As I am reading the book, Getting Things Done, by David Allen, I realize as with any organizational system it takes time and commitment to be successful. If you follow his system or create one just for you, you must change some of your old habits and replace them with new ones.
There is no getting around it, there is no easy way out of this… To create change, you have to change! We recently had a podcast show dedicated to just building new habits. This got me to also think about routines. What is different about a routine and a habit? Essentially it is the same thing. However, a habit is usually done unconsciously, most likely we are not even aware we are doing the action. Like biting our nails when we are nervous or using our hands when we speak.
A routine can certainly be habit, it’s usually a list of tasks we do to prepare for something. Many parents use nightly routines for their kids, sort of like a checklist of things to do before we go to bed. Some of us have morning routines, where we check our email and voicemail first thing in the morning, etc.
So if we are trying a new organizing system, we need to build a new routine for our day. We need to change our thinking and the way we do things. But when it’s new, its too easy to forget! Which is the reason many systems fall apart on us.
So how do we stop forgetting, and just do?
When you are first getting started with a new routine, may it be a new filing system, or a new way to schedule your daily to do’s, whatever the tasks may be, create a checklist! Write down all of the action steps that need to be completed and check them off as you go.
Practice, over and over again, until the routine becomes a habit! You no longer have to think about what happens next. You no longer have to worry about your system breaking down, because you are doing the work…
You are getting things done!
Happy Organizing!
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