Organization Extra: 14 Habits

Photo: pippalou via Morguefile

This summer, in preparation for a class I'm teaching in the fall, I'm re-reading some of my favorite books on success (Mindset, Outliers), along with some other fun books I've discovered that tackle topics like perfectionism and procrastination.

When it comes to books on success, those of us who came of professional age in the last two decades of the 20th century think immediately of Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Successful People. With his private and public victories and focus on putting the most important things first, Covey reminded a generation of overachievers not to forget what really mattered, and, consequently, what truly defined success.

And so it I couldn't help but think of Covey as I read Sarah Klein's "14 Habits of Ultra-Organized People," primarily because her title was so reminiscent of Covey's. Klein's article describes what I've dubbed the "Type A" organizer: the logical, naturally organized person who rarely struggles with the concept and execution of "a place for everything and everything in its place."

If you, like me, are not one of those people, Klein's article is still worth a read. With twice as many points to cover, she gives less space to each, but still manages to cover them all in a way that makes sense, particularly to a generation raised on sound bites instead of self-help books. What I like best is that she discusses the why behind organization, as well as giving consideration to concepts like perfectionism, optimism and taking things one step at a time.

And, whether your organizational style is Type A, drop and run, cram and jam or I know I put it somewhere, letting go of perfectionism, seizing hold of optimism and taking things one step at a time is a pretty effective recipe for successful organizing.