Starting Slowly

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At the beginning of every semester, it always takes me a little while to get into a routine. New classes, new ideas, a different schedule every day. Before I know it, my I need to see it personal style has run rampant, leaving piles in its wake.

This semester, even though my styles haven't changed, a few things are working to my advantage. I'm not teaching any of my classes for the first time, so there's a lot less reinventing of the wheel, which helps to keep things a bit tidier. I start at the same time every day, which allows me to settle into a routine that feels a little more predictable. And, with each semester that I teach, I have the opportunity to further refine my system so it works to my advantage.

While I can't say I'm living a pile-free existence, most of my stacks are confined to logical homes like folders and a file sorter, at least most of the time. Some changes in our home furnishings have also led to other, less obtrusive, temporary homes for papers that I leave out because they need a quick turnaround time. Translation: my living room furniture is free from piles of papers, at least most of the time.

It used to frustrate me that it takes so long for me to settle into a new routine each semester but, over time, I've accepted it as an occupational hazard. As I've said here so often before, organizing is a process. What I've come to realize is that, inherent in the concept of a process is the element of time. Put simply, processes take time -- they can't be rushed.

The irony, though, is that the less I worry about it, the more easily things fall into place. Perhaps I'm re-directing my energy from worrying to strategizing, or maybe, just maybe, the process is working.

Only time will tell.