“I Used to Be Organized:” How Life Transitions Impact Your Organization and Productivity

“I was organized before x happened.“

I’ve heard variations of this statement since 2002 when I started Minding Your Matters®. It’s also a popular phrase from people experiencing a life-disrupting situation.

Here are more examples:

• “I was organized until I got married.”
• “I’m less productive since I moved into the new office.”
• “I’m less organized now that I have young children.”

• “When my parents moved in, my organization decreased.”
• “I haven’t been able to pay bills on-time since my divorce.”

Why am I bringing this up? Because I believe I’m going to hear it more frequently.

Why? Because these statements have everything to do with transitions and changes. And today’s fast-paced society increases our transitions!

If you want to make easier shifts, it’s time to learn some basic principles.

Transitions and changes are not the same thing.

A life transition is an internal, ongoing psychological process. On the other hand, change is an external, one-time situation.

A transition takes time as it requires a shift in thinking. You must let go of the previous reality and identity. Your focus is on the endings you have to make to leave the old situation behind. As you let go of how things were, you embrace how things might become.

Change can be abrupt. It depends on the new thing. The shift is from one person, place, or thing to another. Your focus is on the outcome the change will yield.

Moving (into a new house or office) is a change. Adjusting to new routines and people is the transition. If we dwell in how things were (“I miss my neighbors” or “I really liked the layout of my old office“), we’ll never fully transition to the new possibilities (“I might have great neighbors here too” or “the layout of this office has some benefits the other office didn’t have“).

The Transition Cycle

In order to navigate life transitions more easily, it’s crucial to understand the transition cycle.

The first step is actually a terminus or ending. A current chapter of your professional or personal life is ending. Then you enter a time of limbo. During this time you are releasing your old identity and reality so you can embrace the new. While this isn’t always a pleasant place, it is the only way to get readapted.

The third stage is a beginning. You have made a definite emotional commitment to embrace “the new.”

There is also status quo. This is the timespan between life transitions. Life is copacetic and coasting along. The length of time in status quo varies greatly. Sometimes it is one life transition after another. Alternatively, it’s possible to have long intervals between life transitions.

Why am I spending so much time talking about life transitions? Because each transition impacts our stuff, tasks, and schedule.

Our previous ways of organizing our stuff, tasks, and calendar, even if they’ve been effective, often fall apart during or after a transition. By understanding this, it’s possible to plan a transition that minimizes these organizing and productivity bumps in the road.

Overwhelmed by a life-disrupting situation? I partner with ambitious women in the midst of a life-disrupting situation to achieve calm & control so they can live their life again. Reach out today at 919-467-7058  or via email.