Mental Fitness Mondays: Self Organisation When it Feels Like Chaos
29th June 2026When Self Organisation is off, it shows up everywhere
Self Organisation sounds sensible and worthy but faintly joyless. The sort of thing other people are good at. You know the ones, those who colour-code diaries and never lose track of emails and maintain spotless houses. Not people doing values-driven work in fast paced workplaces with not enough downtime! And yet, when our Self Organisation muscles are depleted, the ripple effect is huge.
Welcome to the Chaos
Very few of my clients arrive at coaching saying "I want to strengthen my Self Organisation muscle", (and any that do are people who've engaged deeply with my Four Core Muscles model). What they actually say is "I'm tired. I'm feeling stretched; falling behind, overwhelmed." This is often due to poor work systems and too many demands from their job. The impact on their Self Organisation muscle is enormous; instead of feeling clear minded, they feel scattered. Instead of being mindful and present, they are lost in to-do lists and tasks. Instead of skillfully making decisions, they pick the easy option to save energy. When the Self Organisation muscle is depleted the difficulties only get worse.
Applying a bit of Self Care will definitely help, but for many people I work with it's not that simple, so it's also worth considering how you can strengthen Self Organisation, not to accomodate overly demanding bosses, but to support yourself.
Self Organisation isn’t all about admin
It’s about how well your mind supports you to do what matters. In our mental fitness model, this muscle includes focus, mindfulness, mental agility and creativity. Together, they shape your thinking. When this muscle set is healthy, you can work with intention, adapt when things change, and stop without guilt. When it’s depleted or underused, the other muscles start to feel the impact, particularly Self Care; you might be more self-critical, take fewer breaks, or take it out on loved ones.
Why this matters in social change work
People in unions, education and political spaces are especially exposed here because the work is never finished and the needs are real. Responsiveness is rewarded and saying “later” can feel morally uncomfortable. In that context, disorganisation is a predictable outcome. One thing that I notice is that people who do this kind of work can find it very hard to give themselves permission to utilise their Self Organisation muscles effectively. They'll plan to tackle that ever growing inbox but then the phone will ring and they feel obliged to answer it. Fast forward to the end of the day and the inbox is fuller than ever.
A teeny first step
Strengthening Self Organisation doesn’t usually come from elaborate systems, but from noticing. For example, noticing when your focus has gone and choosing to pause rather than push, or noticing which tasks genuinely move things forward and which simply create urgency. You could pay more attention to your energy across a day, or what happens on days when you're organised enough to pack a healthy lunch. This simple act of noticing is in itself a mindful moment, which actively supports your Self Organisation muscle. When people begin to do this, they often report feeling more capable, not because life becomes simpler, but because they’re working with their minds rather than against them. Noticing what you need, and what structures and routines might work for you, could make all the difference to how you feel overall. You might even find time to organise a bit of Self Care!
A coaching question to sit with: Where might a little more structure help you work with greater ease, rather than more effort?