It’s the beginning of a new month at Ruly and time for the introduction of this month’s organizing theme topic.

Recently, I was watching some online episodes of the weight-loss reality show The Biggest Loser.  While weight is fortunately not one of the struggles I have, I found the show fascinating because of the emotional as well as physical transformation the contestants required to implement healthy lifestyle changes.  As I watched, I wondered how it was that these people got to be hundreds upon hundreds of pounds and why it was that they had trouble making the changes necessary to lose weight on their own.  I realized that their struggles in the weight arena were probably no different than what most of us face when we are trying to change a hard-wired habit in any area.

Our lives are constantly changing.  Change can be something that we desire to do or something we have to do, like it or not, because of our life circumstances.  Many of us naturally resist change.  Change often requires a lot of hard work to form new habits and eliminate our prior unproductive habits.  We may have invested a lot of time and effort creating the original habits and are hesitant to let them go.  We may be afraid of the uncertainty and the possibility of failure involved with change.

How does all of this relate to organizing?  Often, when a person feels “disorganized,” it means that a change has occurred and the person has not fully accepted or adjusted to that change.  The same organizing strategies that worked before the change may not be appropriate or effective in the new circumstances.  Being willing to change is a big part of staying organized.

So, this month at Ruly is all about change: the dynamics of change, how to implement change and  adjusting to change.

To kick off the month, I wanted to share a few facts on change.

What are the most stressful life changes?

Psychologists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe compiled a Stress Scale, assigning point values to the most stressful life events.  You can see the entire list here.

Simplifying the list to include broad categories of the more commonly experienced conditions, I have compiled the following Top 10 most stressful life changes.

10. Leisure: vacation, Christmas, family reunions
9. Moving: changing residence, schools, churches, social groups
8.  Major Transitions: starting or ending a new job or school program, child leaving home
7. Conflict: disagreements with in-laws, boss or social group
6. Personal Changes: eating habits, sleeping habits, exercise regimens, organizing routines etc.
5. Money: changes in financial condition or business status, foreclosure, bankruptcy
4.  Work: dismissal from work, retirement, changing jobs or changing job responsibilities
3.  Health: personal injury or illness of self or a family member
2.  Love: divorce/marital separation, marriage or marital reconciliation
1.  Death: loss of a spouse, child, close family member or friend

It was interesting to see from the Holmes-Rahe list that both positive and negative life events involve change and stress.  For example, marriage is not that much less stressful than marital separation!

Is it true that you can be “too old to change”?

Sadly, a 2009 study suggests that peak brain function occurs around age 22.  Decreases in brain speed, abstract reasoning and puzzle-solving abilities begin to occur around the young age of 27.  By age 37, memory decline can be detected.  However, our general knowledge increases until age 60.  Another 2009 study suggests that if you have at least a high school education and take good care of your health, including exercising regularly and not smoking, you have a good chance of maintaining your cognitive abilities into your 70s and 80s.

So, while you can implement change at any age, there is some truth to the fact that it is harder to change as we get older.

How does the brain process change?

A 2011 study on the impact of emotional stress on brain function explains the internal brain mechanics involved in change:

“Our ability to learn from experience and to adapt to our environment depends upon synaptic plasticity — the ability of a neuron or synapse to change its internal parameters in response to its history.”

—Science Daily quoting a study by Iaroslav Savtchouk in The Journal of Neuroscience

Brain plasticity is impaired by events such as injury or drug addiction and can be improved with pending therapies like embryonic cell transplants as well as taking good care of your health and keeping your brain active through physical exercise, social interaction and other intellectual stimulation.

Coming this month…

This month we will look at various strategies to implement change from a diverse panel of experts.  The discussion will include both practical tips as well as theoretical concepts.  We will also examine a variety of different types of changes and our rational and emotional response to these changes.

Please exercise your synaptic plasticity and join me on this month’s exploration of change!