What Does "Organized" Really Mean?

I'm fascinated by the mystery surrounding "getting organized." The billions of dollars spent on a vast array of tools and information for managing ourselves and our stuff would seem to indicate the widespread belief in a get-it-together Holy Grail somewhere. And the Sirens keep beckoning with a continual parade of techno-magic gizmos that will pull it all together. But the ultimate formula remains elusive. I'm still asked by some of the brightest folks around, "What's the best way to get organized? How do I create the best system for myself? How do I know what to do with all this stuff?" Lo, they seek but have not found.

But rejoice! I have decided to reveal the (organizing) secret of the ages, right here in The Huffington Post! Rest your weary mind - the time has come to reveal the answer to the meaning of (organized) life. Ready? Here it is: Things need to go where they need to go.

Ah, Grasshopper, you seem dazed with this astounding truth (or simply unimpressed?). Let me explain. When something is "organized" it means simply that it's where it needs to be. Where is that? In a place that reflects what the thing specifically means to you.

You are disorganized if you need something somewhere that you don't have it or have something somewhere that you don't need it. If you have a phone and time, you need to have easily viewable your complete list of phone calls to make. Otherwise you don't have the information you need, in the format you need, to remind you of what you've agreed with yourself you need to be reminded of, when you can do it. If you are trying to prepare a lovely five-course dinner but the kitchen counters are still full of last night's dishes, you're not organized. There's stuff in the way that you don't need. In either case you're not organized - at least as much as you could be, from your own perspective.

Try this. Reach into your purses or wallet and see if there's something that doesn't belong there permanently and which has been there longer than a few hours (besides money). Almost everyone has at least one thing in that category - a receipt, a business card, a scrap of paper with scribbled notes, an old parking ticket. These are things whose location does not map to their meaning for you. If the item has no further usefulness, it is trash, but it's not in the trash. If it is something you need to store somewhere else - it is reference, but it's not easy to find with your other reference materials. If it's something you need to do something about, it's not in a place to remind you to do it. There is a mismatch between what the thing is and where it is.

Lots of folks contend that their "stacks" are what they want and that's the best way to be organized. But most piles that people have around them have a blended mixture of stuff to read (actions when they have time to read), stuff to store away that they want access to (reference), stuff to throw away (trash), and stuff they still need to decide what they are going to do about (in-basket). The background stress from those constipated stacks generates a psychic callous - we stop noticing the piles, at least enough to really do something about them.

So, how does the meaning of something translate into organization? Pick up anything around you that you're wondering what to do with, and ask yourself which of these descriptions is the best fit:

* I don't need or want it = trash
* I still need to decide what this means to me = IN basket item
* I might need to know this information = reference
* I use it = equipment and supplies
* I like to see it = decoration
* When I could possibly move on it, I want to see the action as an option = next action reminder, reviewed when and where it could be done
* I need to be reminded of this short-term outcome I've committed to = project list item, reviewed weekly
* I need to have this when I focus on a project = support material
* I might want to commit to this at any time in the future = Someday/maybe list item
* I might want to commit to this on or after a specific time in the future = calendared or "tickled" item incubated for review on a specific future date
* I want to achieve this "bigger" outcome = goals, objectives, visions that you review on some longer interval
* It's something someone else is doing that I care about = item on Waiting-For list, reviewed at least weekly
* I need to consider it when I do certain recurring activities = item on a checklist

You can organize anything in your work or personal life by asking yourself whether its meaning matches its location. Organizing tools should not be so mysterious - they are merely to support these various functions. A PDA won't tell you if something is a call that belongs on your Calls list, but once you decide it's a call, the PDA can be a fine place to manage your Calls list.

This is simple common sense. So why do so many people feel like they need to be more organized? Because most avoid deciding what so many things actually mean to them, which makes it impossible to know what to do with them. And what's even thornier is that even if they "get organized" according to these simple criteria, it is highly likely that they can become disorganized rapidly. Over time (and often not that much time) things change in meaning. The magazine is no longer the current issue, the project is no longer something we're committing to action, and the good idea isn't so good any more. So even if we get our ducks in a row, they wander of their own accord. Being organized is a dynamic process, demanding consistent reevaluation, rethinking, and renegotiating the relevance of things in our physical and psychological environment.

I don't tell people how to get organized. I only assist them to connect what things mean with where they are.

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You can find out more about David Allen and GTD at www.davidco.com. The David Allen Company is a professional training, coaching, and management consulting organization, based in Ojai, California. Its purpose is to enhance performance and improve the quality of life by providing the world's best information, education, and products in the fields of personal productivity and work/life balance.

Comments

[anybodylistening]

Excellent post and just what I needed to hear this morning. Monday's are always a mess with getting ready for the week and getting the kids settled into their weekly routine. These are great simple steps to take on the day at hand. Thank you, David... its nice to hear a fresh view on this topic.

[jaundicedview]

I worked for a very organized boss at one point. "Clean as you go" Put every tool back in the box right after use. We spent more time cleaning and wearing a groove to and from the tool ches than working. Organization can be a real productivity killer.

[VictorLudorum]

* I don't need or want it = trash
* I still need to decide what this means to me = IN basket item
* I might need to know this information = reference
* I use it = equipment and supplies
* I like to see it = decoration
* When I could possibly move on it, I want to see the action as an option = next action reminder, reviewed when and where it could be done
* I need to be reminded of this short-term outcome I've committed to = project list item, reviewed weekly
* I need to have this when I focus on a project = support material
* I might want to commit to this at any time in the future = Someday/maybe list item
* I might want to commit to this on or after a specific time in the future = calendared or "tickled" item incubated for review on a specific future date
* I want to achieve this "bigger" outcome = goals, objectives, visions that you review on some longer interval
* It's something someone else is doing that I care about = item on Waiting-For list, reviewed at least weekly
* I need to consider it when I do certain recurring activities = item on a checklist

alright ,

[John]

This reminds me of the Onion spoof magazine headline "10,000 ways to simplify your life".

[FeelinGroovy]

I just went to your website, David and wow! Thank you for the free info, especially lists. I'm retired but active in several organizations and travel frequently so I can always use new/better info.

[Metacortex]

This is relevant to the question of form v. function. On the extreme one hand, we may have a perfectly organized house, like, say, our aunt's or grandmother's. Mine had so many little prized knick knacks placed on shelves and furniture all over the house, perfectly organized, but utterly useless. This would be extreme form. They were there only to be admired. On the extreme other hand, we may have a purely functional environment, like a factory, it isn't very pretty, and may even appear cold, chaotic and disorderly. Each person and department coordinates their dutues without regard to form or appearances. Yet form and function go hand in hand. Form without function is as meaningless as is function without form. Even a factory must produce something as meaningful to consumers as my grandmothers ceramic angels were to her.

[peonyharp]

Thank you for the insights and clear, commonsense approach.

I have one observation to add: if we simply accumulated less, organizing it wouldn't be so formidable.

[dadw5boys]

I work within Organized Chaos.
The best Mechenic I ever knew would keep all his tools in a pile on a table in his work shop. He knew where every tools was in that pile. There was hell to pay if someone put them in a box and called it organized.
Organized Chaos allows me to spend time doing what needs to be done and time to rest. I stopped long ago chasing down everything to put it back in it's proper place. If I know where it is and the state of it's usefullness that is enough for me.
I have no desire to impress anyone with how orderly everything is at my home. You don't like the looks of it GET OUT and STAY OUT!

[Pandu]

How could a 'dadw5boys' expect things to stay put?

As a dad with 4 daughters (and a pregnant wife) rarely is anything where I last saw it, what to speak of where I put it!

[dadw5boys]

Took me 6 trys to get a girl. You lucky dog.

[AlexandriaCynic]

I've been a user of David's stuff for years (my wife for even longer.) We read "Getting Things Done" at least once a year, we attend his seminars, and we've given "Ready for Anything" to all our friends. I've invited one of his disciples to be on my Board of Directors and I'm hoping to engage David to work with my management team next year.

I honestly believe that if I hadn't followed David's advice and process, I wouldn't have a company, much less a management team. Don't get me wrong -- I only do the GTD process about 50% (or less) of the time but that keeps me from being hopelessly and depressingly behind the power curve 100% of the time.

Arianna, good job getting David to post. David, rock on!