Top 3 Benefits of Organization
In a society where saving time and money is a priority, it is surprising that we freely give these values up through our chronic disorganization. We also place a high value on self-care and our well beings, yet, we allow physical clutter to invade our precious mental space. There are three significant benefits to getting organized that I’ll explore in the discussion below. These benefits are highly valued in our society, but so many of us live disorganized lives that contribute to wasting time, spending money, and losing clarity. Through my own personal tidying journey, I have experienced all three benefits and continue to reap the benefits as I live and maintain an organized life.
More Time
The one thing in life that is not guaranteed and we can never get back once it is used up is time. We all get 24 hours in a single day yet I can confidently say that we don’t all use it the same way. How we ultimately choose to spend our time can reveal a lot about what is important to us. It shares about what we value and what is a priority. When people live in a state of disorganization I have learned through my own behavior and through the patterns of my clients that time is wasted looking for some item.
It is often an item that was misplaced, or an item that never really had a designated spot to begin with. When the time came to use it, that item could no longer be found. Misplaced items cause more than overwhelm and frustration. It causes extra avoidable time spent trying to locate the item. I know you’ve been there because I’ve been there myself. In the moment you are grumbling under your breath, “where is that item! I thought I put it here or there. Ugh!” In the midst of frantically looking for the item you vow never to be this disorganized again. Yet, the next time happens and you find yourself in the exact same predicament again.
This my friend is called a cycle and pattern of disorganization. When we create systems and establish a designated spot for our items, misplacing items is reduced. If we take it a step further and repeatedly place the item back in the specific spot each time, after use, we create a habit. This exact habit is what eliminates the frustration of losing an item and the time wasted in looking for the item. Pairing the system with a habit is when we start to feel the benefits of organization. The item we were looking for is exactly where we last left it, which is where it permanently lives. Time saved is a benefit of organization.
More Money
Another valuable resource that many find important is money. Wasting time is one thing, but wasting money is quite another. We spend so many hours of our days, and days of our lives, working for a wage. This wage is then turned around and used to buy things. These can be big things like paying for a mortgage or medical insurance. It is also used for smaller items that we consume day in and day out. But what if we continue to buy the day-to-day items because we can’t find those items in our cluttered home?
Using the example from above, if an item is misplaced and you need it, you often will replace it by buying it again, depending on the cost of the item. This pattern happens again and again for many of us. We can’t find the item after spending a good bit of time looking for it, and finally out of frustration and overwhelm we decide to buy it again. Buying the item again usually is a temporary solution that contributes to more clutter in the home and you have less money while keeping inventory of items you can’t find.
What if the item is a big-ticket item such as a passport? If you can’t find your passport and you’re planning an upcoming trip, you might have to expedite the processing and pay extra fees to get a replacement. This pattern of disorganization costs us real money too and not just a few dollars. There can be larger consequences to misplaced items such as time sensitive deadlines that can cost us more money for the same thing. Imagine what life would look like if you could hold onto your money because you knew exactly where you placed your passport. Through this example you can see that being organized in our possessions can contribute to having more money in our pockets.
More Clarity
The final benefit of getting organized is the mental clarity that you’ll start to experience once the physical clutter is minimized or removed from your life. When we remove physical clutter from our environments, we ultimately remove unfinished business, open items and to-do items from our minds. Once the distractions are gone, our minds are free to devote our energy on the tasks and experiences that we enjoy and prioritize in our lives.
The clarity we experience comes through eliminating the noise in our environments. Noise isn’t only audible. It is also clutter in our physical and mental spaces. My clients tell me that they lose sleep at night because they are agonizing about the clutter in their homes. The clutter manifests as anxiety for them and it inevitably has a true negative impact on their lives and health.
That feeling you get when all items are checked off your to-do list is the sense of clarity that we can feel when we are not faced with decisions after decision of unfinished business. With the elimination of distractions disguised as clutter, we can experience true peace and freedom from disorganization.
More Time, Money, and Clarity
I can probably ask anyone if they value time, money and mental clarity and the answer would be an absolute YES. But our behaviors speak volumes too and our actions shout that taking the time to create systems and habits isn’t worth the hassle. This might be true for other people, but not for you, my friend. I know that you want to break the patterns of disorganization that keep you feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. That’s why I’m so glad that you’re here, taking the steps to learn from me and my personal experiences and expertise. Together we can tidy on and tidy strong. Share with me in the comments if these benefits resonate with you.
Tidy on and tidy strong, my friends!