How Being Disorganized Affects Your Family

Organization isn’t only about closets! Yes, it’s about space management – but it’s also about time management, paper management and life management.

If everyone in the family is not on the same page when it comes to how organized their home should be – there could be arguments and resentment from one of the partners or the children. If one person likes the home to be organized and neat and the other person doesn’t seem to care – it can lead to a lot of tension and stress. 

Even children can be affected when they are too embarrassed to bring their friends over because the house is a mess. 

Being on the same page when it comes to how a home is run and what level of disorganization is acceptable – is something that is crucial. Don’t wait until you boil over from anger before you sit down with the other person and discuss why things are bothering you. At least try to come up with a compromise or a plan that everyone can live with. Even if that plan is that one person does the work of getting your home into the organized space that makes you feel comfortable – and the other person agrees to go along with the plan. Set up some systems and explain the new plan to your family. Discuss your reasons for the new system – such as “it will make our lives easier….” or “by following a new routine we will all be able to get to work or school on time”.

Disorganization also comes into play when your bills are not being paid or are late. This can also lead to a lot of stress and a lot of arguments. By setting up a routine on where to keep your bills and paperwork, when to pay your bills, and who is going to take the lead in handling the paperwork – you can avoid a lot of stress.

When you are overwhelmed because of work or family and other commitments the problem could be time management. Taking a look at how you manage all of your time and commitments, including appointments and kids’ activities – and being realistic about how much time you actually have and what you are spending it on – is a great exercise. For the next week - write down everything that you do all day long (break it into 30 minute pieces). Then sit down and look at how much time you are actually wasting – and also decide what you could give up to make your life easier and less stressed. If you cannot give something up you could look at sharing carpooling the kids to their activities with another parent – that would give you extra time to get other things done. There are a lot of ways to manage your time more efficiently.

Being organized decreases your stress on many levels. Take a look at what is bothering you and try to figure out how a more organized approach might help decrease your stress.

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life 

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/

Calculate the Cost of Disorganization. How much money is your business losing?

Disorganization costs your company money. When you waste part of your day looking for reports or files because you did not put them where you could easily find them - you are wasting time and time is money.

When you are not ready for your meeting or you are late for your meeting because you are disorganized - you are wasting other people's time and money.

When you waste part of your day doing things - other than the job you were paid for - you are wasting your employers time and money.


Being disorganized is epidemic.

According to the NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) database you will find research showing parents spend an estimated 23 percent of their time outside of work coordinating their children’s and family’s schedules.  Being organized is crucial.  Yet, it's a problem that a lot of people can't get a handle on.

A few thing that can help:

1) Put your appointments on a calendar (paper or electronic) - and check it daily.
2) Give yourself extra time to get to your appointments.
3) Get ready for meetings the day before - to allow for any complications.
4) Get yourself & your family ready for work/school the night before.
5) Find a filing system that works for you - and use it!
6) Try to understand why you are so disorganized and let someone help you become more organized.

Calculate the Cost of Disorganization



Read this great article from Forbes on 
 Wasting Time At Work





Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life 

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/

The Cost of Disorganization - Some Interesting Statistics

Lost something already today? Misplaced items cost us ten minutes a day.

We spend ten minutes every day rummaging for lost items, from books and phones to car keys and even the cars themselves, a survey has found. And a total of 3,680 hours or 153 days is spent searching for stuff, over our lifetimes.

The research found we also lose up to nine items every day - or 198,743 in a lifetime. The daily loss calculated over a year means an incredible 3,285 items are misplaced every 12 months - or just under 200,000 bits and bobs over the course of 60.5 adult years.

The research found we also lose up to nine items every day - or 198,743 in a lifetime. The daily loss calculated over a year means an incredible 3,285 items are misplaced every 12 months - or just under 200,000 bits and bobs over the course of 60.5 adult years.

TOP MOST LOST ITEMS

1. Mobile / smartphone
2. House keys
3. Car Keys
4. Paperwork
5. Sunglasses / spectacles
6. Purse / wallet
7. Lip balm
8. Hair brush
9. Gloves
10. Clothing
11. Umbrella
12. Book
13. Bank card
14. Train / bus ticket
15. Coat
16. Diary / personal organiser
17. Sun hat
18. Laptop
19. Car
20. Tablet / e-reader

(03/20/2012 - Esure Home Insurance Study of 3000 adults. By the Daily Mail Reporter)

These are some interesting statistics from our NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) statistical database.

Being disorganized costs you time and money. And a lot of stress when you are constantly searching for things. By having a more organized home and a more organized life - you could be doing a lot of things that are a lot more fun than searching for your car keys!

Having a "place for everything - and everything in its' place" will make your life a lot easier and a lot less stressed.

Now go and find your missing car keys! 

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life 

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/

In Five Minutes I Can .....

Do a lot of small organizing task!   Yes - you can accomplish a lot in just five minutes.  The problem is that most people spend more time than that trying to talk themselves out of doing anything at all!

Stop over thinking the process - and "just do it" !

In five minutes I can:

• Hang up my clothes instead of leaving them on a chair or on the floor

• Throw in a load of laundry in the washing machine

• Fold all of the clean towels and put them away

• Go through my stack of mail and throw out all of the junk mail - instead of letting it pile up

•  Empty the dishwasher instead of letting it sit there for a week

•  Put all of the dirty dishes in the dishwasher instead of letting them pile up in the sink

• Pick up all of the things that are not supposed to be in the living room and put them where they belong

• Make my bed in the morning so that the bedroom looks neater

• Go through one drawer in the kitchen and organize it - get rid of things I never use

•  Go through the fridge - one drawer at a time and clean it out - get rid of expired food

• Go through one shelf in the bathroom and get rid of products I never use

• Decide what I'm going to wear in the morning and get it ready - so that I don't waste time in the morning 

•  Polish my shoes so they look clean and more professional

• Sew a button on a shirt that's been sitting in a pile for weeks

•  Write out a couple of birthday cards for the month

There's a lot you can do in just five minutes.  So - what are you waiting for?   Let's get started!



Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/

Too Much Technology and Disorganization

Everyone thinks that all of the Technology that is available today is great. We are connected 24/7.  We are never out of touch. We don’t miss a thing!

That’s great…. Isn’t it ?

The answer is …. “No, it’s not great”. 

Being connected and in touch 24/7 might be required if you are an executive or in the medical field. But for most people it is not a requirement. So why does everyone feel that they can’t be out of touch for even an hour?  Because we are being told we can’t be.

Being in touch, strapped to your phone or computer 24/7 does not mean that you get more work done. Multi-tasking is a myth. Most people really can’t multi-task. At least not with any accuracy. When you are going from one task to the next there is “lag time” in your brain when you are finishing one task and going back to your other task. Therefore, you are not really saving any time by doing two or three or four things at once because your brain has to "stop" and "re-focus" on the task that you are picking up and continuing with.

It might seem that you are getting more things done, but you really aren't. And if you do manage to do multiple thing at once.....are they really being done "well" ?

In order to do your best work you really have to concentrate / focus on one thing at a time. That might not be what everyone wants to hear because people want to believe they are being more productive doing multiple things....but they really aren't.

It's like trying to have a conversation on the phone and having your kids talk to you at the same time. You really can't have two conversations at once, even if you are answering your children's questions, because you are missing what the person on the phone is saying.

You might be able to fold your clothes and watch T.V. at the same time....but double check that you put the right socks together. You never know!

Doing too many things at once, being connected 24/7.....gives your brain and your body no time to rejuvenated itself. You, your brain and your body need rest. Peace and quiet. Otherwise you can make mistakes that are costly.

With no "down time" you can feel stressed and disorganized. Disorganization causes stress. Stress causes a multitude of emotional, psychological and physical symptoms.

Turn off your phone and your computer. Unplug. Take a walk. Breathe some fresh air. Get rejuvenated.

Life is more than technology. Turn off your phone for an hour and you will realize that the world won't stop.

Now go talk a walk!

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com