across the wire

I am working from home for the remainder of the summer which needless to say has its benefits, but also has some major pitfalls. Personally, my biggest downfall is that I am disorganized. I create a lot of extra work for myself in the process of trying to keep everything straight, not only in my house/office but in my mind as well. I lose things, forget to answer messages and am terrible at booking appointments with out having to change plans a week later. How does one get to be organized, not just in a physical space, but organized (as a personality trait) to avoid missing tasks, missing deadlines, and missing opportunities? When you do not have an external motivator (like a boss close at hand) how can you stay on task?

There is lots of advice out there for people like me whose nature it would seem, is to be disorganized. Some suggest it is a matter of being right or left brained and must practice using skills of the left brain. Perhaps it is because I was not taught from a young age how to be organized that this characteristic evades me. It may be a matter of listening to the advice that suggests creating an organized space creates an organized person. With advice like plan, clear, set aside time, re-organize clutter, use day minders, etc. it seem that the problem is so simple - get the right tools and any fool can get it together. I have a day minder that I use religiously, but still cannot get it together. No matter the tool, I can always find a way to get my disorganized character to shine through.

Perhaps it is not a tool that needs to be used, nor a certain half of the brain. All of these things would help, but perhaps it is a question of motivation. Am I motivated to use my planner? Am I motivated to answer those messages? Am I motivated to stick to the phone calls all morning? The answer to all of these questions for me is "no." I have and use all kinds of tools for becoming organized, yet I still fail as I have no motivation to stick to them.

What are your tips for becoming organized? What works? What gets you motivated to work, when you are the only motivation?