Reaching Out Summer 2003

Strong families make strong communities

"Chronic Disorganization"

Balancing the phone in one hand while fumbling through papers with the other, Becky quickly realized she couldn’t find the information the caller wanted. Her office was so cluttered with files and unsorted paperwork that she felt embarrassed.

Mitchell plopped the mail onto the counter, He casually shoved aside yesterday’s mail to make room for today’s pile. Bills and junk mail. "I’ll deal with it later," Mitchell thought, "when I have more time to concentrate."

Carrying a heavy laundry basket, Karen headed downstairs to the basement, only to trip over a new box in Dave’s ever-growing Star Wars collection. Many of the boxes hadn’t been opened for years. Their basement was becoming an obstacle course.

Becky, Dave and Mitchell are all chronically disorganized. There are three criteria present with chronic disorganization.

1. The challenge with disorganization is "chronic". Most chronically disorganized people are like this throughout their adult lives.

2. Chronic disorganization negatively affects one’s quality of life on a daily basis. It also often negatively affects one’s family, friends, relatives and co-workers. It causes guilt, stress and anxiety. It can undermine job security, affect relationships and reduce self-esteem.

3. All previous attempts at self-help have failed the chronically disorganized person.

Chronically disorganized people are usually intelligent, intuitive and creative. They are not, however, conventional. They think, learn and organize in non-conventional ways. Becky is a visual thinker, for example, and needs her project files in full view. She needs to keep her supplies in cubbyholes or clear containers, rather than hidden in a file cabinet or a closet. This is why conventional organizing systems and tools fail people like Becky.

While chronic disorganization can be conquered, the reality is that the tendency to be disorganized will always be present. It takes unconventional organizing methods and the help of another person or people. Because backsliding is expected, a commitment to maintenance is also needed.

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