There once was a time when others marveled at my organization skills. Since I have worked out of a home office, however, my space is hardly visitor friendly. Piles of stuff have formed a mote around my desk. I step over the mote in the morning, and it keeps people away from my desk when I’m not here. I guess this is an advantage, but it hardly qualifies as organization. I say that I know where everything important is, but increasingly this is not only not true but an excuse for the lack of organization, transparent even to me.

So I bought a book, Getting Things Done, by the guru of time and self-management, David Allen. I cleaned up the pile next to my bed this morning. I’ve made the surface of my desk mostly visible. I know this is just the tip of the iceberg because as Allen says, we have to understand and implement a whole system of organization before we actually get organized. I’ve only read the first three chapters and I feel like much more is possible.

He says that we have to organize our thinking before we can organize our actions, that we carry around all the stuff we have not organized into some formula for ultimate action and that it weighs us down psychically. I see a correlation with Appreciative Coaching here. If we do not organize our thinking around our strengths and our skills to think deeply about them, we will not be able to act in a purposeful way to achieve our greatest dreams. We won’t procrastinate so much as run around in circles accomplishing something but not necessarily what we want.

So, Allen suggests writing down all of the projects in our heads. These can be as simple as “finish Aunt Millie’s scarf,” to “write the proposal for my next book ” or “write the book.” I suggest writing down all of your strengths. These can be as simple as “makes a mean grilled hamburger” to “manages complex IT projects to completion on time and on budget.” Allen suggests that we then write our ultimate hope or plan for each project, such as “the book sells a million copies in the first six months.” I suggest you write down a really big goal or dream that uses the strengths you have now. Finally, Allen says to write down one action that you can do now or today that moves you toward the vision of your ultimate hope for each project. I suggest that you write down one way in which you can use your strength today to move you closer to the dream or vision you have for your future.