Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter
Alignment
I’ve been talking to my twins about prioritizing: What’s the homework that’s due tomorrow? What’s due the day after that? Homework is takes priority over Snapchat. Sometimes, when you grow up, it’s not as clear. Certain forms and applications have clear deadlines, and repercussions for lateness. But you put other tasks on your to-do list, like looking for new bathroom tile or sending your resume to a company you’d love to work for, and no one is going to lower your grade or fine you if you don’t do it by Wednesday.
Some organizers like to tell you that you only wear 20 percent of your clothes, but this organizer is going to tell you that you probably only get to 20 percent of your to-do list. How does this happen? Probably, you get sidetracked by emails and calls that were never on the list, and sometimes your list is too long, or you’ve been unrealistic in judging how long each item will take. That means, what you choose to put at the top of your to-do list is pretty important.
Most of you probably manage to get the important forms off on time, but I also know that many of you do the “easy” (aka “fun”) stuff like buying a new charger on Amazon or sending an e-card to your college roommate, while neglecting the daunting less exciting tasks like making that mammogram appointment or more daunting ones like updating your resume so you can get a new job.
Trust me. I know. I’ve done it myself. But part of my goal in being organized is to be able to focus on what’s truly important to me, and to not always be rushing and reactive. Do you say your goal is to get a new job, but in reality you prioritize household renovations and responding to emails? Ask yourself if your to-do list aligns with your goals and values. If it doesn’t, think about how you can fix that. Sometimes, making the tiniest shift in the way we look at something, like our to-do list, helps us make the biggest changes.