Getting organized is a great idea, but only so long as it leads to action and progress. In my own case, I've found that too often I spend time making "To Do" lists, prioritizing them, attaching notes and early ideas for action to the items, and then moving on to other matters, acting as if the making of the list accomplished the jobs. Of course, I know better, and the thought that a project or a task is done never actually enters my mind, at least consciously. But the upshot of my list making, my behavior, has not been to lead me down some nicely ordered path toward having accomplished the things on my list.
In the making of lists
is hidden a risk
It's surprising, and subtle,
but real
For writing things down
can make one a clown
to the sense they're now done
that we feel.
So what's the lesson? Fewer lists? Less rigorously ordered lists? More time DOING things and less time making lists? Yes, probably all of those are good ideas. But maybe it's simpler yet.
My Dad used to work in a job that required him to travel several times a year, often for up to 6 weeks at a time. As you might imagine, his inbox would be filled when he returned from a trip, and I recall asking him one day how he managed to deal with all the things that had backed up in his absence. I figured that as he had been successful in his career, he might have some powerful insight to share on how he organized his time and attention. "Well", he told me, "I just pick up the top item on the pile and I deal with it. When I'm done with that, I tackle the next item."
Does anyone else share my penchant for over complicating my life?
