whether he seemed to be able to work productively in his office. She said that he was a very productive, highly sought after and well-paid freelance writer. Lastly, I asked if his "office" was located in a communal space of their home – living room, family room, dining area – or in a private space – somewhere only he used with a door that could be closed. She answered that his office was in a spare room and had a door that could be closed.

After hearing all of this, I told her that she should save the money she would have spent on hiring me and simply keep the door to his office closed so she didn't have to see the mess. There was dead silence at the other end of the phone. Apparently, that wasn't the answer she was expecting to hear and couldn't believe that I was actually telling her not to hire me! I explained to her that there's a difference between a space being neat and a space being organized. I said that her husband’s office may not have been pretty to look at, but it sounded organized to me since he could find what he needed when he needed it and was able to get everything done when it was due. He was effective and high functioning and was well paid as a result. I told her that closing the door to his office and ignoring the mess would be the smart way to go. She said that our conversation had really opened her eyes and her mind and from now on the door to her husband's office would remain closed. Wise woman. Good decision.

While you can certainly be neat AND be organized, the two terms do not mean the same thing and should never be confused with each other. The days when "organized" meant clean and neat and it was believed that good, smart people were organized and sloppy, stupid people were disorganized are, thank goodness, long gone. If you have the old wiring in your head that still buys into either of these notions, it's definitely time to update your thinking. I know neat people who can't find anything or get tasks done on time (they're just neat), and messy people who can find things and complete tasks on time (they're just messy).

How your space looks says very little about your ability to get things done. The real issue is not how your home or office looks, but how it works. It's not about your outer environment; it's about your inner environment. Don't get me wrong; I'm not advocating that you never clean or pick-up after yourself. What I am advocating is understanding that there is no right way to organize, except for the way that works for you. It's important to recognize that being organized does not look the same for everyone. Give yourself and the other people around you a break. Don't waste your valuable time – or theirs – trying to improve on a system if it already works.