Now that I’ve explained this tidbit of Aristotelian philosophy, hopefully you can see how my average organization abilities as the result of my attempts at becoming extra-organized directly reflect Aristotle’s commentary on how to achieve the Golden Mean: I am not naturally organized, so I shoot for the opposite extreme and land in the middle.
Though I think this method in attaining the Golden Mean is interesting and rooted in truth, I would also like to add some advice that speaks to the contrary. I will offer my advice in the context of my particular problem: organization, or lack there of. Since I am naturally somewhat scatterbrained, I have to put in much more effort in shooting for the opposite extreme of organization than someone who is naturally date-oriented and gets stressed out not knowing their schedule a week in advance. I propose that the disproportionate amounts of energy I have to expend to reach the same outcome as someone who is naturally organized could be put to better use by channeling them into a few key strategies and then forgetting about the rest.
I have found that there are a few specific habits that help me counteract my natural inclination to “go with the flow” and avoid having concrete plans. I practice responding to emails as soon as I see them, I use a planner for school assignments and events, and put meetings and appointments into my calendar on my phone that automatically sends me reminders. These are simple things I can do that have become routine for me that help me counteract my nature as a disorganized person, without putting excessive stress on myself. At first I had to constantly put energy into remembering to do these things, but eventually it became habit. I don’t have to constantly shake the feeling that I am forgetting something anymore. I don’t stress myself out every day wondering whether or not all my calendars are 100% in order, although I do still stress about emails sometimes (Emails are the bane of my existence). I propose that the only way to make these key strategies work, no matter what aspect of life you are trying to cultivate, is to put energy into applying them daily until they become a habit. Once your key strategies are a habit, I say forget about the rest and channel that energy into something you are naturally good at. Putting energy into your strengths is easier and usually yields more noticeable results than pouring energy into a weakness for only slight improvement. My mom is a Strengths Coach, and this is a point she advocates for fiercely!
Some people definitely do hate their weaknesses, and are successful at working tirelessly at them until they improve. I respect those peoples’ work ethics and refusal to give up; however, I think the method that I discussed above with a few key strategies and focus on personal strengths is a lot more realistic. I also think people are more likely to follow through with their goals of improvement when they don’t immediately expect perfection from themselves. If I had to sum up both paths to the Golden Mean, or paths to successful improvement, I would say Aristotle’s strategy is “Go big or go home,” and mine is “Start small.” I realize that comparing these two ideas might not be fair, since Aristotle is talking more about personality traits and changing your mindset than he is about new skills, but oh well. I think that the key strategies/“start small” approach is a little bit more kind-hearted and forgiving, and it tends to help people stick with their goals instead of fall off the wagon and never get back on. I heard this story about forgiving mistakes when you are working towards a goal in an email from I Am That Girl, an organization I am a part of: “If you accidentally shatter your phone by dropping it, pick it up and resolve not to drop it again. Don’t keep continually slamming your phone on the ground because its a ‘lost cause.’” What good insight! This supports the “start small” strategy because if you are building new habits and you make a mistake, its no big deal! You are only starting small and mistakes are expected. If you are aiming for the opposite extreme, and “going big or going home,” you are expecting perfection right away, and it is much easier to be discouraged by mistakes early on. Hopefully you guys understand how this relates, and this isn’t all a big jumble.
In my blog’s case, or writing for me in general I have always felt the need to “polish” and edit pieces or ideas I want to post. I have so many unfinished drafts like this one that sit around for months at a time. I go over different passages that I wrote hundreds of times, and always come to the conclusion that they are not clear enough, cohesive enough, or interesting enough to post. But you know what? Thats kinda stupid. I realize that if I want to keep going and making progress, I can’t immediately expect perfection, and I’m going to have to “start small.” Which method do you prefer?
