CSA Box Chronicles

I'm over on the Good Sam Blog today with the most recent CSA Box Chronicles.  The grant deadline marathon is at about mile 18.

When Chaos Abounds

I didn't quit, I promise!  Stay tuned for the rest of the organization project.  I have begun the next steps, but ...

9 10 grant proposals
5 community meetings
3 grant reports
2 site visits
2 grantee training sessions
1 board meeting
1 event planning meeting
and
18 days

means I'm going to have to pace myself on this project.

Outlook from the Inside Out: Step 1

The first step in taking on my Outlook problem is asking "What is Holding You Back?" Morgenstern suggests 3 possible answers:

1. Technical Errors:  Simple mechanical mistakes in the organizing system
2. External Realities:  Limitations beyond your control (transitions, no more room, job cuts)
3. Psychological Obstacles:  What's inside you that leads you to gravitate toward disorganization.

As I examine my overflowing inbox and never-ending overdue task list, I see obstacles in all 3 categories.  A (non-exhaustive) list:

Technical Errors: 
I'm not using my folders in any kind of effective way.  I keep everything I remotely want to remember in the inbox because I'm afraid it will be lost forever anywhere else, because....
My system of flagging emails for follow up has become meaningless since the list of overdue items is so long it is ridiculous.
My organization system was designed for a development office that was just me; my own system is holding me back from delegating effectively with my new staff member.

External Realities:

Donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses are 70% of our organization's revenue. Growing as an organization requires increasing donation revenue.  Grant proposals have become more complex and have more expansive requirements for outcomes and reporting.  So even maintaining the same number of grants takes much more time; growing our funding base happens on top of that. Responsibilities beyond the scope of development have been added. I have, gratefully, been able to add one other person to work on development, but it only addresses a portion of the need.

Psychological Obstacles:
I'm not surprised to find some accurate descriptions of myself here. Obstacles that resonate are the need for perfection (waiting to have time to do the job perfectly), fear of success/fear of failure (letting disorganization hold you back for fear of what might happen without that excuse), and unclear goals and priorities (taking on too much and feeling scattered in a million directions).

Organization is not my savior, just a tool to help me.  Those psychological obstacles are outward reflections of a deeper state of my heart: putting my trust in perfection, desiring to be in control of my own life completely, and lack of trust in God and His goodness. That is a life's work-in-progress.

The encouraging part of answering the question "What is holding you back?" is that I can experience relief for some of my stress points by simply learning some new skills and processes.  Some realities are beyond my control, so I need to organize what I can and not get burdened down by what I can't.  And, thankfully, there's help for my heart, so I don't need to be afraid of addressing those psychological obstacles.

Step 2:  Analyze and Strategize

Fall Organization Project

Organization has been on my mind recently.  Maybe it's the transition into the fall season, or maybe it's a recent conversation with my mom, who is in the middle of a bathroom and laundry renovation that has led to a big garage re-organization.  Or maybe it's just the daily ritual of searching through my purse/house/desk for my keys/receipts/bills/baskets.

Several years ago, after practically jogging through downtown Atlanta to a FedEx office, desperately trying to make a grant proposal deadline, I was standing in line, sweating, panicked, and on the border of despair at the state of my office and my job performance.  That desperation led me to a valuable impulse buy:  an audiobook (CD):  Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern.  I spent the next few months applying the book to my office and my home office and, in the areas where I put the principles into practice, I've experienced relative peace and more organization than many other times in my life.  But changes in my office staffing (I actually have someone on staff working with me!), changes in the technology and systems I use for donor and grant tracking, and the realization that I need to develop some new areas professionally have led to that feeling of disorganization creeping back.

Since I couldn't remember all of the helpful details, I went looking for my CD's.  It will come as no surprise that I couldn't find them, but I did realize that I don't actually have a CD player in the house anymore.  (Item for research:  can I burn this audiobook on CD to iTunes when and if I ever find it again?)

I found the ebook on iTunes and did a re-read this weekend.  The 2nd edition was done in 2004, so it doesn't cover current technology (for example, who keeps a drawer for the phone book these days?)  But it still really speaks to me in a way that I can relate to, be motivated by, and apply.  It's definitely time to refresh the office organization and begin to work on some other projects at home!  

The first suggestion I took to heart was to pick an organization project in the area that you use the most or that has the most impact on your daily life.  I came up with a quick list of possibilities in my office, and the one that stood out was Outlook.  My email, calendar, tasks, reminders, contacts.  Though the book speaks more to organizing a physical space, the truth is the clutter, volume and disorganization in my Outlook program causes me stress, slows down my productivity, and has a daily impact on my life.

My Inbox

My Contacts (!)

My Tasks (overdue and notice the scrollbar)

For the next few weeks, I'm going to take the plunge to organize my Outlook from the inside out!

Confessions of a Too-Full Vegetable Drawer

What to do when you're overwhelmed with the produce in the fridge and the next CSA share is on the way?

Follow my true confessions over on Neighbor Notes today.

Quick Confetti Refrigerator Pickles

CSA Chronicles Continue - Fire up the Grill

I'm over on Neighbor Notes, the Good Sam blog, talking about things to do with grilled vegetables.

Summer Squash with Basil and Onion ready for the Grill

The CSA Box Chronicles debuts

Maybe having a deadline to write for another blog will stir up my commitment here.

Find me today on Neighbor Notes ....