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4. The Organizing Rules You Never Needed to Follow · Simple Enough: Organizing, Productivity, and Mindset for Entrepreneurs

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: There is no such thing as a naturally organized person.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: None.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: And that's the first rule you've been failing against that was never actually true.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: If you're smart and capable,
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: but overwhelmed by too many decisions,
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: half-built systems,
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: and things you keep meaning to get to, you're in the right place.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Simple Enough.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: It feels so hard to get organized because you're probably using bad information,
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: wrong information,
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: and comparison because there are a lot of myths out there that keep you stuck
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: and feeling like a failure.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Today we're taking some of them apart one by one.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: Myth number one.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Some people are just naturally organized.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: This is an excuse not to learn the steps because really it's just learning the steps.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: There are steps to the process.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: It's not any harder than learning how to drive.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: And if you can drive, which I know most of you can, you can be organized.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: You just didn't learn the process.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: And so figuring out the steps can really set you free.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: It can create an opportunity for you to feel more capable in all areas of your life.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: I have clients that have told me they never thought they could be organized and
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: then I taught them the steps and it was easy and they can repeat the process
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: in other areas of their life as well.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: I had one client,
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: we did just her sock drawer,
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: and the next day I came and she had done like half of her closet on her own
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: and she was so proud of herself because she now knew the steps.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: She did a great job.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: So it's learnable.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: I promise you.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: Speaking of excuses, why are you still rearranging?
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's not counting as organizing.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Rearranging is not the same.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: Rearranging is tucking things away.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you call it tidying up.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: And kind of hiding and avoiding the things that you really need to take care of
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: to create an organized environment.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: Organizing,
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: on the other hand,
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: is about knowing where your things are,
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: how to access them when you need them,
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: and why you have them in the first place, how you're going to use them.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: So just know that rearranging is just one of the steps and only a half step at that
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: of the organizing process.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: What we're really looking for is lasting results, and that requires working with the system.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: Myth number three is I just need more information or maybe a better product
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: that will perfectly hold this thing and magically keep it organized so
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: that organizing fairies can take care of it for me.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Really, more is just clutter.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: Whether it's information or more organizing products, it's indecision.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: You don't know how to make a decision.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: And indecision leads to procrastination.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: And procrastination leads to feeling incapable.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: So let's not do that anymore, okay?
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: We're going to approach it from the actual end.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: What do you want instead?
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: And create that by reverse engineering it a little bit.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: You will feel more capable once you figure that out.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: Myth number four is that organizing has to look like a magazine, right?
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: Well,
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: that's ridiculous because the desired outcome of a magazine photo is to be staged
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: for design impact, not livability.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm thinking your desired outcome is going to be something more along the lines
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: of livability.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: So let me just give you one of my favorite examples of this.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: There is a photo out there.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: Some of you may have already seen it.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: It is of a set of glass apothecary jars,
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: the really big heavy ones that have a fancy stemmed foot,
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: that are on the top shelf of a child's room holding rainbow-colored Lego,
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: one color per jar, on the top shelf.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Of a unit that a kid could climb up and fall off of and is never going to crawl up
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: to put their Lego away or take them down to use them.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: That is a design decision made for a great photo, not an actual easy to use kids room.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so just keep that in mind.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: What's the desired outcome of the photo?
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: Is it to use or is it just to look pretty?
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: There's no problem with that, except when we try to apply it to our real lives.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: The real standard needs to be functionality,
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: and if it works for you, and you're able to maintain it, it's perfect.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: So, last one,
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: myth number five,
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: and I should say last one for this round, is that no system will ever work for me.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: I'm creative, or I have ADHD, I'm just not capable.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: Well, inspiration and overwhelm.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: Live on two sides of a very fine line and systems are what set you free.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: If you can create a system that is just enough constraints to keep you able to use
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: the things you want when you need them and able to find them
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: without feeling overwhelmed, you've hit the right spot.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: So let me tell you about a client that really struggled with filing.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: There were lots of paper all over the place,
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: needed to have the projects out so she wouldn't forget about them,
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: really couldn't break down.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: And when I helped her realize that a file is a vertical pile,
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: the same could hold the other way,
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: that a pile was just a horizontal file and we could categorize the piles.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: Everything changed for her.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: We were able to set up a credenza behind her desk that had various piles of paper,
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: so like her utility bills,
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: the current writing project, the stuff about her house, and about dealings.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: And as she worked with each pile,
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: she could return the whole pile to where it went,
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: just behind her,
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: and she could use a pretty rock on top of each pile to keep it
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: from getting disheveled when the cats walked across the credenza.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: Now she had a file system.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: It was a much simpler file system than an alphabetical file in
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: a four drawer cabinet, but it was still a file system that she was able to use.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: And it felt creative and freeing to her because she knew where things should go
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: and what to work on next because they were all right there.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_00: And that's the catch 22.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: Constraints create focus and keep you from falling or floating off the planet.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: Myths become excuses for not doing.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: They keep you stuck in comparison and perfectionist procrastination.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: I always say mindset before mechanics.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: So remember,
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: organizing is a learnable skill that will serve you for the rest of your life
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: and make every day more satisfying.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: What's the worst that could happen?
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: And you never know what might happen.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: That's the exciting part of getting organized.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: It was never supposed to be so hard.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: It was made hard by the rules, and those rules were never true.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: Rules often connected to marketing messages designed
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: to sell you more things you don't really need and don't serve you.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: So taking control of the things in your life rather than letting them control you is the key.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: You get to decide what you let into your life,
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: how you will use it, what you will keep, and that's the trick of it.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to leave you with one small thing,
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: a little exercise that will help demonstrate all the ways these myths can play
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: into your, shall we say, failed past attempts at getting organized.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: And we'll teach you all the steps of the process in one small example.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: So you will have a win in just a couple minutes.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: So we're going to organize your pencil cup.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, your pencil cup.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you have 27 of them.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: We're just going to pick one.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I pick this because it touches on all the different myths.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: So pick a cup,
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: a vessel, a vase, a bin,
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  SPEAKER_00: a basket,
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: a pencil tray,
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: whatever you want to use that's going to become the holding space
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: for your writing implements.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: Okay?
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: You get to pick whatever one you want.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: You're going to empty it if it currently has a bunch of things in it.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: And you are going to test all the writing implements as you put them back.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: Any that are broken can go in the trash.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: Any that you just don't like can be donated.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: Anything you definitely want to keep gets put back in the cup.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: And you get to assign a couple rules around it.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you've decided already that you'd rather have the markers in a secondary cup
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe you want only pencils in this one and pens in a different one.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: You get to decide a couple rules about what belongs in this cup.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: The key is to define it.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: Then you are going to...
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: Put pens and pencils away as you find them.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: So it can take a little while to practice, but you've set it up so you can practice, right?
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: So as you find them in your travels around your house over the next few hours,
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: just put the ones that go in that cup in that cup.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: You're practicing putting them away every time.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: And don't forget to test it before you actually decide to keep it.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: And then it's time to delight.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: You get to grab a pen and write something loving with it and then put it back in the cup.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: Easy and learnable.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: Now one more piece of your life is simplified.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: If you enjoyed today's show and don't want to worry about missing an episode,
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: you can follow the show wherever you listen to your podcasts.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: And if you haven't already,
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'd really appreciate it if you could share the podcast with others
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: who you think would benefit from it and then leave a rating and review
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: and let me know what you think.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: I'm creating a show for you, so I want to know what you want to hear in the episodes.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: Visit morethanorganized.net slash podcast launch for step-by-step instructions
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: on how to follow, rate, and review.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for spending this time with me today.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: Before you go,
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: choose one thing from this episode that could make life just
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: a little simpler this week.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_00: Not perfect, just simple enough.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: Come join me on Substack at morethanorganized.substack.com and remember,
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: organizing doesn't have to be so hard.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'll see you soon.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: In the meantime, have a delightful day.