Organized Chaos From Theory to Practice: Making sense of chaos

Organized chaos is generally defined as a situation or place that seems to be in chaos, but has an underlying organization and pattern which is evident to those involved in the situation. But my personal version goes a step further and diverts to the left and is slightly off centered.  My version of organized chaos reflects the state of internal disarray and can be applicable to describe the a complex situation or process that appears chaotic while having enough order to achieve progress or goals some displaying more amateurism other skills whereas others are far finer tuned, a refined skill of sorts. 

I have determined that I am my worst enemy at times. Constantly asking myself the age old question ‘”Where is that piece of paper? I just had it. I just had in my hand less than five minutes ago! Where the heck did it go? It’s got to be here somewhere! Ugh! I hate it when I do that!’” If that was something happened every once in a great while, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Everyone loses something every now and then. But for me, well that is a regular occurrence. Organization or lack thereof, is a constant battle for me. I hide it well. I actually have quite the got-it-all-together reputation. But between you and me, I’m a fraud. Just take one look at the chaos I refer to as a desk, and you’ll know the truth. The truth is I spend a lot of time looking for something I've lost, remembering something I’ve forgotten, or creating something I’ve already created.

I honestly do hope that most of you do realize that a person’s appearance can be deceiving. A seemly calm and collected situation from the exterior may sometimes not be representative of the actual situation going on upstairs in the attic of one's own mind. It's something I have always had a natural flare for. I am inclined to handle a great deal more stressful situations than most. Some may even say that I crave the spine twisting stimulation to function on a daily basis. That is absurd though in relation to my personal life. But professionally I do enjoy the occasional stressful deadline where the clock is ticking literally and deadlines coming down to the hours and minutes. Strange as it may sound, I assure you I am off my rocker or insane by any means. I can function just as well with absolutely no stress. So, I am not obsessed with it.

Self-awareness is a lost art in this day and age. In this, however, I am all too self aware. I am under no illusions as to my limitations in this area. I am an artist, after all. Creative minds aren’t always the most organized ones. While I prefer to work in my strengths, I recognize my own weakness that can  and will overcome them.

I know myself well enough to know that I will never be the type who has all my pens and pencils lined up by size and color. I will never color coordinate post-it notes, to-do-lists, or files. I appreciate your having read this thus far, but really, you won’t understand; it’s okay. While I know my organizational limitations, I have learned to overcome my organizational deficiencies enough to at least become the fraud that I am.

Why Do I Do It?

Why do I need to be organized at all? Well, I’ve learned that if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well. If I spend all of my time re-tracing my steps because I’ve lost something, then I’ve missed the point. I’m a good worker; a hard worker, so I don’t want to have to redo something that I’ve already spent a lot of time on. If it’s worth doing, and it’s worth doing well, then it’s worth remembering where it is. Seriously, it took me forever to remember my new cell number.

I also really love interacting with people. I would have a cup of coffee and enjoy a meaningful conversation with interesting people; you know really getting to know them. Finding out what makes them tick, learn about their hopes and dreams are. I’ve learned, however, that my eagerness is unmatched and cannot compensate for forgetting their phone number, forget to meet them when I miss an appointment.  I’ve learned that my lack of organizational skills can be misconstrued for lack of care. If the people in my life are that important to me, then I need to have some sort of organization to keep up with them.

I’ve also noticed that organizational skills can often be the difference between mediocrity and success. My relational people skills won’t matter as much if I don’t have the aptitude to back them up. Organization is what sets people apart. It’s what can give you that edge and make you shine. It’s how you can love people and display competency at the same time. It’s how you get entrusted more and more to do the work that you love to do.

How do I do it?

How do one create an illusion of being more organized than one really is? Well, it’s something innate and knowing myself, I’ve learned to bring my creative strengths to the equation. I’m actually pretty efficient at the creative portion of this phenomenon. I’m just not the best at maintaining it sometimes. I can come up with a phenomenal method for keeping everything in line, but if one doesn’t keep it up, then it’s worthless. Knowing this, I’ve learned to re-create organization often by reinventing myself many times over.

I have always enjoyed the creative side of the equation and I relish the notion of it, because its rather refreshing and keeps the information relevant. If one looks at it as an art, instead of a pet project, then I’m more likely to do it well. I may be deluding myself, but if it works, that’s okay. This is how I can create something that looks very organized and how I’ve often wowed people with my organizational skills. When that occurs, it usually brings this cheesy smile to my face, almost pasted from ear to ear. I honestly don’t know how life was before now. It seems almost second nature.

If you are anything like me, if you have trouble keeping track of details, papers, meetings, notes, phone numbers, doctor’s appointments, children, don’t worry, there is hope. You too can overcome your own disorganization. You too can learn to dazzle, shine, and pull off that professional edge. We can’t confirm our creativity to someone else’s constraints.

The key I think to keep it in check and not losing it all in a matter of seconds is a delicate innate skill not learnt, but rather something that I believe is something that one is born with. It is impressed into your psyche from birth, a natural talent if you will. That is not to say it can't be learnt, but it would be a fete in itself to achieve   since it isn't something that comes naturally to said persons. 

Where does one start you might be asking? Well, a good place would be to first take stock of the said situation and to revisit a few concepts to re-enforce some basic values like Self discipline, Self respect, Respect for others or for property and many other values. We also believe that physical exercise and physical challenges are an excellent way to help boost confidence and self esteem. 

But honestly have you ever thought “How am I going to get all of this done?” or even “I can’t find things I’m looking for; I can’t catch up with emails, or return calls? Maybe it’s time to organize your proverbial mess inside your head. The following are not absolutes but rather suggestions and ideas to help you get started on your way to a more efficiently organized chaos and achieve your goals:

Step 1: Set Holistic Goals 

Think about what’s really important. Where would organization be the most beneficial to you and the things that are  important to you? Concentrate on those areas

• Often when we consider our goals we look at them individually—career goals in one category, personal goals in  another. 
• While employing the SMART Goals philosophy, take a holistic approach to this process.  Goals for both your professional and personal life should be homogeneous.  Evaluate them for compatibility. When goals are not synchronized they become impossible to attain. 

Step 2:  Prioritize Your Goals -

• Spend about 15 minutes a day focusing on what you need to do in those important areas.
• Write things down – in one place. Keep one notebook that you carry everywhere and write everything in it. If you lose it, you’re screwed, so guard it with your life
• Don’t stress over it. This is how we were made and wired, its not natural to think that we can easily over come such an obstacle. Embrace who you are and don’t apologize for it. Learn to laugh at yourself – it’s okay.

Step 3: Create and Document Your Plan 

•  Develop routines. Repetition will help you to not forget the details. Soon certain tasks will come naturally.
• Block out sections of time to work on the mundane tasks that you hate. If I waited until I felt like it, a lot of things wouldn’t get done at all. Suck it up and get it done.

Step 4: Remain Flexible – In a world where change is a constant, don’t confuse having a plan with being handcuffed to an inflexible regimen.

• Don’t try to organize everything. You won’t like it. You won’t keep it. It will only bring you stress and anxiety.
• Think of your plan as a method for balancing competing demands on your time, energy and resources, so that what’s most important to you can be accomplished with less mess and stress. Even the best laid plans need periodic adjustments. One my favorite quotes states: “Fortunate are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.”

 Step 5: Take a deep breath. Smile. Don’t let the organized people in your life make you feel inferior. In fact, just for fun, go ahead and mess up their pencils when they aren’t looking. Watching them freak out will be very, very satisfying.

-Lost