The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-03-30

Quently my work was always behind.
Eat last this continual strain of try
ing to hurry began to tell on me-.
While I was making money I was
| steadily losing in vitality and nerve
force.
"Going into my office one morning
at seven o'clock. having been forced
to get 20 the office at this unseason-
able hour IN order to clear the day be-
fore's leftover work out OF the way.
I was struck with the disorder in
which I had left my desk and the up
set condition of the entire room.
II stepped to the door to speak to
, my stenograph / was struck with
her immaculate neatness and the or
der OF her desk. Yet she was a busy
person. too; indeed, I thought guilty.
she really was a very much buster
person than 1 when 1t came to real
work.
What was the matter with me. any
how. wondered. And what was her
secret?
Miss Jones'. said impulsively.
how do you keep yourself SO neat and
your office SO straight all the timer
I'll be hanged If 1 ever find anything
where I want 1t or when I want it.
then she faced me squarely.
Mr.. Smith, she said, ''it 10 be-
cause you never put anything in order.
You can't keep things straight unless
you put them straight occasionally
but do try I said. I spent
hours last week.
Her laugh interrupted me.
"'Yes. you spend hours occasional
In hut
leave things so long that when you
do. start there is such a congestion
that by the time you reach the last
in order you have forgotten what you
did with, tha first
THAT is true. too acknowl-
edged. But what am I to do? How
do persons keep things straight, any,
how7'
TIL tell you how did.' she said
I used to be almost Al disorderly as
you are. But found it didn't pay
I was always trying to catch step with
myself and never could. had never
had much responsibility until I went
out into the world to earn my own
living and was terribly hampered by
having always been waited upon.
Zone day / began to realize that
it was getting on my nerves, this try
ing to straighten out tangles all the
time, and I made up my mind not to
have any tangles. just made up
my mind never to let yesterday catch
up with tomorrow. began to do
fifteen minute stunts "a day and 1t
helped me. First got my things all
in order (and I had to sit up nights |
and WORK Sundays to do IT. and then |
I kept them SO. Fifteen minutes every
day I spent Strengthening things out
That's all. Try it and see how 1t will |
help you
my work had accumulated, but |
fell to with vigor. It was hard at
first. 1t seemed so much easier to
let things clutter up than to go |
through this meaningless attempt at |
system. AS fast as I Strengthened |
here made disorder there. But at |
last got things In some kind of |
shape. though not any where near |
right.
1.-THE fifteen minute stunts were |
applied to my business more and |
more. found. too, that If took |
time to explain a thing to my en-
ployes they seldom forgot 1t, but |
never before had taken the time.
TT wasn't cas- yto overcome a habit |
Of years It was hard. No one ever |
fought the drink habit harder than I /
fought the disorder habit. But I |
kept at II until I won out give |
fifteen minutes. Just fifteen minutes |
= day. just fifteen minutes. to my |
private correspondence. which never |
used to get its share OF attention
II apply the fifteen minute periods |
to all manner OF details and never |
let them run over because 4 don't
have to. It il wonderful how much |
one can accomplish by giving fifteen |
TRY tho fifteen minute stunt and /
minutes q day to certain tasks instead |
81 giving an hour and a half q week |
sec for yourself"