Disappointed and disorganised

There is no magic trick, no grand plan to being organised. It is just a matter of discipline and choice. I must choose to be organised and I must be disciplined about being, and continuing to be, organised. 

David Allen's book Getting Things Done is a great starting point for developing habits for living with a greater sense of organisation. I know the goal is greater productivity, but I don't suppose you get that without becoming organised.

This all came home to me this morning when I suddenly realised I'd missed an appointment through sheer carelessness and lack of discipline. I'd written the appointment down in my diary, I'd captured all the details in the appropriate place, but I failed to check my diary in time. Once again I subconsciously relied on my memory and it didn't work.

So, I've written my apology note and I'll probably beat myself up for a while longer about by abject failure. But unless I resolve to actually take action to do something differently, it will happen again.

So, if you've fallen off your organisational wagon and feel overwhelmed by your disorganised and chaotic lifestyle, determine today to do something differently. Choose one thing you can change that will make a significant difference and begin to practice that habit until it becomes an automatic habit. 

For me it's got to be to check my diary at the end of the day and set suitable alarmed reminders for anything early the next day. And then check again at the start of the day. After all the reason I have a diary is precisely because I can't remember everything!