“I will have order in my court” yells Judge Judy, as she puts the defendant in line on one of her latest Jerry Springer-esque court episodes. Although I only watch this show while my previous TV engagement is on a commercial break, her words stuck with me. “I will have order in my court”.
It got me thinking about high performance and the value of living an organized life. One thing that gives Judge Judy power in her position is the ability to “put order” in her court whenever she wants. Order is required if she is going to have the opportunity to get all the information she needs to make a clear, educated verdict. "Order" is not optional in high performance, it is a prerequisite.
What would your life be like if you had the ability to call order to YOUR court at any time? Would you be able to focus more of your attention on the task at hand? Would you be able to finish your work faster than you are now? Would you be able to spend more quality time with friends, family, or your significant other?
If you answered a resounding “YES” to all of those questions, don’t you owe it to yourself to take the time to organize your life the way any high performing individual would? (the answer to that one is YES also!) Here are 3 simple, actionable things you can do to organize your life in 2009:
Clean your car: Does your car look like the remnants of a scavenger hunt from 3 years ago? Consider bringing a laundry basket to your car once a week, unload anything that doesn’t need to permanently be in your car, and either put those things away or trash them.
Too busy for that, take my mom’s camping advice “Leave the campsite cleaner than you found it.” Every time you leave your car, take one thing out that doesn’t belong.
Clean your house: Have children and teach them to clean for you. Just kidding! Either create better habits and learn to do dishes as they hit the sink, or hire someone else to do it for you.
Organize your desk: I got this one from Jack Canfield. “Do it. Delegate it. Or Dump it.” If you come to your desk and consistently find things that are incomplete, you will have a hard time working.
If it will only take you a few minutes, complete it. If it will take some time, put it into a file and write in your schedule when you will complete it. If it’s something your hanging on to for some future, potentially, maybe, some day event, get rid of it. You’ll forget you had it and can move on with your life. Lastly, hire an asst. you are too valuable to be doing $10 an hour work, especially when there are starving college students who’d love to help you out. Believe me, I use to be one of them!
Committed to your success,
John “Izzy” Israel
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