CHARACTER FIRST!

Character Bulletin Series 3 • No. 9

Orderliness
Arranging myself and my surroundings
to achieve greater efficiency

Learn how to

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maintain order

Recognize and
eliminate clutter
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Set workable
standards
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Translate goals
into daily progress

Save time by establishing a good

system of organization
 Orderliness

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vs. Confusion

Simply Organized
A place for everything and everything in its place

Orderliness is analyzing a situation to Orderly people use the purpose of a project hardly inspiring, but these bigger issues
identify the guiding purposes, organizing or place to define a set of guiding principles can provide the everyday motivation and
all relevant elements according to those so that they can arrange themselves and direction to return items where they belong
purposes, and then maintaining standard their surroundings. and dispose of things that do not belong.

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arrangements for ongoing success.
Analyze the Situation
Before something can be ordered, its purpose
must be understood. Orderliness requires us
to step back and look at the bigger picture.
From this perspective, a person can deter-
mine which items belong in a particular
For example, a filing cabinet exists to keep
records easily accessible. Therefore, in an
orderly filing cabinet, we organize the
records by category or by date or by some
other guiding principle. Similarly, we must
plan a project according to principles
derived from the project’s purpose.
Benjamin Franklin excelled as an inventor,
scientist, statesman, publisher, and diplomat.
Franklin offered this advice: “If you want to
enjoy the greatest luxuries in life—the luxury

Before something can be

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place and how they should be arranged to
effectively accomplish the purpose.
Organize Elements
Orderliness goes beyond making an area
look neat. Before everything can be put in
its place, everything must have a place.
Maintain Order
Once we properly organize an area and
establish effective procedures, we must
exercise steady commitment to the purposes
we discerned and to the principles we
observed. Organization for its own sake is
Cartoonist Rube Goldberg is well
known for detailing elaborate
contraptions such as this “simple”
way to blow a trumpet, but the
humor disappears when tasks at
home and the workplace begin to
resemble this needless complexity.
ordered, its purpose must be
understood. Orderliness
requires us to step back and
look at the bigger picture.
of having enough time (time to rest, time to
think things through, time to get things
done and know you have done them to the
best of your ability)—remember there is
only one way. Take enough time to think and
plan things in the order of their importance.
Your life will take on a new zest. You will
add years to your life, and more life to your
years. Let all your things have their places,
let each part of your business have its time.”

Balance Orderliness
Organize—and Reorganize—Patiently
Patience is “accepting a difficult situation without giving a deadline to remove it.” Find out the requirements of a project and break it into
achievable objectives. Then establish realistic priorities to help you use your time and energy to accomplish the goal. When you encounter
life’s unexpected twists and turns, take steps to resolve each situation and move forward.

Maintain Flexibility
Flexibility is “willingness to change plans or ideas according to the direction of my authorities.” When you establish a system, it must have
the flexibility to adapt to changes and make occasional refinements. Nevertheless, the resulting changes must maintain order and keep the
ultimate goals clearly in view.

Get the Job Done Diligently

Diligence is “investing my time and energy to complete each task assigned to me.” Get yourself, your schedule, and your work area organized
for maximum efficiency. Then go to work. Plan time to reorganize as necessary, but do not allow your forward progress to become paralyzed
by continuous rearranging and reorganizing.

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 Arranging myself and my surroundings to achieve greater efficiency

Five Keys to Building Orderliness

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Set Priorities
Orderliness is not simply about stuff. It is also about time—prioritizing to make the best use
of the time allotted to you. Sort out your priorities in life. Endeavor to have each daily
responsibility fulfill a long-range goal you have established. The more clearly you can hone

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your life priorities and relate your daily priorities to them, the more efficient your schedule
will be—and the more fulfillment you will experience in life.
Be proactive! Backing up computers is one of those responsibilities that often gets pushed off
until later. However, it only takes a little imagination to consider the havoc that will ensue if a
computer crashes. Set priorities and be prepared.

Set Standards
Wherever you find disorder, work with those around you to identify the cause and develop
workable solutions. For example, consider setting aside thirty minutes each Friday to
review the week and prepare for the next. Once you design a plan of action, discipline
Boost Your Productivity
Inefficiency happens all of the time.
Deadlines are tight; progress is started;
everything seems to be proceeding as
planned. But then you suddenly find
yourself to implement it. Whether you are working with your supervisors or supervising that a key part, supply, or piece of infor-
others, your example will determine your credibility. Develop habits of orderliness in your mation is missing and the job is put on
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own life. By doing so, you will help your coworkers develop guidelines to accomplish their hold until necessary elements are located
own goals efficiently. and collected. Such disruptions are

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productivity killers. Consider ways that
Get Organized
you can “lube” processes in order to
Go beyond the aesthetic considerations of neatness and thoughtfully organize each area so
streamline productivity.
that everything is safe and ready to use. When you must spend more than a minute or two
trying to remember where you put something, you waste precious time hunting for items • Count the costs before you start.
rather than accomplishing your goals. Think through the process and establish procedures. Make a list of the people, equipment,

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supplies, parts, and information that

Avoid Clutter
you will need throughout the project.
Orderliness increases efficiency by organizing thoughts and your surroundings. Know the
goals and the purpose for every object and every project. Eliminate the clutter in your life • Organize your workspace for the easiest
so that you can concentrate your full effort on the task at hand. access to items you frequently use.

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Put Away—Right Away • Purchase or request tools and supplies
Consistency is vital. Once you organize an area or establish an orderly process, maintain that you must frequently “borrow”
orderliness as you go. Put everything in its appointed place so that it can be easily retrieved from coworkers.
and used. If the storage location becomes inconvenient or complicated, simplify it! Develop
• Keep what you really need, but
the daily habit of orderliness.
remember that excessive stuff will
eventually slow you down.
Orderliness Application Discussion Questions
• Have a central location to keep forms,
Break into small groups and allow each group to discuss one of the questions below before letterhead, brochures, and other
sharing their answers and personal applications with everyone else. administrative items you use routinely.
1. How have you designed and implemented standard procedures? • Keep notes and ideas together in a
2. Once you set a long-term goal, how do you accomplish it with daily and weekly plans? planner or filing system instead of
3. What steps do you take to avoid keeping items that are no longer useful? scattering notes throughout your
4. How do you think through and familiarize yourself with a project so that you can workspace.
organize your efforts? • Set aside time to consider routine
5. What can you do to maintain everyday habits of orderliness? steps and evaluate your efficiency.

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 Orderliness on the Job

Neat and Ready

Transform your work area with orderliness

A neat desk may not look disorganized, but a clean desk can still be
inefficient if its contents are not easily accessible when and where
you need them. Similarly, your plans may inspire you, but you must

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break them into workable objectives and place these objectives in
your schedule for them to benefit you.
When we periodically “straighten up” our surroundings, we often Neatness makes a big difference on
focus on appearance, but the greatest benefit of orderliness is the how we look. Orderliness allows
efficiency it allows. Go beyond appearances, and experience the us to achieve efficiency by altering
benefits of real orderliness. how we think and act.

Schedule With Purpose

• Set goals consistent with your moral and ethical values. • Utilize the organizational tools available to you. Regardless of
which system you choose, any plan is better than no plan at all.
• Divide goals into realistic long- and short-term objectives. Ask yourself,
“What are my goals?” and, “How am I going to fulfill them?” • Make a place for everything and keep it there.
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• Guard your days against distractions that could derail your goals.

Think Through Your Setup

• Think systematically and intentionally about each project.
• If you struggle with orderliness, get advice from those around
you who successfully maintain an orderly lifestyle.

Economize Your Belongings

• Always be alert for more efficient methods.
• Establish personal patterns that will help you rest, prepare, and
work effectively.
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• Cooperate with company policies.
Arrange for Efficiency
• Think through each step of a project so that you can assemble the
appropriate tools, equipment, and materials.
• Maintain computer filing systems so that each file has an identifiable
place and your desktop remains uncluttered.
• Recognize the hidden costs of storing things before you assume
they are worth saving.
• Dispose of things that clutter your life or distract you from more
important priorities.
• Give away or sell items that still have value. Recycle and reuse.
Maintain Order
• Return items to their proper places after using them.
• When you have a new idea, write it down, develop it, and then
save your work, either in your desk or on your computer.

Why Is Orderliness Important?

Makes Peace
Clutter produces tension, which wears away at confidence and increases turmoil.
Orderliness helps keep life in perspective and focuses attention on the task at hand.

Saves Time
You can save time and energy by keeping things put away in a handy location and
by maintaining everything in working order.

Increases Satisfaction
Removing clutter from your life will help you focus on what is most important and
allow you to experience the satisfaction of a life well lived.

Makes Ideas Reality

Orderly habits allow you to make purposeful daily decisions and see progress
toward long-term goals.

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 Orderliness in History

Safety in Order
How orderly thoughts can make good ideas reality Living History

In the early 1920s, a Cleveland businessman and inventor named Garrett Morgan watched Garrett Morgan established the orderly
an automobile collide with a horse-drawn carriage at a downtown intersection. The carriage thought processes that allowed him to
passengers were thrown into the street, the automobile driver was knocked unconscious, diagnose mechanical problems and
and the horse was fatally injured. repair them. Later, these habits helped
him devise life-saving inventions.
Henry Ford’s assembly line had made automobiles more affordable, roads had become
more crowded, and traffic regulations had not yet dealt with the new challenges. In • Discipline yourself to systematically
Philadelphia for example, a revolving light was placed on top of City Hall (then the city’s determine the cause of a problem
tallest building). According to the plan, drivers approaching an intersection from north and work out a solution.

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and south would stop when they saw the light. When the light rotated ninety degrees,
drivers approaching an intersection from east and west would stop. Many, however, could
not see the light at all—and others simply ignored it.

Establishing a Standard Signal

Returning to his shop after the accident, Morgan designed a hand-operated traffic signal
that would allow an officer to organize traffic at an intersection and reduce the risk of accidents.
He erected a pole and attached a pair of arms that could be raised and lowered as someone
operated a crank on the pole. On the sides of each arm and on the front and back of the
pole, he put the word stop in red. On the end of each arm and on either side of the main
pole, he put the word go in green.
The word stop on the underside of the arms would signal an all-way stop when the arms
• Think through processes and prepare
for possible variations.
• Do not allow the magnitude of a
task to prevent you from tackling it.
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were raised. When the arms were lowered, the operator could rotate the sign and allow
cross traffic to pass. The signal also contained internal lamps for illumination at night.
On Tuesday, November 20, 1923, Garrett Morgan patented his traffic signal. Morgan later
sold his patent to General Electric for $40,000—a handsome sum in the 1920s.

Building Orderly Habits

Though he had only a fifth-grade education, Morgan developed the ability to fix broken
items. He quickly worked his way from handyman to sewing machine repairman to tailoring
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shop owner. While still in his thirties, Morgan invented an improvement for a sewing
machine. Later, he discovered a formula for straightening hair and thereafter began to
experiment with other inventions.
Before he patented his traffic signal, Morgan designed and patented a “breathing device,”
which earned the gold medal at the International Exposition of Safety and Sanitation. He
used this gas mask to help rescue and recover the casualties of a natural gas explosion in
a tunnel under Lake Erie. For this courageous effort, the citizens of Cleveland awarded
Morgan a diamond-studded gold medal. The International Association of Fire Chiefs also
awarded Morgan a gold medal for his invention, and a later model of his gas mask helped
protect Allied soldiers during World War I.

Making a Lasting Contribution

Shortly before his death, the United States government honored Garrett Augustus Morgan
with a citation for his traffic signal. The design of the traffic signal has changed
significantly since Morgan’s patent in 1923, but the basic principle remains the same.
Today, we remember Morgan for his contributions to public safety. His life also
stands as a monument to the possibilities and benefits for those who discipline
Garrett Augustus Morgan
themselves to develop orderliness. (1877–1963)

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 Orderliness at Home

Behind Closed Doors

What is under the bed and inside the cabinet does matter

Commit to Orderliness
Orderliness will never “just happen.” It takes a I Will…
concerted effort to plan a project. Clean as you go, • pick up after myself.
and put things back where they belong. Purpose • keep my work and play areas
to maintain an orderly lifestyle. clean and neat.
Clean as You Go • put things back where they
Cleaning your desk, your office, or your room at belong.
home need not become an overwhelming project if
• use things only for their
you maintain orderliness. When you thumb
intended purposes.
through a file and notice something out of place,
stop immediately, and put the misplaced item • return lost things to their
where it belongs. It will take a few moments now, rightful owners.
but this discipline could save hours of hunting
later. Having your surroundings in good order will give you a sense of mental relief. It is far
more efficient to systematically organize than it is to regain lost ground later.

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Orderliness is knowing where to find the things you are looking for and where to put the
Putting the Pieces Together things you need to store. Taking time to think through and organize things where they
Spend an evening putting together a belong—not just where they look neat—will allow you to identify missing items, readily
jigsaw puzzle with your family. Discuss find things you need, and spend more time doing what you need and want to do.
assembling a puzzle in an orderly way.
Show them how orderliness can help Exemplify Orderliness
complete the puzzle more efficiently. Remember that the balance you maintain in your own life will speak volumes more than
anything you say to your family. Further, words of praise and encouragement will inspire
Sort the edge pieces from the inner greater motivation than your criticism. Inspire orderliness by demonstrating it yourself
pieces. Sort the inner pieces by color or
style. Concentrate your efforts on one
area of the puzzle at a time.
Once everyone has enjoyed the final
product, demonstrate orderliness by
putting the puzzle back where it
belongs!
and by appreciating it in others.

Practical Applications of Orderliness

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• Use a weekly schedule for personal and family activities.
• Budget income to meet each family member’s needs.
• Put things back as soon as you are done using them.
• Have a place for every possession and be willing to get rid of unused items in order to
have sufficient space for the necessary things.

Balancing Nails
Great things can be accomplished when surroundings are arranged efficiently. Have your
family balance as many nails as possible on the head of only one vertical nail.
After each person has attempted, demonstrate how much better it works when you
arrange the nails in an orderly fashion. Follow the pattern used in the illustration to balance
as many nails as possible. Practice beforehand. The surprising effect is possible
because of the orderliness used to accomplish it.

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 Orderliness in Nature

Lessons From the Chipmunk

How one of the most recognizable rodents organizes its life

Eliminating Clutter Once there, it might climb a stump or a low

A chipmunk constructs its burrow by digging
a hole two inches in diameter and four to
five inches deep. From there, it makes
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about a 45° turn and continues down.
Compartments, approximately the size
of footballs, branch from this shaft. The
chipmunk then designates a bedroom, a
nursery, storage compartments, and even a
bathroom.
With its nose and feet, the chipmunk pushes
dirt out of its burrow. Once the burrow is
complete, the chipmunk digs a second
entrance from the inside and plugs the
original hole. In this way, the chipmunk
secures its home by maintaining a hidden
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tree branch to get a better perspective on
the next leg of its journey and reevaluate its
surroundings. After a few moments, the
chipmunk scampers hastily toward the
next landmark.
If danger approaches before the chipmunk
has reached the half-way point, the chipmunk
turns and retreats to the last landmark.
However, if the chipmunk is already more
than halfway to its goal, it intensifies its
pace toward the next stop.
Staying at It
An observer saw a cat poised near a burrow
at sunrise. The feline predator was waiting

entryway and eliminating the external to pounce on the resident chipmunk as

signs of excavation. soon as it emerged for the day.

Getting There As daylight intensified, however, the

From the perspective of the chipmunk,
every bush is a tree, every rock is a tower,
and every patch of grass is a forest. Each of
these landscape features can provide a hiding
place for the chipmunk.
When traveling to a particular destination,
a chipmunk organizes its activities in steps.
Sighting the first landmark 10–12 feet
away, the chipmunk makes a dash for it.
onlooker noticed the chipmunk sitting on a
tree branch—watching in complete stillness.
Another chipmunk was observed from
sunup until sundown to study its routines.
Leaving its burrow at 6 A.M., the little critter
scrounged up some breakfast and began
hauling nuts from its foraging site to its
burrow until noon. From noon until 3 P.M.,
the chipmunk remained in its home for a
nap. After three more hours of serious
labor, the chipmunk relaxed outside its
burrow until dusk.
While working, the chipmunk carried
about 116 acorns per hour (928 throughout
the day). With each trip, it carried as many
acorns as it could stuff into its cheek
pouches and still fit through the burrow
opening.

The Chipmunk in Action

Standardize Maintain Organize Prioritize

When selecting bedding, a
chipmunk looks for leaves
with optimal moisture content.
When it finds one to its liking,
the chipmunk removes the
stem and carries the leaf home.
The chipmunk’s burrow has a
bedroom, a nursery, storage
rooms, an emergency exit, a
bathroom, and a listening post
for detecting predators outside
the entry.
A chipmunk can stuff as many
as 65 sunflower seeds, 31 corn
kernels, or 145 grains of wheat
into its mouth at one time, and
it can gather as much as a
bushel of food for winter.
A chipmunk breaks journeys
into short dashes. After reaching
each objective, the chipmunk
pauses to evaluate its sur-
roundings and check for signs
of danger.

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 Ahead of the Power Curve
How one company boosted productivity and slashed turnaround time

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Every job involves setup and turnaround
time. Whether answering phones, handling
clients, manufacturing parts, or shipping
orders, employees must constantly move
from one project to another.
The Bottom Line
Orderliness directly influences the bottom
line. You cannot demand that people use
your services. Your company must stay on the
cutting edge of competition by maintaining
high productivity and superior quality.
The company easily cut turnaround time in
half by gathering all the materials into a
central location before beginning. After
further evaluation, the company found ways
to cut the process to less than ten percent of
the original project.
A Place for Everything
Personnel in another machine shop realized
that the random minutes per day they spent
searching for tools were adding up to
countless lost hours per year.
Are these questions and statements familiar
to you? The average person spends over
150 hours a year looking for something.
Disorganization wastes time and causes
frustration—which leads to inefficiency and
dissatisfaction.
Imagine how projects in your organization
could experience a drastic boost in produc-
tivity if you established a time and place
for everything. Organizing takes time and
forethought, but the increased efficiency
will reward the effort.

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One manufacturing company faced the In order to conserve time and increase effi-
challenge of frequently changing machines ciency, they applied the old adage “a place
from one job to another. Reconfiguring the for everything and everything in its place.”
machines and gathering the necessary parts They began by marking an outline for
often took seven to eight hours. specific tools on hanging boards and placing
tool cutouts in tool drawers. They also
In an effort to cut this turnaround time, the
typed notes on common set-up procedures,
company set up a video camera and let it run
detailing the tools needed for each step and
the entire day. The footage revealed that
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the location of each tool. These simple,
workers had to spend over half the time
orderly procedures reduced set-up times
looking for parts.
by 70–80 percent and lessened employee
frustration in the process.
Everything in its Place
“Where did I put that message slip?” “Has
anyone seen the information on the Johnson
order?” “Where did I put my jacket?” “Where
are my keys?” “I am almost positive that I left
that file over here!”
One company used a camera to measure the time used
during routine machinery maintenance. Whether you
use a camera or not, the time you spend to evaluate and
adjust processes is a wise investment.
The Challenge
Get yourself, your schedule, and your work
area organized for maximum efficiency. Take
care of issues right away—handle something
once. Then use this orderly arrangement to get
the job done!
Revolutionary Orderliness
At 21, Melvil Dewey invented the
Dewey Decimal Classification system
(DDC). Before that time, most libraries
were private collections in which the
owners chose whatever method of
classification suited them.
Dewey’s system is now used in over
135 countries and has been translated
into more than 30 languages. It is now
the most widely used library classifi-
cation system in the world. Purpose to
establish standards of organization.

Number Two
The laws of thermodynamics explain the processes whereby energy changes forms and the
relationships between heat and other forms of energy. The second law of thermodynamics
observes that, without intervention, all things move toward disorder.
Thus, it takes work to maintain something in its original, orderly state. Without the discipline
of orderliness, things will naturally deteriorate. A machine left to itself will wear down and
break. A room that is not deliberately cared for will become dustier, dirtier, and more cluttered
as time passes.
There is one antidote to the natural movement of all things from order to disorder: make a
CHARACTER FIRST!
®

deliberate effort to re-order. When finished with an item, always return it to its proper place—
in better condition, if possible. 520 West Main Street • Oklahoma City OK 73102
405.815.0001 • www.characterfirst.com
For additional leadership notes and information, go to <http://bulletin.characterfirst.com>. © 2004 Character Training Institute. All rights reserved.