Organizations affect all aspects of our lives. Buy a small notebook. Starting on Friday morning when you wake up, and ending on Sunday night when you go to bed, keep a list of all the organizations with which you have had contact over this period. ‘Contact’ includes, for example, a radio programme that you listen to at breakfast, a television station that you watch, the shops that you visit, the bank with whose card you make payments, the companies who run the buses, trains and taxis that you use. Also, which cinemas, bars, nightclubs, sports and social clubs did you visit? Religious and educational establishments? Medical facilities or emergency services that you have used (you never know)? Check your mail; which organizations have written to you? Do you have any utility or council tax bills to pay, and from which organizations do you get these services? Have you dealt with any charity requests? Have you checked your internet service provider and social networking organizations? What companies made your computer and mobile phone? Which companies designd the browser and other software that you are using? Whose advertisements have you watched? Every time you do anything or go anywhere over these three days, stop and ask ‘which organizations am I interacting with in some way?’ – and write the names in your notebook. Then on Sunday night, or first thing Monday morning: 

1. Total the number of organizations with which you have had contact on each of the three days – Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 

2. Remove any duplicates and assign a number to each organization on your remaining list. 

3. Devise a categorization scheme for your numbered organizations, including as many of them as possible – private/public, profit/charitable, goods/services, etc. Use as many categories as you need. Some organizations may not ‘fit’ your scheme, but this is not a problem. How many organizations were in each category? 

4. Consider what this list of organizations reveals about you and your lifestyle. Be prepared to share your conclusions with colleagues.