There are people who consider me to be a very organized person.

Unfortunately, I’m not one of them.

Actually, it’s not that I don’t consider myself to be organized. In some ways I am. If you mention something I wrote about in a long-ago column or blog, I can usually go back through my files and find a copy of it within a matter of minutes. Or if you ask me for the recipe for something I brought to a picnic or party – back in the days when we could do things like go to picnics and parties – I probably have it typed up and filed by category, and can email it to you as soon as I get home and sit down in front of my computer.

But in other ways, organizationally speaking, I often come up short. I put things in files and folders that make perfect sense when I’m putting them away, but not when I’m trying to find them again. I have stacks of papers that seem to get bigger rather than smaller whenever I try to sort and process them. And although I carefully and regularly write out “To Do” lists, I sometimes find myself in need of a list to keep track of my lists.

There are several reasons this is on my mind right now. One is that I almost missed an online event I wanted to attend, even though I registered early and had it written down on my calendars – both the paper calendar on the kitchen counter and the digital one on my phone. Another reason is that I’ve got a few overlapping deadlines coming up soon, and it throws me a little off-kilter whenever that happens.

But the main reason I’m thinking about this now is that I’ve recently taken on a project that involves two organizations, sixteen people, and a lot of moving parts. And I’m deathly afraid of messing something up or letting something slip through the cracks.

There’s actually no real reason to think that will happen. I’m working with a top-notch team of people who are as excited about the project as I am. I’ve got a lot of experience in pretty much everything the project requires. And it involves an organization – Toastmasters, in case you’re wondering – that I’m passionate and enthusiastic about.

So I guess my issue right now isn’t about organization at all; it’s really about mindset. I simply need to keep reminding myself that I am – and have – everything I need in order to make this project a success. And then I just need to keep working to make it happen.

That’s a great message – not only for me now, but for any of us who occasionally feels intimidated or unsure of ourselves when faced with a task or project that’s new, scary, or simply out of our comfort zone.

To make sure I remember that, I think I’ll jot it down as a note on my “To Do” list for tomorrow.

As soon as I can find it.

October 24, 2020
©Betty Liedtke, 2020

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