THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING DIS-ORGANIZED

Huh? The advantages of being disorganized? How can there be any advantages to disorganization?

I’ve worked in the field of information management for over thirty-four years and I’ve heard every excuse imaginable for being disorganized. Some people actually believe it is better to be disorganized, and even to work amid chaos. Here are a few of their reasons:

• I’ve made myself an indispensable part of this company. If they ever fired me, they’d never find anything. Nobody would want to sort through my chaos in order to complete my tasks.
• I look busy. Nobody’s likely going to give me more work because they believe I’m drowning in the work I’ve got.
• The piles of paperwork on my desk tell people that I’m important.
• My manager won’t cut my position because it’s obvious that I work hard.
• I know where everything is in those stacks. If I rearranged them I wouldn’t know where anything is.

It doesn’t take great insight to see through these arguments. They are all about image and illusion: the image that the person wants to project to his or her manager and workmates, and the illusion that this person is working productively. In fact, what we’re seeing are lack of order and the sure signs of low productivity.

If you hear yourself making excuses for your mess, take heed. Tell yourself the truth: There is no good reason for being disorganized, no positive benefit to be derived from chaos, no advantage to sloppy work habits. There is every reason for being organized. There are unlimited benefits to clearing the chaos and developing efficient work habits.

The discipline and energy a person intentionally employs to MAINTAIN a state of chaos is a much harder and harsher discipline and energy that the discipline and energy required to live in a managed state.

Let me leave you with this thought: Don’t do this simply for the image or for your boss or your company. Do this for you personally. The benefits you will derive will be in the form of vastly reduced stress and an immense increase in creativity. Future topics will inform you of ways to making your work (the place you spend a majority of your waking life), still more exciting, productive and enjoyable for you.

May the Turtle be with You,

Len Merson, Founder, C.E.O. Chaos Over, Inc.
1-88-VERY CALM (Toll Free line)
619.980.7372 (Direct line)
Lmerson@chaosover.com
www.ChaosOver.com