One of the reasons that I like being organized is that I hate to waste time, money or energy. Also, I can't bear that nasty sensation in the pit of my stomach when I realize that because I wasn’t prepared for it, an opportunity just passed me by.
In recent years I’ve discovered the joys of having my own vegetable garden. It’s a great feeling to wander out the back door and pick your own salad or herbs to go with dinner. The price is right and the flavor can’t be beat! But, I’ve learned that in order to take full advantage of this opportunity, I HAVE to be organized.
I live in the Northeast, where our growing season is only from mid-May to the end of October (early November if we’re lucky.) I would prefer to start as much as possible from seed, because the savings and variety available are so much better. Some lessons I’ve learned over the years:
¨ If I don’t plan carefully, my plants will either be too small to go out at the ideal time (or they’ll be overgrown) and I’ll have to pay significantly more to buy them at the garden shop (or do without.)
¨ If I don’t spread my fertilizer early enough, then it will be too strong and damage my plants.
¨ Planting cover crops way back in the fall will go a long way towards a better crop next season.
¨ Also, if I wait too long to buy manure, there won’t be any left. (Cuz all the other gardeners beat me to it!)
¨ If I don’t plan & plot out my gardens beds, I won’t be able to make the most efficient use of my space.
Now, you may not be the least bit interested in gardening, and that’s fine, but consider for a minute some of the applications this has to other opportunities in life.
¨ It’s the dead of winter, and it feels like spring will never come, but you know it will eventually. What do you have to do to be prepared? (Or for summer, or fall, or winter . . . you know what I mean.)
¨ Sure, you can sometimes manage to catch up if you procrastinate, but at what cost?
¨ What lessons did you learn from the last time around? Have you made an effort to apply them and improve you system for this time?
¨ What tasks need to be done when for the best use of your time, money & energy? Do you have a system in place to help remind you?
¨ What planning ahead do you need to do to make the most of any opportunities that may come your way?
Like I always say, organizing is not an end in and of itself, it’s a means to an end. I hope considering these questions and their answers will help us all to make the most of the gifts we’ve been given.
Blessings,
Sandy
P.S. I’ve also learned that plants don’t care how they’re organized. They’ll grow whether the rows are straight, crooked or zig-zaggy. One less thing to worry about!
Sandy Huntress is a successful educator in the arena of organization. She has authored three popular ebooks: 16 Secrets of Naturally Organized People, Decluttering, Demystified, as well as, Paper, Paper, Everywhere (And You Can’t Find a Thing!)For more tips and techniques like the ones in this article, plus your FREE copy of Decluttering, Demystified, please click here: http://www.secretsoforganizedpeople.com.
