Organize like cutting hair

Organizing is a lot like cutting hair. I got my last haircut 17 weeks ago. I had it buzzed off for last summer. Then when it got cold this winter, I decided to let it grow out again. During those 17 weeks, I trimmed it up off of my ears several times, and my wife shaved my neck in back so it didn't look like I hadn't had a hair cut in forever. But it was getting a little shaggy looking, so today I broke down and got it cut again.

So, last summer I started out having my hair "organized" so to speak. It took some maintenance during those weeks, some ongoing "organization" to keep it up. But in the meantime I didn't worry about it too much. A little trim here and there and I was set for a while again.

When you get organized, a lot of the organization will take care of itself. You don't have to redo it every day. Just a little touch-up here and there will keep you all caught up.

However, there are some hairs that need more than the occasional trim. I don't have a beard or mustache, so I shave every day. I'm not one of those who look good with 3-day stubble. I tried growing a mustache many years ago. After several weeks, it was just starting to look okay. Then I got a cold with a runny nose, and that took care of that. I haven't had a mustache since.

To keep up with my facial hair "organization," I shave every day. Likewise, some of our organizing tasks take daily upkeep. They don't necessarily take a lot of time, like shaving just takes a few minutes. But it sure keeps things looking better.

So you need to look over your organizational tasks and decide which can get by with a little touch up now and then, and which need daily attention. Your email inbox may be able to go a week or two, or it may need daily attention. You have to decide how you can best keep up. The kitchen probably needs daily touch up or it becomes a burden you don't even want to look at. In that case you will feel better about yourself and your kitchen if you do the several times daily touch up. You will feel better about your office when you come to work tomorrow if you take just a couple of minutes to straighten up before you leave work today. Your garden will look better if you do the daily organizational task of weeding during the hot summer days. You will be able to find your tools easier next time if you take a moment to reorganize them when you are finished with a task.

I could wait to shave every few days, but then it becomes a much bigger chore. And I look better (well, at least not as bad). It is worth the effort. Your daily, weekly, or monthly organizational efforts will be worthwhile as well. Just keep at it!

Organize by thinking ahead

At our church, all the songs, readings, and responses are projected on a large screen in the front of the Sanctuary. It makes it much easier for worshipers to follow along without having to juggle the bulletin and children, or turn the pages of the bulletin to try to keep on the right page.

When I help out with the projecting, I have to remember to go into the Fellowship Hall and turn on a second sound system and projector. The worship service is then projected on a screen in the Fellowship Hall. If a child becomes restless, a parent can take the child into the Fellowship Hall and still be part of the worship experience. We don't ever know if someone will use that option on a particular day, but we plan ahead and turn it on just in case. That is what the Boy Scout Motto teaches us: Be Prepared!

Being organized many times simply involves thinking ahead, or being prepared! I recently heard of a senior citizen complaining about the cost of the city bus service. It costs her $4.00 each time she uses it. Here's her problem. One day she realizes she needs some bread, so she pays $4 to go to the grocery store to get some. The next day she notices she is getting low on milk. So she pays another $4 to go to the same grocery store. She does that several times a week. If she would just think ahead a little, she could save a lot of trips and a lot of money on bus fare.

Thinking ahead can simply involve keeping some notes. When she notices she is getting low on milk, she could add that to a grocery list. When the luncheon meat supply is starting to get down there, add it to the list, etc. Then she can make one trip to the grocery store and get all the items she may need in the next week or two and save enough on her bus fare to pay for a lot of those groceries.

Think ahead! Think about your daily activities. Are there areas you could "think ahead" a little more and save time or energy or money? Maybe the lady above liked going to the grocery store every day. It may give her a chance to get out, which she may need. Who knows? But if it is just a lack of thinking ahead, she could fix that.


Get organized. Think ahead. Be prepared!