Why We Cheat
If buying products, rearranging, cleaning, stashing, tidying, and using cookie-cutter solutions haven’t worked for us yet, you would think that we would come to our senses. One would think that with all our failed self-help efforts, we would eventually make a decision to bail out of our cycle of disorganization. If we’ve tried again and again to get organized with products and labels and tips, yet none of those solutions endured, the rational approach would be to try something else.
We are in denial about our true problem: We want an easy shortcut more than we want to find the real solution. Until we come to terms with our failed self-help efforts and commit to engaging in an authentic organizing process, we will endlessly circle around and around in the revolving door of disorganization.
Shortcuts give us a sense of control over our unmanageable lives. Living an organized life in “three simple steps” sounds pretty appealing to those of us who are totally overwhelmed. But these perceived payoffs aren’t really payoffs at all. When we take a shortcut, we don’t make progress, we don’t get to the finish line faster, we aren’t really in control of our disorganization. Our perception that shortcuts offer a winning approach is false.
We need to stop cheating so that we can start winning! We cannot outsmart the system as we begin creating and sustaining order.
Related:
- Common Organizing Mistakes Part 1: Product Panacea
- Common Organizing Mistakes Part 2: The Rearranging Remedy
- Common Organizing Mistakes Part 3: The Cleaning Cure
- Common Organizing Mistakes Part 4: The Stashing Solution
- Common Organizing Mistakes Part 5: The Tidying Trick
- Common Organizing Mistakes Part 6: The Cookie Cutter
- Common Organizing Mistakes Part 8: Due Diligence
