Exercise equipment and organizational systems have at least one thing in common: many more are purchased than are used for their intended purpose. All of us know why most treadmills become clothes racks; it has to do with sweat. Today the Taskmaster will offer insights into why organizational systems are abandoned in hopes of helping you find one that won’t be. There are five main reasons for organizational system abandonment.
- Too Much Overhead. If a system requires too much effort relative to the effort that it saves, the return on investment is too small and it is abandoned. Multitudes of bells and whistles are great if your goal is to make a lot of noise. If your goal is to get organized, take an Ockham-ish approach by choosing the simplest system that can do the job.
- Square Peg and a Round Hole. No system is right for everyone or everything. System fit is crucial. This is why those plastic multi-drawer organizers are available with big bins, small bins, or a combination of both. Think through the “size” of what you want to organize and choose an organizer with “bins” sized for what you need to organize. Do you need to keep your big goals always in front of you, or do you need a place to stash these devilish details?
- Style Matters. The Taskmaster and many other denizens of the digital domain don’t own an electronic book reader or listen to many books on MP3 because we like the feel of a book. You can throw in the smell, too; musty can be nice (blends quite well with the aroma from a cup of Sumatran coffee). Shakespeare is just better from a substantial leather-bound volume. Companies still make paper organizers because some people still work best with paper. Only a fool buys a tool because it is cool. Look for a system that works the way you prefer to work.
- The Grass Is Greener. Any organizational system takes time to become effective. The promised perfection of the next system may actually cause the failure of the current one. If you are prone to this, try setting an evaluation date for the current system and refuse to look at others until the trial period is over.
- Sometimes It Isn’t the System. If you don’t really care about what you are organizing or find the use of organizational systems to be a horrifically onerous task, the rewards for implementing a system may never be sufficient to make a system worthwhile. You probably didn’t think you would ever hear this from the Taskmaster, but sometimes (please use a thesaurus to look up nine synonyms for “rarely”) the best organizational system is none at all. In those rare (times 9) instances, the Taskmaster suggests you take the money you didn’t spend on a system you will never use and invest part of it in a comfortable chair, a good book, and a fine hot beverage.
The Friendly Taskmaster
