I am a starter. This doesn’t mean I can’t finish things, but it is much easier and more natural for me to start things as opposed to finishing. To finish I have to purposely avoid being distracted and have to concentrate on bringing it to a conclusion. My mind is always suggesting new and exciting things to check on and investigate. I’m like a child in a candy store – I want them all. When I think of a creative idea or a new business strategy, I fear I will lose my thoughts during this moment of inspiration. Knowing this about myself, I try to get the ideas down in a tangible form so I can remember what to return to later.

Taking the time to come back to these ideas later and develop them into a workable plan takes some thoughtful dedication. The only thing that helps me in this area is organization. My time is limited so I need to be well organized so as not to feel too scattered and overwhelmed. Needless to say organization is not my strong suit. That’s what I’m working on this year… well, I say this year, but I’ll be working on organization the rest of my life. I don’t work well under too much time pressure either , but I am always pressed for time. Hmm, I think I cause much of my own problems.  Are you like that or do you have organization and time under control?

I’m notorious for having multiple piles of paper. Paper is not my friend. Ha!  So I’m in the process of coming up with a paper organization system. I’ll let you know what I decide on using… It needs to be very simple to execute. Maybe I need to be a minimalist. Hmm, I’m going to have to explore that thought. Oops! There my random thoughts go again. The point is I need to be productive which means my filing system will ensure that urgent things are not forgotten and I can find documents and notes quickly and easily.

Where I have lacked skill in the past is letting go of stuff I don’t need to do in my life. This is part of being organized to… getting rid of the stuff you no longer need. Oh, I have such a problem with that. What if I need it again some time? When you can’t do it all and feel you are wasting a lot of your life on monotonous tasks then it’s time to pare down “the stuff” in your life.

So what does this have to do with educating our children? A lot. If you have a child who is a Finisher, your disorganized life is probably driving him crazy and if you have a child who is a Starter, you are teaching that child to be as random and disorganized as you are. Grrr, why do they always pick up our bad habits?

No one is going to be perfectly organized with their time, thoughts and plans, but we all can work on small organizational changes that will benefit ourselves as well as our family.

If you have ideas for a good, simple paper filing system, share them with me. I’d love to hear them.

And sign up for a free copy of my e-book “Are You a Starter or a Finisher?”  Just enter your name and email address and I’ll email you a download link so you can get your own copy. It will help you understand your kiddos and your spouse a little bit better.