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Here’s a paradigm my clients find hard to believe: after you have organized your office or home, it only takes one minute for every hour you spend — in that room — to maintain the order.
That’s right, implement a one-minute maintenance plan and you will never be disorganized again.
People often think that staying organized is just as time consuming as getting organized. This is simply not true!
In my presentations, I love to tell the story about a woodsman who was hired to cut down trees. He was paid by the tree. So early Monday morning, energized and excited, he cut down 20 trees. The next day, raring to go, he cut down another 20 trees. On Wednesday, he once again rose early, but this day he cut down only 10 trees. On Thursday, he could only cut down five trees. And finally, on Friday, he labored all day to cut down three.
Then I ask, what was his problem? Most people don’t get the right answer.
They suggest that all the trees are gone, that the other trees are in his way, or that he’s lost energy after a hard week at work. Rarely do they guess the real reason: his axe became dull. If he wants to cut down 20 trees a day, he must find time to sharpen his axe. But to find that time, he must stop chopping.
But he doesn’t stop. His excuse — he doesn’t have the time! So, he continues on, working with a dull axe and chopping down three trees a day.
Organizing is investing time on the front end in order to reap time on the back end. So, every time you invest just one minute maintaining, the return on your investment is 60-fold, an entire hour of staying organized.
Now that’s a serious ROI!