Are you a person who places mail and little papers in stacks around your house? Or, are you one of the quasi-organized folks who likes to hide their stuff? By “stuff” I mean the countless pieces of mail we receive each day, Post-It notes, invitations, to-do lists, etc. Even the most disorganized person is often a master at one thing: putting off acting upon all that stuff. But don’t worry, help is on the way.
If you fall into either of these categories, and most of us do, then sit back and consider some ways that you might get organized. Remember what St. Augustine said, “Peace is the tranquility of order” as you attempt to gain control of your paper-filled and task driven life.
We get organized because it helps us to feel relaxed. Once we are relaxed then we can do our best work. Work expert David Allen calls this process one of developing a “mind like water” which can perfectly respond to any interruption or adjustment in the day. We also should strive to be organized because it can be a witness to others of our faith. If my work/ministry is efficient and responsive, then it is an outpouring of my faith in Christ.
To accomplish this, you need a few basic items and two disciplines to accompany your desire for order. First, you need one tool for capturing information and another for processing it. Then, you need the internal discipline to go through that material on a consistent and timely basis.
In a nutshell, here are the keys:
• A paper planner, pocket organizer or plain old pad of paper (any of these will do depending on your style);
• An in-box to process your work;
• A daily commitment to going through your in-box;
• A designated time to look back over the week and evaluate your performance.
I am convinced that these four pointers can improve the manner in which you manage your personal life, work and ministry.
Ask for guidance from the Holy Spirit as the ultimate safeguard against laziness, procrastination and plain old lethargy. You can do it and it feels good to be organized. It will bring you peace of mind, allowing you to focus on the really important “stuff” of life, i.e., your relationship with God, your family and your work.
I'll unpack these four keys to better organization in future articles. Until then, happy organizing!
(Michael K. St. Pierre is a teacher of theology at Oratory Prep School in Summit, NJ, and co-founder of CatholicVentures.com.)
