3 Keys Thursday: 3 Keys for Staying (Reasonably) Organized When You're (Incredibly) Overbooked

Every semester, I hold out hope that I'll get into a nice, smooth routine that doesn't include schoolwork eating up at least one day of the weekend.

Still holding out hope, but not holding my breath.

Although I'm actively building in down time this semester (if for no other reason than to maintain my sanity), I still find that planning and grading spill over into the weekend. Add to that the work of finishing a book and a lot of small stuff starts to fall between the cracks. This isn't terrible, but it means that little housekeeping tasks get edged out and clutter begins to accumulate. As someone with a drop and run organizational style, this most often means the stuff that I dropped before I ran to the next thing is still where I left it, rather than put away. The result isn't terrible, but I'm quickly approaching the point where I see something new to do (or put away) at every turn.

While I'm taking steps in the right direction, I don't hold out hope that I'll stop being overbooked any time soon. If that is, indeed, a way of life for the foreseeable future (as it is for so many of us), I need a few coping strategies.

Think small (a.k.a Take small steps). Last night, I sorted accumulated mail -- a small task that's been on my to-do list for at least a week. The task took less than half an hour and the resulting clear space was incredibly rewarding. I could focus on the fact that there are probably 15 more small tasks clamoring for my attention, or I could congratulate myself for crossing one off my list. I choose the latter.

Use existing systems. You might have noticed that I say this a lot, and there are a couple of reasons for this. First of all, if the systems we have in place are a good fit, using them is the quickest way to restore order with the least amount of effort. This simple piece of advice also serves as a systems check. If we try to restore order using our existing systems but it doesn't work, that's a sure sign that it's time to change some things up. In addition, it can also identify the root of the problem.

Be patient with yourself. You really can't do it all, and that's okay. Sometimes, we need to remind ourselves of this simple fact. If, for example, you walk by a pile for the 27th time in a day but you're too tired to even think about it, remind yourself that you can't do it all and that's okay. Self-talk can be a powerful tool, and freeing ourselves of the burden of tackling everything we see right now can have the odd effect of motivating us to do it later on because we haven't wasted precious energy beating ourselves up for what we're not doing.

For most of us, life is not dull, and that's (mostly) a blessing. When the busyness of life threatens to overtake your organizational self-confidence, remind yourself that being organized doesn't mean having a spotless place because, after all...

...it's a process.