A lesson I learnt from my granddaughter

A couple of days ago, my friend had called me, and I had carefully scribbled down his phone number. Today, I wanted to call him back, but I couldn’t remember where I had jotted it down. I checked my telephone index, scrolled through my Gmail contacts, and even rummaged through the piles of envelopes cluttering my desk—nothing. Then, a sudden realization struck me: I had written the number on the newspaper I was reading that day. But when I searched for the paper, I discovered that my daughter had used it to bundle some garbage. Frustrated with my disorganization, I cursed myself for not keeping better track of things.

Just then, my phone rang. It was my granddaughter. "Grandpa," she said, "I forgot my notebook at home. Could you please go to my bookshelf and grab the fifth book from the left on the second row? It has a yellow cover with ‘Bioinformatics’ written on it. Can you send it with the driver to my lab?"

Following her instructions, I found the notebook exactly where she said it would be. Within a minute, it was on its way to her. Her calm, collected tone and the precision with which she gave me the directions struck me. Here she was, organized to the last detail, while I had just spent half an hour hunting for a number I couldn’t find.

This contrast set me thinking about the importance of being organized. Success, I realized, often comes to those who manage their lives efficiently. Being organized isn't just about tidiness—it's about having control over your time and space. It’s knowing where everything is, both physically and mentally, and being able to retrieve it without stress. Organization saves time, reduces unnecessary tension, and enhances productivity in any area we’re engaged in.

I marveled at my granddaughter’s confidence, how effortlessly she asked for her book. Meanwhile, I would’ve caused a minor upheaval in the household over a misplaced note, turning everyone else’s peace upside down.

The truth is, being organized doesn’t require extraordinary skills. It’s simply a matter of creating a system and sticking to it. When we streamline the way we manage our things—be it physical items or information—life becomes smoother. Our time management improves, missed appointments become a thing of the past, and those embarrassing moments of forgetfulness fade away.