Habits & Organizing

“All of our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habits.” Psychologist & philosopher William James wrote this in 1892 when he was studying what makes people who they are based on their habits. Let me try to explain how powerful this is. 

In The Power of Habits, author Charles Duhigg tells a story of a man who had severe brain injury which terribly impacted the man’s memory. Yet so unexpectedly, when he decides to go out for his neighborhood stroll - which caused his wife a lot of distress after his injury - the man seems to perfectly remember the route back to his house every single time! So much so that his wife did not worry as much anymore when he left on walks by himself. What had happened was...the doctors found stuff in his brain so ingrained (some scientific stuff), his body knew where to go to find the way home! He formed a habit that stuck so deep in his bones, he could do it literally without even thinking! I may have butchered the medical part of the story, but you get what I’m saying here. Habits are incredibly powerful. Thankfully, we humans get to choose which ones to drop and which ones to keep. 

So what in the world do all these things have to do with being organized? Everything! As in brain-injury-everything! 

The discipline of keeping things in a certain order requires the initial conscious decision of saying “I’m gonna do this.” And then repeating that decision over and over again until it becomes an automatic habit - like driving, or using the bathroom, or not swallowing your chewing gum, or finding your way back home (it just got deep bro.)  

Some everyday simple but real life examples:

“I’m gonna wash my dishes after I eat. Every single time.” “I’m going to fix my bed every morning. Every single time.” “I’m going to put my shoes back where they belong after I wear them. Every single time.”

Until we find ourselves doing these things with our eyes closed, then we’re really onto something. 

I mentioned physical spaces here. Imagine the impact of creating one’s character by practicing habits of kindness, compassion, of truthfulness, of love.. one decision at a time.  

“I’m gonna choose to walk away & take a breath if I have nothing good to say. Every single time.” “I’m going to thank God for every meal. Every single time.” “I’m going to say kind things to myself when I fail. Every single time.” “I’m gonna hold off judgement when I come across someone different than what I’m used to. Every single time.”

The spaces we’re in - physical or not - affect our behaviors & create our habits. This is why it is imperative and healthy to keep our homes & hearts clean and organized. The way to get there is to practice healthy organizational habits that bring growth and get us out of the bad cycles, until we can do them literally without thinking!