In a Hectic Life, Systems Keep You SaneIn a world full of chaos, systems keep you sane.
Music by Tommy Walker
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Transcript:
Hey friend, have you ever lost your keys?
It's an irritating way to start the day. You can't find your car keys. You already lost your spare set, so you have to search your house, you finally find them in the pants you wore yesterday, and by the time you get to work, you're ten minutes late.
And that morning, you had a big meeting. Since you were late, the boss gave a sale to your rival, who you were trying to beat for associate of the quarter, and you really needed that bonus.
You get to your desk, and spend an hour looking for the folder you need for your conference call, and finally remember that you left it in the copy room yesterday.
When you get there, it's buried under a stack of other stuff and it takes you ten minutes to find it. You're now five minutes late to the conference call, and as a result the manager tells you she's going a different direction on the project.
Your whole day is shot, because of lost keys and misplaced folders.
Does this sound familiar?
If so, this episode is for you.
I've got a question for you:
What's your system?
What's your strategy for getting things done in the most efficient way, always having the things you need to do your work and live your life?
I'm going to tell you twelve reasons why you need to be more organized, and then I'm going to share six secrets to developing life-proof systems to help you avoid days like the one we just talked about.
Disorganization and chaos can make our lives much more stressful than they already are. And who wants that?
I'm here to tell you, friend: in my world I cannot survive without a solid organizational plan.
Why?
Because systems keep you sane.
I need to confess that as intelligent as I am, as accomplished as I am, at my baseline my mind is a disorganized mess. I struggle with being easily distracted, and I learned a long time ago that if I was going to be successful, I had to get organized.
Now I'm not alone in this. In fact, a huge percentage of type-A, hyper-performing people have what today is called "Adult ADD." When I was a kid, the teachers called us 'hyperactive,' but fortunately I had parents and teachers who were wise enough to let me be myself. They never let me feel like something was wrong with me because I paced a lot, tapped my pencil when I had to sit still for a long time, or seemed to be distracted when they were trying to teach me. Instead of assuming I wasn't listening, they learned to say, "Did you hear me?"
And I had, every time. I just didn't need to look at them to hear. The big surprise for me was when I got to medical school and found myself in a school full of people just like me.
Parents, be patient with your kids, learn how they learn, and try to maximize their opportunities before you let someone label or medicate them when they're not acting exactly like everyone else. Sure, some people need help and have real problems with learning and behavior.
But a lot of folks just need to develop a system to manage their minds, their lives and their behaviors.
If you struggle with keeping your mind on track long enough to get off to work without forgetting your cell phone, then you need a system.
If you have a hard time focusing on one task because a lot of things are vying for your attention, you need a system.
If you feel like you waste a lot of time during the day, and you're not as productive as you need to be, you need a system.
It's really cute when your five-year-old forgets something and shrugs, smiles adorably, and asks for your help.
It's not cute when your classmate has to borrow your calculator, every day. Or when your forty-five-year-old lawyer gets to your deposition and forgot your case files.
Systems keep you sane.
For me it works like this:
I put everything I need to have with me in the same place, every day. My keys, glasses, wallet, watch, anti-Zombie spray, and hand grenades in a certain place, all together, every day when I get home from work. I'm just kidding about the hand grenades. Those are illegal. But seriously, all my stuff is right next to my sock and underwear drawer, and unless I want to leave the house without underwear and socks on, all my important stuff is right in front of me where I'd have to work hard to forget it.
I promise, if I ever get out of sequence in how I dress, or if I leave my wallet somewhere else, I will absolutely get to work without it.
What's amazing to me is how I can literally have no idea I've forgotten my wallet, and then as soon as I realize it my brain can absolutely feel its absence in my pocket. I'll feel my not-wallet in there like a splinter under my skin until I go home and get it.
Why don't I feel the not-wallet sensation until later in the day when I need my wallet? No idea. But it's true.
No system, no wallet. Or keys, etc.
The same thing is true at work. If I don't discipline myself I'm the total absent-minded professor. I'll get to surgery without my MRI scans, with no prescription pad, and my reflex hammer is still in the car. It's true. I have lear...
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