<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<article>
  <body>&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;ldquo;There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision.&amp;rdquo; ~ Psychologist William James&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In my years of experience working with clients to improve their organizing systems, I have noticed a trend.&amp;nbsp; Disorganized people and organizations often have difficulty making decisions.&amp;nbsp; Indeed, these people and organizations get stuck in decision-making mode, causing delay and stress, which in turn leads to physical and mental clutter.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We are bombarded with decisions on a daily basis; some vital, some trivial.&amp;nbsp; Unfortunately, we cannot avoid decision-making if we want to function in today&amp;rsquo;s busy world.&amp;nbsp; What we can control is our ability to make decisions in a manner that ultimately frees us from all of the clutter.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Organized people and organizations are great decision-makers.&amp;nbsp; By great, I do not mean that they make all decisions well.&amp;nbsp; Instead, they make decisions quickly, efficiently, and in a manner that avoids undue stress and delay.&amp;nbsp; To be fair, many organized people and organizations make poor decisions, otherwise known as mistakes.&amp;nbsp; The difference is that they learn from these mistakes, and then are able to move on.&amp;nbsp; They are, therefore, able to free themselves of the constant fretting and worrying that often accompanies decision-making in the minds of disorganized people and organizations.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; This behavioral shift makes a world of difference.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Webster&amp;rsquo;s Dictionary defines the term decide as &amp;ldquo;to arrive at a solution that ends uncertainty; to induce to come to a choice; to make a choice.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp; Thus, to decide embodies an active process of change.&amp;nbsp; The end result is freedom from the mental clutter caused by over-thinking too many decisions, as well as the physical clutter that results.&amp;nbsp; When a person or organization is unclear as to goals and priorities, the person or organization invariably keeps too many physical items.&amp;nbsp; How often do you utter the following phrases or hear these phrases from those around you?&amp;nbsp; &amp;ldquo;I might need that someday,&amp;rdquo; &amp;ldquo;We may use that down the road for a new business project,&amp;rdquo; &amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m not sure if I want that; I&amp;rsquo;ll just hold onto it for now.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp; The culmination of these delayed decisions causes the physical and mental clutter.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;DECIDE&amp;trade; is an empowering process that leads to change.&amp;nbsp; It will assist you in achieving results at home, at work, and in life in general.&amp;nbsp; While the process guides a person or organization in making decisions that lead to a more organized state, it is itself a decision; a decision to take control.&amp;nbsp; Therefore, in order for it to be effective, you must decide to DECIDE&amp;trade;--exercise the power that you have to move forward, and make changes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;So how does the process work?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;D&lt;/strong&gt; = &lt;strong&gt;Discover&lt;/strong&gt; what you have and want at home, at work, and in life&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;E&lt;/strong&gt; = &lt;strong&gt;Eliminate&lt;/strong&gt; what is unnecessary and does not further your goals&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;C&lt;/strong&gt; = &lt;strong&gt;Categorize&lt;/strong&gt; what remains&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;I&lt;/strong&gt; = &lt;strong&gt;Implement&lt;/strong&gt; a system designed to match your needs, habits, work and lifestyle&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;D&lt;/strong&gt; = &lt;strong&gt;Dedicate&lt;/strong&gt; yourself to maintaining your effective new system and integrating it into your life&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;E&lt;/strong&gt; = &lt;strong&gt;Enjoy&lt;/strong&gt; the freedom and positive results that being organized brings&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;So I challenge you to take the DECIDE&amp;trade; journey.&amp;nbsp; Through DECIDE&amp;trade;, you will learn the tools needed to get better organized, take control, and make positive changes.&lt;/p&gt;</body>
  <created-at type="datetime">2009-10-13T18:58:28Z</created-at>
  <deleted-at type="datetime" nil="true"></deleted-at>
  <featured-at type="datetime" nil="true"></featured-at>
  <heat-index type="float">-1.1337</heat-index>
  <hits type="integer">139</hits>
  <id type="integer">6910</id>
  <is-public type="boolean">true</is-public>
  <learn-category-id type="integer">12</learn-category-id>
  <member-id type="integer">44145</member-id>
  <permalink>decide-to-be-organized-an-empowering-process-for-change</permalink>
  <posts-count type="integer">0</posts-count>
  <published-at type="datetime">2009-10-23T03:13:57Z</published-at>
  <reviewed-at type="datetime">2009-10-23T06:14:19Z</reviewed-at>
  <submitted-at type="datetime" nil="true"></submitted-at>
  <summary>Disorganized people and organizations often have difficulty making decisions.  Indeed, these people and organizations get stuck in decision-making mode, causing delay and stress, which in turn leads to physical and mental clutter.</summary>
  <title>DECIDE&#8482; to Be Organized: An Empowering Process for Change</title>
  <topics-count type="integer">1</topics-count>
  <updated-at type="datetime">2009-10-23T06:14:19Z</updated-at>
</article>
