day 206: introducing prioritizing—the beginning of organization

When we teach our organizing workshops, we try to have the opportunity to prequel them with a session on prioritizing. The reasons for this are many:




1. If you do not have priorities in place, you will seldom be able to achieve organization in any area. That is because we each have limitations of time, energy, emotions, and more. When our priorities are out of whack, we cannot organize because everything feels so important and crucial. Where do we begin?


2. When our priorities are in place, we have new purpose and zeal for organization. When Ray and I sit down and take inventory of our life periodically, I am more eager and able to get organized to make those priorities and goals happen.


3. Prioritizing is truly the ultimate organizing. After all, if we can organize our mind/life/time (through prioritizing), organizing our space and possessions will be that much simpler.


4. We have learned that organization follows a set pattern. (That’s why professional organizers tell us to start cleaning at the top and work our way down or do the most obvious (i.e. clutter) things first before tackling the hidden.) The same is true of prioritizing. Prioritizing is, in our opinion, the first step in organization.


5. Each day of living an organized life is truly a small series of prioritizing steps. Think about it. Do I call Grandma first or email my sister-in-law? We process that decision based on whether we will have internet access later today (in order to be able to email) or whether we will have our cell with us to make a call or whether Grandma is waiting on a call, etc. Organization is all about prioritizing!






So…bear with me for a few days of the beginning of this organizing series as I present some life lessons that we have learned concerning prioritizing—the ultimate organizing. I pray that this series will bless and help you in your families as the collected information from Gregg Harris, Institute in Basic Life Principles, The Cleaning Center, various books, and other friends has helped us.