Know Thyself. Lisa Lawmaster Hess

       Introduction

      I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful. Wonderful are thy works! Thou knowest me right well.

      PSALM 139:14

      When it comes to organizing, there are two kinds of people. There are Type A organizers, for whom organizing is easy and automatic. Practical, time-tested tools work for them. They’ve successfully (and consistently) mastered the use of three-ring binders, file cabinets, and pocket folders. Type A organizers are the embodiment of the phrase “a place for everything and everything in its place.”

      And then there are the rest of us.

      We want to get organized, we really do. Tired of feeling scattered, we buy three-hole punches so we can corral all those loose papers into binders. We buy boxes of multi-colored file folders in an effort to restore order; and we spend hours setting up filing systems only to be stymied by them later and revert to stuffing, cramming, jamming, and putting things in “safe places.”

      We know that getting organized is a worthwhile goal — a life skill we should cultivate. We understand that we save time and energy when we can find what we need when we need it. We secretly (or not so secretly) envy our put-together, Type A organized friends who make it look so simple.

      But for us, it’s not. In our best moments, we trust that we’re smart enough to master this skill, creative enough to cook up new solutions, and fabulous enough to make our homes look stylish in the process. In our moments of weakness, however, we wonder if we somehow got in the wrong line on the day God was handing out organizational skills.

      And it makes us feel lousy. And maybe even broken.

      But we’re not broken; we are wonderfully made, and we each organize differently. Traditional tools might not be a good fit for us, but that’s a technicality, because organization is more than just the tools we choose. Successful organization requires three components working together:

      styles + strategies + tools = organization

      Did you notice what came first in that equation? Styles — your styles, your very self. God has created each of us to be just the way he wants us to be. If we can tap into the skills and talents he has given us, not only can we organize in a way that’s sustainable, but we can also be the best version of ourselves. Instead of trying to mold ourselves to the tools and strategies we think should work, we can look for tools and strategies that fit the way we think and the way we organize. We can use our gifts, double-edged swords though they may be, to develop a life skill that saves time and energy and helps us to appreciate how wonderfully made we really are.

      When we are organized, we can find what we need when we need it. We have systems that work, and we know where things go. We even develop a sense of peace about our surroundings because we feel in charge of our stuff, not the other way around.

      Does all this sound just a little too good to be true? Then, in the spirit of full disclosure, I need to let you know that this is a process — one that takes time and effort. But organization is also more than a process. At its core it’s a feeling, one that ebbs and flows as we endeavor to maintain balance between the stuff that comes in and the stuff that goes out. It’s possible to look organized without feeling organized (as anyone can attest who’s ever tossed stuff into a closet when company’s coming), to manage the stuff without creating a system but, when we do, we cheat ourselves. When we feel organized, we worry less about how we look and more about how we function, which is what makes the process worth the time and energy it requires.

      You’ve probably already figured out that the process in this book is a little different from the usual approaches to getting organized. The first step is to look at who you already are and what you already do — the gifts God has given you. Though at first those gifts might look like stumbling blocks, they actually hold the key to getting organized in a way that’s true to who you are. Organizing by STYLE (we’ll delve into that acronym later) doesn’t seek to change your styles but rather to embrace them and to use them as tools to form the foundation of a sustainable system of organization.

      Reading this book is the beginning of a journey. Within these pages you’ll find tools and strategies that work for your styles so you can relax into a plan that feels like a fit instead of making you want to throw one.

      Who knows? It might even be fun.

      So, pack your sense of humor, leave all your preconceived notions behind, and join me on the road to organization.

       Identifying Your Personal and Organizational Styles

       Chapter 1

       You’ve Got Style!

      To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

       1 CORINTHIANS 12:7

      Saturday morning. The house is quiet, everyone off to his or her own activities. It’s time to get this place organized. But how? And where to start?

      With no definite plan, but plenty of determination to whip her house into shape, Gemma wanders upstairs and into her seven-year-old son’s room. Zane’s love for animals is in evidence. Stuffed animals fill fishnet-style hammocks in two corners of his room. More plush companions cover his bed and litter the floor, and his bookshelves are packed with a combination of books, glass animals, plastic animals, clay animals, stuffed animals, and, of course, Zane’s dinosaur collection. Scattered among all the animals are the rest of Zane’s collections: keychains, erasers, and other assorted treasures, along with a fistful of mulch in a plastic bag smack in the center of his desk. Zane loves stuff.

      Gemma closes the door on Zane’s collections, hoping her daughter’s bedroom will prove to be less of a challenge. Sixteen-year-old Isabelle’s bookshelves are lined with novels, and her walls are covered in posters of exotic destinations. A field-hockey stick is propped up in one corner, where it has stood since the season ended four months ago, a reminder that a few minutes of off-season practice might be a good plan. Sketch pads and paint sets are strewn across Isabelle’s desk, and a bulletin board above her bed holds half-finished sketches, flute music, and to-do lists. The script for the musical sits propped on her nightstand, with a green highlighter as a book mark. Isabelle needs to see things.

      Gemma sighs. Maybe the kids’ rooms aren’t the best place to start.

      Across the hall, the home office Gemma shares with her husband is less chaotic. Evan is a Type A organizer. While a few of Gemma’s things are piled on the desk, there’s no trace of her husband’s belongings anywhere; all his things are neatly filed or put in their place. No wonder he can always seem to find what he needs when he needs it.

      Gemma is organized, but in a way that makes sense only to her; and sometimes, even she is baffled by what she was thinking when she put things away. It doesn’t help that she’s usually stashing things in a rush; between work, church, PTA, and the kids’ activities, she never seems to have enough time to keep everything just so. Still, there’s no activity Gemma would relinquish. Gemma loves to be busy.

      Zane, Isabelle, and Gemma illustrate the three different personal styles we’ll discuss in this book: I love stuff, I love to be busy, and I need to see it. Once we consider each family member’s personal styles, it becomes clear that each room has a certain logic.

      I love stuff kids like Zane

      • develop an attachment to their things;

      • are often collectors and sometimes