Many people think that organization takes self-discipline, but that's not really true. If you have problems keeping yourself organized, you need to form new habits. Think about it. You brush your teeth and take a shower daily without prompts or reminders. Why? You've formed a habit. It's part of your daily routine. You don't have to think about it, you just do it. That's what a good organizational system should do for you.

A good organizational system is easily incorporated into your daily routine. In the same way the soap and other toiletries are located in the bathroom where you can easily get to them when needed, your organizational systems should be equally convenient. If you kept your toiletries in the garage, that would be a barrier between you and staying clean. It wouldn't be worth the trip out to a cold garage every time you wanted to take a quick shower. Sure you would do it sometimes, but not as often as you should. Once you find a way of doing things that works for you, it will become a habit--just like brushing your teeth.

Let me use a personal example. I hate the sight of dirty dishes, and that's always been motivation enough to do them. Right after I moved into my new place, I noticed I really didn't like doing dishes. I normally enter through the kitchen and would be greeted everyday with a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. Not a pleasant way to enter your home. Besides that, I could hear them calling to me the rest of the evening. You can't really relax when you've got undone tasks piled around you.

When I analyzed my new aversion to doing the dishes, I realized that I disliked it so much because it was physically uncomfortable. In my new place, there was an air vent right under my feet that hurt to stand on. Also, the sink was very shallow so that only 2 or 3 dishes looked like a huge pile. Finally, the faucet stuck straight out over the sink so I was constantly banging (and chipping) my dishes against it. All these things added up to being a barrier to clean dishes.

The solution? I bought a goose-necked faucet to replace the old one and a thick mat to cover the air vent--the kind made for people who have to stand long periods of time. I decided on that kind of mat to make it as comfortable for me as possible. Now I'm back to my old habit of doing the dishes promptly.

Analyze why you're not getting a task done. Maybe better lighting would encourage you to enter a dark and dreary laundry room. Perhaps a shredder by the front door would encourage you to get rid of junk mail. Try to analyze your situation in a new way. The point is to find a system that works and is comfortable for you and your lifestyle. If you have to fight your system of doing things, it's not the right way for you.