Organizationally Challenged: A Love Story (part 1)

In fifth grade English, my class was taught how to use index cards to write research papers. Each source book, magazine, or interview subject got its own card. Each quote, thought, fact, or idea went on its own informational card, referencing the source card.

When it came time to put the paper together, you organized the information by organizing the index cards. You wrote your outline from that, and filled in with the information and ideas on the cards, and your footnotes and bibliography fell into place, too.

It was organized! Neat! Tidy! And it worked… the papers practically wrote themselves. It was a revelation. Things could be organized. And organization made you more productive and effective. Wow.
I fell in love, then and there.

My instant adoration was at least in part based on the exotic flavor - I grew up in a house where clutter ruled, both physically and mentally. Everything was done at the spur of the moment: “what to wear” was decided 20 minutes before leaving the house, as you dug through the laundry that was still in the dryer. I didn’t really know things could be organized, until my exposure to index card research… it was a revelation, and I was enamored of the idea.

I still am. I compulsively buy organizational tools - index cards, labels, file folders, binders, journals, boxes. I’m not exactly sure what I’m supposed to do with them, but I collect them and sometimes pet them affectionately. Someday, they WILL lead me to the promised land.

I’ve tried any number of organizational systems and books, none of which really worked for me. I tried a housekeeping method based on index cards - but the number of cards was overwhelming. I bought books on clutter, and learned a few tips… the clutter didn’t go away, but I did understand it a little better. Then there was my “Organization From The Inside Out” phase…. really cool stuff, the idea of zones for everything, and everything in its zone… But it didn’t work. I couldn’t stick with it. I seemed to be allergic to “To-Do” lists; they gave me anxiety attacks. I began to feel that the research card writing method was a fluke…. that being productive and organized just wasn’t my thing.

Once I got married, things only got worse - my new spouse was less organized than I was. At first, that was a relief, because I wouldn’t be judged about the stacks of bills, laundry, and undone tasks. But as time moved on, the stacks got taller and dustier, and I became less and less able to focus on art and writing. Something had to be done, but I had no idea what. I started compulsively downloading organizational software trials. I bought more post it notes and cards and folders. I showed these all to my ever-loving husband, who smiled, nodded, and kicked a pile of clean laundry off of the couch so he could watch television.

I was still in love with organization, but my relationship with it was in serious trouble…
(Part two will explain the breakthrough solutions)