Organizing Scholarship

The school year is fast coming to an end and the kids are beyond ecstatic! They just finished up with Spring Break and although they are excited about going back to school to see their friends, they also know that it is one week closer to SUMMER! As exciting as summer tends to be, my daughter is looking even a bit further beyond the blistering heat of Arizona...High School!

Yep, my baby girl is going to be a freshman next year and although I am still in shock that my fat little Charlie Brown baby is one year away from being able to drive and 4 months away from high school, she is actually thinking ahead on this one. Jordyn has a horrible time in math and always has. She struggles to keep a D and if she does manage a C we throw a party! The poor kid hasn't had her cell phone all year and when she dipped to an F, the laptop was snagged as well. So, when she came home with her selected electives for high school and showed them to me, I just about had heart failures! She is taking French and Forensics as her two electives.

Internally I am screaming to myself, "Are you frikken kidding me?! You don't study for tests now, what makes you think you are going to be able to pass French and FORENSICS!" (Internally I was saying that!) Externally, it was what is motivating you to take Forensics and French? (We live 2 hours from Mexico so I was thinking Spanish.)

Then Jordyn did something that shocked the hell out of me. She explained that she would like to be an Egyptologist. She did some searching on the computer and she needs 12 years of college, she needs to know 5 different languages, the forensics will help her enhance her knowledge of research and public speaking, and she would like to get a jump start on it in high school and not wait for college. Apparently, only a few people are selected for the Egyptologist program and you need to be the best of the best. Her dream goal is to be in the position of if someone has a question regarding Egypt and its history, they come to her first. (Did I mention she is 14 and doesn't clean her room?)

As I was wondering who this child was in front of me and trying to figure out who to call to explain that my daughter was abducted by aliens, she spit out a small request. Can I buy her something to help her learn French before school starts? She knows she is going to struggle with the language and she wants to be prepared and know a bit more than the other kids and build up her confidence.

Talk about me being speechless! When I finally recovered from the shock, I uttered two statements. "Yes, I will buy you a computer program to help you with French." The second of the two statements..."You had better get a ton of scholarships, because I am not paying for 12 years of college!" :o)

Although this is a nice little ditty about the practicality of a teenager, what in the world does this have to do with organizing? A lot actually!

Not being organized is a lot like having an 'F' in Math. Things are in disarray, you are stressed beyond all belief, you don't want to have company over because your house is a wreck, your office looks like a war zone, and if your mom saw in your closets you would be grounded for life!

However, you can pull it up to a 'D' by hiding clutter under the beds, in the closets, out in the garage, etc. Depending on how motivated you are, you may even be able to get that bad boy up to a C with a little more effort and concentrating on completing the projects you start out on.

To get a 'B' or an 'A' when you are coming from an 'F' is the hardest of all! It's not about getting it one time, it's about maintaining that 'B' or an 'A'. For that, you are probably going to need some help! Like in Jordyn's case, she wants to start out before French with some software to help her learn the language. In an organizing sense, you will probably need to do some surfing around the internet and find sites to read about organizing specific projects, there are also some nifty books out there that will probably help you as well. Although these tools are helpful in a way, is it specifically assisting you with the areas that are unique to your situation?

That is where the "tutor" comes in at. You are going to need to adjust habits, create routines, have someone hold you accountable but also encourage you to keep on going. Constantly reminding you of the end goal! That is what an Organizing Coach is for. Your Organizing Coach is going to be the one to show you HOW, keep you motivated, give you the Cliff Notes, and help inspire you to keep on going!

Once you have achieved and maintained your 'A', the reward is the scholarship! A clean and organized home or office!!! Of course, just like a scholarship, you are still going to need to maintain your grade point average and you will definitely need to maintain your organizational routines. The best part is, you will always a back up and the reinforcements to help assist you! A study buddy aka Professional Organizer! No matter where you are in life, a Professional Organizer can come in and help you get through the chaos and show you a little bit of the light at the end of the tunnel. They can clear away what is bothering you most so that the task doesn't seem as daunting.

And after "12 years" you too can be the expert in your field where when they have a question they will come to you first! (She had better get those scholarships is all I have to say!)

Happy Organizing!

Suzanne Babb