“We always say tradition is the biggest roadblock to progress, and I think it’s tradition in law enforcement,” says Brandon Clabes, chief of the Midwest City Police Department. Instead of saying there’s a 417, officers now just say there’s a man with a gun inside the 7-Eleven store.

I heard this statement a few days ago on NPR‘s Morning Edition and learned that many police departments are now moving away from the traditional use of radio codes when calling in a report, and are starting to use “plain talk.”  For some, this is a hard tradition to break…even though it actually makes sense.  Instead of having to remember a code (or a series of codes), officers can state exactly what’s happening so that the dispatcher – and other officers listening in – know how urgent a situation is.

Ok, so what do police officers and radio codes have to do with organizing and being more productive?  Think about this – would you agree that our usual routines or habits can be likened to “tradition,” or the “We’ve always done it this way” syndrome?  Even when we know that making a change would be in our best interest, it’s still hard to let go of the way we usually do things, isn’t it? 

Could today be the day that you break with tradition and decide to make that change?  …to pick up 5 things and put them away before you go to bed?  …to start keeping all your like items together so they’re easier to find? …to start using a timer to keep yourself on track?  …to clear your desk before going home for the day?  …to pick out what you’ll wear to work the night before?  …to do some organizing activity for 10 minutes?  Did you notice that each of these suggestions is not very time intensive?

So, this is your “kick-in-the-butt-time-to-make-a-change-motivational-just-do-a-little-tip.”  I hope it spurs you on to committing to being even a little more organized.  Won’t you tell me if it does?  I’d love to hear if you think this is doable or if you think I’m full of…well, if you think this is all hogwash and crazy talk.

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