Your associations with “organized people” may make time management advice hard to swallow.
Let me explain…
When I go to a new restaurant, or I’m in a new place, I try to eat new foods. Some cuisine I find delicious. But other dishes I literally can’t swallow because I’m so disturbed at the thought of what’s in them. Objectively, the food might be tasty, but I’m emotionally repulsed by the mental association.
The same power of association holds true in other areas.
If you have negative associations with organized people or with the results of good time management, like having free time, it will be really hard for you to swallow any advice that will lead you toward something you find SO distasteful.
To uncover whether any of these biases may be holding you back from success, ponder these points:
When I imagine an “organized person,” who comes to mind?
- Do I want to be like this person? If so, why? If not, why not?
- What do I like and dislike about this individual?
- What adjectives would I use to describe him or her?
- What type of feelings do I have toward this person?
When I imagine myself being organized, what images come to mind?
- Are there any feelings other than peace and joy?
- Is there any sense of guilt? of fear?
- Is there any worry that I’ll lose my worth if I’m not serving or sacrificing or doing enough?
- Is there any resistance to letting go of daily drama?
Let your mind turn over these questions a bit… then think through how you could create new paradigms that free you to feel at peace with being organized.
Life can be Radically Different!
About Real Life E®
Elizabeth Grace Saunders is the founder and CEO of Real Life E® a time coaching and training company that empowers individuals who feel guilty, overwhelmed and frustrated to feel peaceful, confident and accomplished through an exclusive Schedule Makeover™ process. She is an expert on achieving more success with less stress. Real Life E® also increases employee productivity, satisfaction and work/life balance through custom training programs.
McGraw Hill published her first book The 3 Secrets to Effective Time Investment: How to Achieve More Success with Less Stress. Elizabeth contributes to blogs like Lifehacker, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and the 99U blog on productivity for creative professionals. She was selected as one of the Top 25 Amazing Women of the Year by Stiletto Woman.
