Getting Organized

Getting Organized From a talk by Sue Rupert What do you mean you 'can't find your school book?' You had it at the table just yesterday! Gee, I don't know dear, the last time I saw the checkbook, it was in my purse. Now where is the blouse that goes with these pants? I can't seem to find my other earring. Where did you put your shoes? Gee, honey, I thought I had paid that bill. Do some of these sentences sound familiar? I would like to hope not, but since you are here it probably means that some of them or ones like them are heard in your house, too. I need to tell you up front that I am by birth and by parental training a very organized woman.

It is not only my personality bent but administration/organization is also a prominent spiritual gift. When I am in public with my children, after the initial shock and usual questions of "Are they all yours?!", we get into "You must be so organized?" I have often joked that my tombstone will read: "She died neatly." I also need to make it clear that my organization may not be your organization. The point of any organization is to bring peace and harmony to life. I am what is called a concrete-sequential learner.

That just means that I have a specific spot or file for everything. Dennis is a concrete-random learner. He organizes by piles. He knows in which pile to look and exactly where in that pile to look. Organization is just having a system that works.

If you are spending hours looking for things or constantly scrambling to find something at the last minute, you system needs some updating. I will be giving you one system - like any fish, it will have some bones you will want to get rid of. Just take what is useful to you and change the rest to fit your needs and God-given personality. I need to give one exclusion. It is believed by many of the uninitiated that organized people can make you organized by showing you or giving you just the right system.

Here's the truth: Nobody can make you organized by cleverly presenting an organizational flow chart, a personalized Daytimer or any other method. We may be able to help you do it, but the buck stops with you. Organization is a choice to change your lifestyle. And lifestyle is the right word - it is just like homeschooling in that it is not a do this once project and it's done. It is a lifestyle choice only you can make and follow through with.

FOUNDATION FOR ORGANIZATION God is a god of order - He loves and operates in organization Himself. Think briefly with me about some examples from Scripture. Genesis 1 - Creation. God had a plan for creation. How would it have been had he created the land creatures before there was land for them to walk on? What would have happened had he created the vegetation before light? God is a God of order.

Exodus 25-30 - The Tabernacle. When the Israelites were wandering in the desert and needed a place to worship, God carefully laid out the plans for His tabernacle - spending six chapters in Exodus describing in great detail His plan for the construction and furnishings. God cares how things are done. 1 Chronicles 28 - Solomon's Temple. God directs David in how, when and who will build His temple.

It's is God's plans that are followed, not David's. 1 Corinthians 14:26-33 - Orderly worship. Paul tells God's thoughts on worshipping in an orderly fashion. Along with these large sections, there are numerous single verses that speak of God being a god of order and plans. Ephesians 1:11 - "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.

.." Psalm 33:11 - "But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations." Psalm 40:5 - "Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you;" Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you, " declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

" There are many more references to God's planning, to His orderliness, and it would make a good word study for you to pursue some time. You get the idea that the foundation of organization comes from God Himself. So if we are to grow in our likeness of Him, that means growing in organizational skills as well. SO WHY SHOULD I BE ORDERLY? Let's get practical here - what's in it for me? What are the benefits of organization? Let me list four of them. First, as 1 Corinthians 14:33 says, "God is not a god of disorder, but of peace.

" Do you lack peace? Then this verse tells me that getting my life in order is part of the process of gaining peace. Is your house in a constant uproar because chores aren't done, no one can find anything, schoolbooks are strewn everywhere or you're missing a key ingredient for dinner? Then getting things in order will lead to experiencing more peace. Proverbs 31:25 says, that the noble woman "is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come." I am convinced she laughs because she has prepared, has a plan and is ready to face the future. There is a connection between our outer world and how we feel on the inside.

Let me give you an example: Isn't there a sense of satisfaction (and relief) after you've completed a pile of mending that has been staring at you for the past 6 months? Another example: Do any of you go around straightening your house when you are feeling anxious? I do. Why do I do that? Because I am trying to soothe my inner turmoil by ordering my outer world. God made us that way. We sense that order on the outside affects our inner peace. Now this principle can be taken to extremes.

Trying to order our outer world can be a dysfunctional substitute for dealing with inner turmoil. The perfectionist is always trying to find inner peace, by ordering her outside. That's a natural response that proves the point that outer order is part of the process of gaining peace. But, of course, it is not a complete answer to what the perfectionist needs. The perfectionist needs to know the grace of inner healing.

But finding inner healing is a subject for some other time - I want to focus on how we can have outer order in our lives. The point I am making is that one of the benefits to outer order (as long as it's not taken to extremes) is that you will feel better about yourself. Secondly, organization will also make you more productive. Simply put: you can do more if you are organized. Being organized is a necessity for me.

I'm the mother of eight children, the wife of a pastor, and a home educator. You don't survive responsibilities like that without learning some organizational skills. Just as an army needs organization to be efficient, you need organization to be effective in all of the God-given tasks on your To-do list. Proverbs 24:33-34 says "A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest--and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man." Organization makes you productive.

Another old adage that shouts truth is "Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today." You know you're going to have to do that task sooner or later (unless the Lord returns) so why not do it sooner? Do you have any idea how much time and energy you waste remembering to do that job? How much more wisely that time and energy could be spent if the job were just done! Third, organization frees us up to pursue other areas of life. For instance, I tend to be more project-oriented than people-oriented. But because I'm organized, I have the time to work on relationships and building friendships with others. Organization can give you time to complete that craft project, do that hobby, or add another child to your family.

Organization frees us to aspire to more rewarding tasks. Fourth, being organized blesses the body of Christ. God's church needs more people who know the skills of organizing, administering, arranging, categorizing, and managing. God uses people like that in church libraries, diaconal work, ushering, potblessing meals, Sunday school supervising, church workdays, the church office, etc., etc.

Now I don't want you to think that organization is a rigid set of rules that has to be followed without regard to flexibility. If it is a gorgeous day and you are scheduled to scrub your floors, but you'd rather have a picnic with your family -- go have the picnic. If the children are really into that science experiment but it's time to switch to grammar -- consider an extended science time and save grammar for another day. The scheduling and organization is to serve you. You are not to serve it.

God's organization is like that. His organization frees Him to be creative and fun. Think for a minute about His creation. Yes, it has order, but what of the monkey's antics or the opossum who spends her life upside down, or each snowflake's uniqueness - surely these are signs of frivolity and spontaneity. But they happen within the structure of order, design and planning.

ORGANIZING THINGS Okay, so how does one become organized? As I said earlier, I cannot make you organized - it is a lifestyle choice. But I can share with you how I think and run my home and life. Glean from it what you can -- not every method is suitable for every person or personality. Even if you do not find anything I say helpful, I would encourage you to persevere in this area anyway - talk to someone else, read another book, ask God. If He gives plans for His tabernacle, I'm sure He has plans for your household as well that He would be glad to reveal to you.

I run my physical house with priorities. First, is organization, next is cleaning, and third is beautifying. The order here is essential. You cannot beautify something that is cluttered, nor can you thoroughly clean without total frustration, something that is overflowing with extraneous items. If everything is organized it is a simple task to clean and a pleasant chore to beautify.

Along with these priorities, I have two cardinal rules - (1) "Deal with it once (wherever possible) and be done with it." Don't keep shuffling that paper from one side of your desk to the other - deal with it and be done with it. And (2) "Write it down." Our minds are so bombarded these days by superfluous information both visually and auditorily received. No matter how simple the thought, message, reminder, I have come to the conviction that it needs to be written down.

That way my mind is not cluttered with it and I can concentrate on truly important things and the item will not be forgotten, because it is recorded until I discard that piece of paper. Organization comes by being ruthless in answering some questions. When you are clearing out a space, ask: "Do I really need/use this?" If you have had the lid to a Tupperware container for three years, hoping to find the bottom it fits - hey, it's time to throw it out! If you have a fondue pot that you received as a wedding gift that you have never used but kept just because it was a gift - give it away. It's not doing you any good anyway. My rule of thumb is that if it hasn't been used in a year (with few exceptions), then get rid of it.

There are four sources for disposing of unwanted items - the trash, friends, Salvation Army, consignment shops. Once you have determined that the item is a keeper, ask: "Is this the best spot for this?" I have gone in to countless kitchens that have the glasses on the opposite side of the room from the sink. Doesn't it make more sense to keep the glasses where they are most useable? Or the infamous "junk drawer" - is it really the best spot for your child's kindergarten art work (she's now in 3rd grade!), your husband's hammer, or the button from your best coat that you meant to sew on last fall? Okay, you're going to keep it, this is the best spot for it, so ask: "How is it best stored?" Face it, we all have limited space and sometimes things must be doubled up. But does it make sense to put your favorite frying pan at the bottom of the pot drawer - why not stand it on its edge at the side of the cabinet, or hang it on a hook by the stove? Or all those little spice/soup packets - put them together in a Kleenex boutique box that has been cut down to size. And of course, alphabetize and color code where you can! HOW TO KEEP IT ORGANIZED Organization/storage does not need to be expensive.

If you call a store first thing in the morning, they will save their boxes for you rather than crushing them right away. Boxes and containers that you empty in everyday living can be utilized. And if you can humble yourself enough, doing it with someone else is a whole lot more fun. Barter someone's organizational skills for a talent God has given you. I organized a friend's kitchen and in return she has given me plants and gardening tips.

It's not that difficult to get organized and once you have things together, it is relatively simple to keep them organized. The trick is simple - train everyone to put things back exactly where they got them from. If you don't work your plan your plan won't work! The old adage of "A place for everything and everything in its place" really works in terms of being organized. I spend just a few minutes each day, usually before lunch restoring order to the house. It is easy then, to zip through it with the dust cloth and vacuum - everything is in order and clean.

Then I can take time to pick flowers from the garden for the table or knit an afghan for the back of the couch or reframe a picture to pull out more of the color in the wallpaper. Organize, clean, beautify. ORGANIZING SCHEDULES AND TASKS After organizing things, I organize my schedule. There are zillions of time management helps out there. I simply use a calendar and a few simple files.

The calendar is easy - All appointments, meetings, etc. are put on the master calendar by the phone. Once a week Dennis and I check our calendars so we don't end up with conflicts or too many nights out away from the kids. We try to decide the week before how many nights out there will be, if the girls can have a friend over or go to someone's house if invited. This allows us to control our time better - organize our family life - and keep peace in the house.

The calendar is also the best place to give yourself reminders. Put on it the day your library books are due, call the doctor to schedule a well baby check-up, or the date by which the first draft of your talk for the woman's retreat should be completed. Use it to remind yourself of upcoming things not just the tasks for this particular day. You know there's a pot blessing coming up - put on the calendar for Thursday - shop for pot blessing and Saturday - cook for pot blessing. That way when your friend calls and says, "Hey, how about going to lunch?" You can say, "Sure, but I've got to be back early to prepare for the next day!" See the flexibility within your structure? The files are really a priority system for handling the endless paperwork that flows across the desk.

I use four files: "Follow up", "Bills", "Do", and "Someday": "Follow up" - Contains things like the library helpers who I may need to call next week for a library work day, or a question for the insurance company on which they are supposed to call me back. Things in this file are in date order of needing to be done or followed up on. "Bills" - I can't always deal with these at once and be done with them. But putting them in one spot assures that they will not be lost or overlooked and when I do have time to get to them, there is no searching about or wondering if I already paid that one. "Do" - This file holds projects I am currently or very soon going to be working on.

It has a catalog I want to order from, the rough draft of this talk, the schedule of work to be done in the library; and "Someday" - That is the file that has letters from friends I'd like to write back to when time allows, a list of books that I'd really like to read, information on a sign language class, since I'd like to learn that someday. I don't keep a file of stuff "To Be Filed" - I file it right away. It's just as easy to drop it in one file as it is another. On the rare occasions when I really can't get to it - maybe I have a question about it - it gets put in the "Do" file since that is a priority file that I know I will get to in short order. My daily schedule is done either by hourly time slots or chunks of time depending on the need and the schedule for the week/day.

ORGANIZING PEOPLE Everyone in our house helps with the chores, except the two-year-old twins - they make the chores! People ask how I do it all. The truth is that I don't. Like any good manager, I delegate. Chores are shared in our home. Chores need to be age appropriate and motivating your children to do them is a whole other seminar.

But doing chores teaches responsibility and cooperation as they work together. (I assign an older child to work with a younger child until the younger child has mastered the task.) As a mother, I need to move from being the sheep herder - the one who does all the work and keeps track of everybody and everything, to the ranch manager - the one who sees that others are doing their jobs. This same principle of delegating is used in my work at the church library, as "principal" for our home educators group, in many of the jobs I undertake. Delegating is simply organizing others to do the job.

The chores rotate to another sibling on a weekly basis. This week Katie has "sweep the dining room floor." Next week it will be Kristin's turn. This way no one gets sick of the same task. Some weeks the chores are assigned a specific day of the week, other weeks they are done on an as needed basis.

For example, when we regularly had home group meeting on Wednesday night, Wednesday afternoon was always delegated to dust & vacuum the living room. Now that we no longer host the home group that job is done on an as needed basis. Just because it is Wednesday doesn't mean you must vacuum the living room if it doesn't need it! ORGANIZING MY INNER WORLD Ordering my inner life is just as important to me and to God as ordering my physical world. As I said earlier each affects the other. When my house is a wreck, I feel unsettled inside.

When my emotional world is upset, the first thing I do to try to settle it is to be sure that my physical world is in order. We should be thankful for these obvious signs of disarray in our life. God is using the disorder, the lack of peace, to get our attention. I shared one Sunday night when we were having the participatory services that shortly before Peter's birth, God gave me a verse that has affected my life ever since. It is Isaiah 30:15 "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.

.." The quietness that is talked about is not the tight-lipped kind of silence that grits your teeth and bears it. Rather is it the kind that shares what is necessary and does not allow for idle complaining. The rehashing of a problem only serves to stir my spirit up more, leading to disorder and upheaval.

The trust is not the blind leap of faith kind of trust, but the trust as in Jeremiah 29:11 "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" I have a God who loves me with an everlasting love, has plans for me and works only for my good. I can be at peace. The acrostic "NBD" has become key to ordering my inner life. When I want to get upset over something not done, something someone has done, something I have done, I put it in perspective.

Does God, or the great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1) care that I forgot to defrost the meat in time for my husband's boss to come for dinner? Do they care that I lost my keys - again? Do they care that I booked myself to be three places at the same time? In light of it's impact on God's kingdom and of eternity these are probably all "NBD's" - "No Big Deal". So Dennis is late for dinner again and throws my carefully planned schedule out of whack - in perspective it is an "NBD". Even the girls have learned this acrostic and the flexibility it allows has brought order and peace out of what could have been a chaotic situation. Knowing my personality type and working with my strengths and weaknesses has allowed me greater organization and hence, peace. I am not a prayer warrior and when I was on the prayer chain I was constantly struggling to find the time to do justice to the requests that came through.

I finally accepted that limitation and took myself off the prayer chain. Now I'm great at organizing it, but don't ask me to be on it! Knowing your personality bent does not mean you are forever locked into that trait. I am naturally a behind-the-scenes worker, but I can function as a leader when necessary (like now) and my kids have seen my rare moments of total frivolity as I started a food fight one night at dinner. You should have seen how big their eyes got. Being organized inside means you know who you are, accept who God has made you to be, and work primarily in that realm while stretching yourself in other areas.

All of this inner organization has to have as its foundation something I am loath to discuss because it is almost always a source of guilt and condemnation. But I have found that the best way to order my world - physical things, schedule and inner self - is to start each day with a quiet time. It doesn't have to be much - some days I have the luxury of half an hour or forty-five minutes, other days I must content myself with five minutes. But in those five minutes, I remind myself that "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." And I ask the Lord to bless my plans for the day and give me the flexibility to be open to His plans for me where they differ from my expectations.

We've looked at organization and some keys to becoming more organized in a few areas. You have to make the choice that you want to grow in this area. As I said in the beginning - it is not a project that is done once and never gone back to - like cataloging your pictures from a vacation. It is a lifestyle that requires choice after choice after choice. But it is a lifestyle pleasing to God, beneficial to our family and rewarding to ourselves.

There is everything to gain, and nothing to be lost except the frustration, chaos, self-berating, and occasionally that one shoe that you can never find as you're trying to get ready for Sunday morning service!