Organize Your Mind, Organize Your Life Read Online Free PDF Page B

Jill.
    â€œSo, I have a thought about how to start your day tomorrow,” I say. “As we’ve been talking about, we are working on bringing order into your life, changing old patterns that don’t work with new ones that do.”
    â€œRight, that sounds good,” she says attentively. “What’s your idea?”
    â€œYou need a launch pad for your keys.”
    Her eyebrows raise quizzically.
    â€œA launch pad,” I repeat. “A place where you always put your keys and maybe your ID and glasses, too. That way, you’ll know that’s the place they’re always going to be…and every morning, that’s where you’ll launch your day.”
    Slowly, as if an unseen hand was drawing it methodically, a smile etches itself across her face.
    â€œA launch pad,” Jill says, starry-eyed “Yes, a launch pad. What do I have to use? A box…a hook…a basket…a tray?”
    I smile back. “It’s your launch pad. You can use whatever you like. You just need to make sure you know where it is and keep it in the same place…so that the moment you enter your friend’s house, you’ll leave your keys there and then every morning that’s where they’ll be. On the launch pad, ready to lift off.”
    This seemed to really resonate with Jill. First of all, it was an action-oriented solution, something she could do right away and without great difficulty. But more importantly, and Jill appreciated this, the launch pad served as an image, a reminder of how one’s day can begin, not in confusion and distraction but with precision and predictability.
    The next week, Jill arrived for her appointment on time. And she entered the room not in a huff but with a smile.
    â€œGo ahead,” she says, “ask me about my forgetfulness this week. I’m ready to answer.”
    â€œOkay,” I respond. “So tell me, did you forget any items, appointments, things like that this past week?”
    â€œNope,” she said triumphantly, “and here’s why.” She reached into her pocketbook and pulled out a small, uncovered trinket box, one, she explained, that she hadn’t used in years. “My launch pad,” she says, proudly. “I have a spot for it right by the kitchen door.” Moreover, Jill went on to tell me, she had not neglected the area around the launch pad. In fact, you could say that a major redevelopment project had been undertaken in the area: the table cleared and the space near the door rearranged so that her launch pad had its own…well, space. That wasn’t all, she reported. She built a launch pad at her office, too—but this one was project oriented for critical tasks to distribute to others. This, too, was accompanied by a cleaning and rearranging of her workspace.
    That week, you might say, all systems were go for Jill. Is this an ADHD “cure”? No, but it’s a small success to build upon. And she has. You could see the impact on her organization and on her self-esteem; she began to regain confidence, as she could now trust herself that her mornings would be a little less frantic and a little more consistent. I’m happy to add that since she “launched” her launch pad, she has not missed a morning meeting again because of time spent looking for her keys.
    My experience with Jill illustrates a few important points about organization. First, individual moments of forgetfulness and disorganization can have major consequences.
    Second, just as one episode of forgetfulness triggered a series of negative events, so can one small step lead to giant leaps of improvement in the organization of one’s life. The launch pad is a simple solution, but it has effects that go far beyond knowing where your keys are. You begin to think about other things you can organize. You have more time. You are less stressed before you leave the house in the morning. You enter a new