Photo by Jonathan Kemper on Unsplash
I love being organized and it is one of my strong suits . . . except when I get too busy which is too often, then organizing my office or my home becomes a low item on my priority totem pole while focusing on staying the course with my case load! Being organized translates into our mindset, too. So, if you want a successful, relatively easy divorce process, being organized is the first step toward achieving your ideal outcome.
Recently, I hired a firm called Utterly Uncluttered, led by Kara Desmond, to help organize my office – my work area. I realized I just couldn’t do it on my own! I may be a successful entrepreneur, attorney and businesswoman, but I had piles and papers and clutter in a lot of corners. So I was smart enough to know when hiring a professional would make me stronger.
Boy, was that a great investment! I’m much happier now when I walk into my office. Desk surfaces are clear. I know where things are. Which means I can be more efficient and effective for my clients because I’m not wasting time cleaning up a mess.
Organizing clears your mind, helps you feel more in control and makes it easier to have the right information readily available. My example is about physical disorganization but it’s just as true for emotional clutter – when you can’t focus, you can’t get things done or achieve your goals.
One way that I help divorce clients get organized is through the Our Family in Two Homes resource. This is a helpful workbook that guides clients to think through their values, desires and goals – and articulate them on the page – so that when they begin the divorce process, they are focused.
When divorce clients are organized, they can divide assets easily, and if they have children, create a co-parenting situation and Parenting Time Agreement that not only makes sense but which they can live with. Organization limits resentments and anger that comes as a result of feeling out of control.
Our firm has gained additional insights into the importance of organization through talks given at the Synergy Business Network, a group led by fellow attorney Leigh Moss which I find highly useful and empowering. Thinking things through step by step, with the end-goal in mind, helps to create an organized, streamlined path to success.
Now, each time I look at my clear desktop, file folders and bookshelves, I breathe easy – knowing that I can handle whatever comes my way. Being organized expands this feeling of I-can-do-it.