President's Column - November 2023
Do you consider yourself an organized individual?
There are few things that I love more than being organized. Whether it is a step by step set of procedures, a well-kept calendar or a tidy house; organization holds a special place in my heart.
I like the logic and the efficiency of it. I like to anticipate the needs of a situation so that when I am in the thick of it, I can focus where I need to be focused. I cannot expect good results from myself if I am constantly distracted or don’t have the necessary tools I need to accomplish the task at hand.
My organizational skills have definitely taken a hit since dealing with my physical limitations. Leading up to and maybe up to a year post-surgery, it was quite difficult to read my own handwriting most of the time. If I didn’t really 
slow down, you simply couldn’t read it! While this may have slowed down my Post-It Note obsession and made it more manageable, my need for keeping organized using to-do lists to stay on track was and is still there. I pivoted, and now I manage my lists on my computer or on my phone. I am thankful to report that my handwriting has much improved and continues to do so but when it comes to managing my to-do lists, I will be sticking to typed lists when I can. I find the efficiency to reprioritize the list as needed is quite convenient.
For the most part, I have organized days; I wake up, shower, get ready, drive to work, drive home, work out, cook/eat dinner, clean up, relax, get ready for bed, sleep. Repeat.
However, if I want to have the most success in my day, I must be organized to tackle it head on! I need to plan ahead. Do I have all of the tools and supplies necessary? Clean clothes? Toiletries? Food? Gas in the car? I spend time each weekend preparing for a successful week.
I like to physically organize and arrange things too. I can lose myself for hours in a pantry or a closet… days in a garage. “The Container Store” speaks my language. One of my favorite compliments I have received is when a house guest stayed over and cooked a meal in my kitchen and said, “Everything I needed to prepare the meal was exactly where I thought it would/should be.”
I even enjoy watching shows about getting organized. I’ll watch an episode or two of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo before I tackle thinning out my clothes. The Netflix show, Get Organized with The Home Edit makes me want to start a project every time I see it. I wish I had this crew’s help for every room, closet, office and garage.
I do most of my shopping online. This is easy, I type in a search and up pop results. But in the real world, I appreciate the organization of a store. I depend on an organized system to be able to find where something is. I want there to be a flow that makes sense. I don’t want to hop back and forth looking for the same thing.
In picking up food for dinner the other night, I was quite impressed with how well restaurants have pivoted and deal with the post-pandemic world. With the help of a few kiosks, only three people at the counter took orders and delivered them to tables, to-go guests and shelves for food delivery services. They were organized and worked in a rhythm that allowed for them to manage at least 40 guests in the 15 minutes I was there.
Do you have any organizational skills that you want to share? What are some things that keep life running smoothly for you?? I’d love to hear!
Jennifer Thoroe is Director of Customer Service & Business Development for National Steel Rule, a steel rule manufacturer based in Linden, NJ, USA. She joined forces with National on November 1, 2018 after working in the industry and volunteering with the IADD for over 15 years. She moved up to NJ from GA in the summer of 2019. One pandemic and three moves later, Jennifer is finally settling into her home near the Jersey Shores with her awesome super-fantastic brother Tom and his even cooler dog, Kelowna.
She has consistently used her time and talents to bring greater value to IADD members, whether through chapter activities, managing volunteers, Board service or overseeing myriad membership recruitment and retention activities. For this, Jennifer received the 2017 IADD Cutting Edge Award, one of the Association’s highest honors. She is the first woman to serve as IADD president.
The President's Column appears in The Cutting Edge, the IADD's monthly magazine.
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