Disorganization has three root causes: lackadaisical time management (time becomes a river rather than the building blocks of life); clutter (poorly designed systems for keeping track of life's stuff), and unclear life goals (without clarity of purpose, any action is as good as another.)
For two-income couples, taking care of children, home and jobs has eliminated fun and sleep. Just getting to the office each day becomes a struggle.But time management troubles often are a symptom of the real problem: lack of clear goals.
To get a handle on the problems and the solutions:
- Develop a picture of an ideal lifestyle. Be specific. Include everything from how much money you'd like to make, where you'd like to live and when you'd like to retire. Developing this picture may take time but is necessary.
- Write out the goals and hang them up at work and home. It's easy to get sidetracked into watching TV or doing miscellaneous household chores. Goals are a roadmap for spending time.
- Write out daily "to do" lists and discuss them. A daily five-minute meeting is a necessity. The discussion should focus on helping each other complete the items that will lead toward achievement of long-term goals. This is the time for couples to identify how they can help each other meet their respective needs for time alone, exercise or whatever they decide the priorities to be.
Once each week, a longer meeting is useful in planning a weekly calendar of commitments - entertaining, big household projects, etc.
This formula eliminates what I call the "White Rabbit syndrome" - the disease that afflicted the rabbit in Alice and Wonderland, the propensity to run around in circles crying, "I'm late," without taking time to identify what really matters in creating a rewarding life.