Friday, August 26
Me not so organized...
"Disorganization is an issue for more people than it isn't."
—Barbara Hemphill, productivity consultant
"Grammar is an issue for more people than it isn't."
—David Newman, marketing and innovation consultant
She might not be a grammar queen, but she does have some good ideas about organization. Here are 5 myths that Hemphill debunks:
1. You're born organized or not. "I grew up on a farm in Nebraska where my family of four shared the second floor of a tenant farmhouse. I didn't have lots of space to collect junk. Being organized isn't innate to me -- I can make a mess fast, but I also know how to clean up."
2. The goal is to go paperless. "People who think they can avoid cleaning up by going paperless have missed the point. The problem is identifying how to manage information."
3. As long as you can find everything, you're okay. "Employees say, 'I know where everything is, so who cares if my office is a mess?' To which I say, 'What happens if you're not there?' "
4. When you're getting organized, go in order. "When people try to clean up their office, they start with the old stuff. But then new stuff comes in, and it looks more interesting. I start with what's new. Today's mail is tomorrow's pile."
5. Messiness is a moral issue. "My license plate used to say, 'I ORGNIZ.' But I got so tired of people saying, 'You'd die if you saw my house.' Organization simply means, Does it work for you?"
—Barbara Hemphill, productivity consultant
"Grammar is an issue for more people than it isn't."
—David Newman, marketing and innovation consultant
She might not be a grammar queen, but she does have some good ideas about organization. Here are 5 myths that Hemphill debunks:
1. You're born organized or not. "I grew up on a farm in Nebraska where my family of four shared the second floor of a tenant farmhouse. I didn't have lots of space to collect junk. Being organized isn't innate to me -- I can make a mess fast, but I also know how to clean up."
2. The goal is to go paperless. "People who think they can avoid cleaning up by going paperless have missed the point. The problem is identifying how to manage information."
3. As long as you can find everything, you're okay. "Employees say, 'I know where everything is, so who cares if my office is a mess?' To which I say, 'What happens if you're not there?' "
4. When you're getting organized, go in order. "When people try to clean up their office, they start with the old stuff. But then new stuff comes in, and it looks more interesting. I start with what's new. Today's mail is tomorrow's pile."
5. Messiness is a moral issue. "My license plate used to say, 'I ORGNIZ.' But I got so tired of people saying, 'You'd die if you saw my house.' Organization simply means, Does it work for you?"
