Where Organized and Spontaneous Collide

By Connie Cleveland

 

I had the opportunity to spend a week in Hawaii with my cousin. The first day, I discovered I loved snorkeling, and every morning, when my feet hit the floor I was anxious to get to the beach. The fourth morning my cousin had had enough.

“Sit down,” she told me, “Relax, we’re on vacation.”

I must have looked dumbfounded at her request. She handed me a cup of coffee and in response to my comment, “I don’t drink coffee,” she replied, “Connie, it’s time for you to join the coffee-culture. It’s not about the coffee. It’s about sitting still and enjoying the place, the company, the conversation. Just relax…”

As her voice trailed off she pointed to a chair at the table, and then demonstrated how to hold the mug, as if caressing it and soaking up the heat rising from the cup.

I wanted to respond that I can enjoy the place, company, and conversation while moving. My DNA is to be on the go. I grew up in an active family. Athletics and activities ruled our household. I remember my mom’s rebuke when I chose to read a book mid-day when I could have been outside playing: “Reading is for after dark!”

My mom kept a hectic schedule, but she could change plans in a heartbeat. She loved entertaining. When visitors outnumbered the beds, she made up couches and was never afraid of a sleeping bag on the floor. She welcomed last minute dinner guests. If it looked like there might not be quite enough of something, she’d let us know by saying, “FHB on the potatoes,” which meant Family Hold Back and let the visitors help themselves to the potatoes first.

However, none of her children would have described Mom as organized. It’s kind to say that our home was cluttered. Her reputation for being late was well-known. As she shuttled children, threw lunches in bags, and threw us our needed sports uniforms still warm from the dryer, my father could be heard saying, “The logistics are staggering.”

 

The best way to manage busyness

Growing up in my home left me with a dilemma as I grew my business, Dog Trainers Workshop. How could I best manage busyness? And in the midst of all that busyness, could I be spontaneous like my mother, as well as organized?

Like my mom, I love being busy. Given the option, I pack enough activity into a day that when it’s time for bed, I’m asleep when my head hits the pillow. As my cousin witnessed, I don’t sit still very well. However, unlike my mom, I hate clutter and I thrive on to-do lists.

On observation, having energy and enjoying being busy could be great qualities for a small business owner. After all, there is so much to do! It’s not uncommon, in response to “How did your day go?” for the small business owner to reply,  “I have no idea, I was busy all day but have no clue what I accomplished.”

I’m embarrassed to admit that it took many years for me to learn that simply being busy was no way to grow my business. I needed to organize my time and allow for strategic planning and business development. Those activities do not get done by small business owners who exist solely in the midst of their business’ happenings every moment of the day. In Michael Gerber’s best-selling business book, The E-myth Revisited, he coaches entrepreneurs to spend time on their business not just in their business.

In order to avoid a feeling of overwhelm, I must stay organized and prioritize my to-do list. This means knowing what tasks are most important and taking care of them before they become urgent. A task that becomes urgent creates unrelenting busyness, frustration, and exhaustion.

 

A side benefit to organization is relational

As a business leader, I have to intentionally avoid the temptation to fill my calendar every day. There is a fine line between being organized enough to schedule time for strategy, business development, and other meetings, and having such a rigid schedule that I cannot spontaneously respond to an unexpected issue or a team member that needs help.

Unexpectedly, and blessedly, careful organization allows me the opportunity for more spontaneity. My mother could do it naturally in her busyness; I pursue it through organization.

Growing a team means giving them enough mentorship that I can hold them accountable for the responsibilities assigned to their position. Dropping everything to help with any difficulty is micromanaging, but being unavailable can create a lack of trust and a sense of abandonment for a team member. So daily, I struggle to stay organized, while keeping enough room in my schedule to react spontaneously when a real need arises.

Finding a balance between being organized and spontaneous cultivates my personal relationships as well. Maintaining relationships requires organization and intentionally scheduling time for the people I care about. However, in order to meet the needs of those I love, I must have the ability to change my plans because relationship often requires the ability to be spontaneous.

I would rather spend time with a friend as we fix a meal, or go for a walk, than simply sit and visit. However, being busy can be off-putting, and hearing a friend say, “I didn’t want to bother you, you’re so busy,” pulls me up short and makes me sad that my active lifestyle is construed as being unavailable.

Organized and spontaneous: At one time I thought the two were oxymorons. I may not yet have learned the balance; however, I have learned to enjoy a cup of coffee, and thanks to my cousin, I can even enjoy the coffee-culture.

 

Connie Cleveland is a nationally-recognized dog trainer recognized for her work with family dogs and dogs involved in obedience and field trial competitions, as well as dogs exhibiting challenging behavioral problems. She is also the owner of the Dog Trainers Workshop, a spacious training and boarding facility for dog lovers featuring an indoor training facility, an outdoor agility ring, and a boarding kennel set on 14 acres with a pond and walking trail. Cleveland’s eleven obedience trial championship dogs include her dog Eli, the first Golden Retriever to earn both field and obedience championships, and her dog Ezra, the only Labrador to have earned an obedience trial championship, a field championship, and an amateur field championship. To learn more about Dog Trainers Workshop or to reach Connie, see https://www.dogtrainersworkshop.com or https://www.facebook.com/DogTrainersWorkshop.