Is being organized really important? Many people don’t think so, or at the very least just keep putting off getting organized and managing their clutter for another day. However, being organized in your everyday life actually has lots of benefits.
If you are one of the people who has been delaying getting organized, then thinking about all of the reasons that being more organized is good for you might give you the motivation to get started! So here is why being organized makes life so much easier, and why you should make the effort to get organized today.
Time saving benefits of being organized
Less time spent looking for things
You may have seen the old joke that organized people are just too lazy to spend time looking for things. That may be true as I am that person – I hate wasting time searching through cupboards and drawers for something that I KNOW is in the house somewhere.
According to recent research, the average American spends 2.5 days a year looking for lost items!
If you can reduce physical clutter and keep your belongings organized, you don’t need to spend time looking for them when needed. It can just mean getting out the door quicker by being on top of the little things, like finding a matching pair of earrings. It’s also handy in the case of important yet rarely used items, such as locating your insurance or tax information when you need it.
The key to keeping things organized is to come up with a place to keep something and stick to it. Managing your storage space so that you keep like items together will really help. If you want to keep important mail in a desk drawer, make sure you keep all of your important mail in that drawer.
Don’t be afraid of sorting your things too much. The more categories of things you come up with, the easier it will be to find exactly what you need when you need it.
More time to do what you love
Disorganization also wastes time when you have to scramble to clean up for unexpected company. And when you use your whole day off to catch up on laundry. Not being in control of your clutter causes you to miss out on fun activities that bring you joy. What better reason do you need to get started on getting organized than it helps you to create the space to do the things that matter to you?
Ways being organized saves you money
Saves you from buying excess stuff
Organization keeps you from buying items you already have, but you’ve forgotten about or lost in your household or workplace. You might be surprised how much extra money you have once you stop buying duplicate items because of a lack of organization.
You’re more likely to forget about a pack of rubber-bands you bought several months ago and never opened, than your car keys or your wallet. Combined, these types of purchases can end up costing you a significant amount of money for items that you already have.
Fortunately, this is a very fixable problem. By cleaning and organizing the designated “junk” drawers in your home or office and making a list of all the items, you will easily find the item you’re looking for the next time you go searching. This avoids unnecessary purchases and impulsive buys at the store in the future.
This is also a problem I see with people’s closets, and with cosmetics and toiletries. If you have items stuffed into drawers and cupboards in a disorganized way, you won’t know what is lurking at the back, and you can spend lots of money on items that are the same as those you already own. You need to create enough space and organize in a way that allows you to see what you have, and access it easily.
Before I organized my cosmetics, I managed to buy 6 lip glosses in almost exactly the same shade, and four almost identical eye shadow palettes. I was kicking myself when I finally organized my cosmetics and found all of the duplicate items.
Prolongs the life of clothes and belongings
When piles of clothes and other junk start to creep into your rooms, sooner or later you are going to find your things are getting damaged.
Ever stepped on a pile of clothes and felt something break underneath it? Ever tried to step over a pile of stuff and not quite made it over, damaging something in the pile as you step on it? Yep, been there. It’s frustrating and it’s unnecessary. It wastes money to have to replace your broken items, and it also adds to that sense that things are getting overwhelming.
Don’t let piles of clothes accumulate on the floor; make sure you have designated places for dirty washing, and for clean items that need to be put away. And make sure that you are regularly decluttering and throwing away or donating old clothes so that you can see the clothes you have and want to wear.
Saves late payment fees
It can be hard to keep track of every detail when you have a lot going on in your life. Sometimes, bills can get lost in the shuffle and go unpaid, or household maintenance gets overlooked. If you forget to pay your credit card bill because it’s hidden under a pile of other documents to sort, you’re going to be out of pocket and frustrated!
By keeping all of your bills and accounts organized, you can get them done in a more efficient manner and you make sure that every detail is taken care of. Where possible, get bills sent via email rather than in paper form, and then make sure that you deal with the email when it comes in! A little organization goes a long way when it comes to keeping your finances on track.
Saves money on grocery shopping
How a meal plan will help to save money on groceries
Now let’s talk meal planning. If you plan out a menu for each month, you can buy many of your groceries in bulk, saving you time and frequent trips to the store. By preparing a list ahead of time, you can also look for coupons that offer savings on the things you plan to buy.
Having your meals planned out also means that you don’t suddenly find yourself without a plan for dinner, and reaching for the take-out menu.
Saving money on non-food shopping
Being organized also saves you money on non-food items, which can be bought in bulk and stored for later use. Staying organized and keeping essentials stocked up saves you the stress of running out to make a special trip for more. You can also plan out birthday or holiday gifts well ahead of time, so that you can keep an eye out for a good deal. Alternatively, you can save money each time you shop using an app like rakuten, which gives you cashback at loads of stores.
Health benefits of being organized
Is being organized good for your health? Is a dirty home bad for your health? Yes and Yes! Let’s have a look at the ways that getting organized can help you to improve both physical and mental wellbeing.
Reduces allergies and breathing difficulty
Being organized could improve your physical health in a number of ways. If you think about it, a disorganized home is likely to be a breeding ground for mold and other nasties. A build-up of dirt is likely to trigger allergies and asthma attacks. An unclean kitchen can mean higher risk of stomach bugs or even worse, from salmonella or e-coli bacteria. Piles of stuff in your home, or clutter on your floor, could make a slip or fall more likely.
Regularly decluttering and keeping your space clean is a must, and your health will definitely thank you for it!
Helps you to stick to health goals
If you’re anything like me, New Year’s resolutions always include getting fitter, making healthy choices, losing weight, and eating less junk. Well, if you’re serious about those goals, then you need to add getting organized to the list.
To make the right food choices and eat healthily, your fridge should be well stocked, so you don’t fall back on eating out or ordering take out. And that means you need to have been organized about planning your meals and buying the right foods. As I said above, this will also save you money too.
Fitness goals are also important, but to meet them you need to have enough time to exercise, and not get distracted with other things. When I have got to bed on time, got enough sleep and have set out my running gear the night before, I have much more chance of making it to my morning run. So start planning your exercise as part of your organizational strategy, and you might be surprised how much easier it is to fit it into your routine.
Reduces anxiety and stress
Overstimulation is cause for anxiety. Sitting on your sofa after a long day, staring at yesterday’s dishes doesn’t promote relaxation. Scrambling to find your kid’s shoes when you are already late for work is stressful and won’t get your day off to a fresh start. Worrying that an unexpected visitor might come by and see how you really live adds to the mental load and that is exhausting.
There are real psychological consequences to clutter and chaos. This study published in Current Psychology Journal found that clutter problems led to a significant decrease in satisfaction with life among older adults.
Generally, being disorganized bleeds from one area of life into another. As one area becomes affected, it spreads into another until you feel out of control and a sense of overwhelm, hopelessness, and helplessness sets in. Before long there are messes everywhere – literal and figurative and your stress level is through the roof.
If the home is in chronic disarray, it is hard to recharge and find the energy to get on top of your messy house. Subconsciously your mind is assessing the dishes, laundry, unfinished projects, and other signs of clutter. The sense of things being undone can trigger stress and anxious feelings of overwhelm.
You can improve your mental health by becoming clutter free and putting more focus into organizing your space.
Makes you happy
Working on your organizational skills might seem like a lot of effort, particularly if you do feel like one of those chronically disorganized people. But think about how much mental clutter you are carrying around because your life and your living space is messy.
Remember when you were a kid and finally finished tidying your bedroom, and everything was in its place? Didn’t that feel awesome? Imagine the feeling of peace and happiness that will come with being a more organized person as an adult. I know when my home is tidy, it makes me so much happier. It’s good for my confidence and self esteem to feel I’m in control of my life, and I’m not stressing about the mess I have to clean up, or worrying that I’ve forgotten a bill because it’s in a pile of paper somethere.
Leads to better sleep
It’s really hard to get a good night’s sleep if you are surrounded by excess clutter. I know it really makes a difference to my sleep as I feel much calmer when I have cleared the unnecessary items out of my bedroom. Sleeping well also gives you more energy to keep on top of your clutter, so it’s important to focus on your bedroom as a key area in your living space to keep clean and tidy.
There’s also nothing better than getting between a set of crisp, clean sheets, so make sure one of the items on your to do list is to regularly wash your linen and change your bed. The impact it can have on your sleep might surprise you!
Being organized improves relationships
Stops you avoiding people sharing your space
Living in chaos or overwhelm can cause embarrassment. A co-worker asking for a ride might result in an uncomfortable situation when your car is piled with food containers and tossed-aside clothing and sports equipment. Having company in your home when it doesn’t truly reflect who you are can make you feel uncomfortable and avoid hosting guests.
Reduces arguments about chores
Families are a team- If one member of the family is expected to carry the lion’s share of responsibility, it can cause resentment and fatigue. Sometimes people check out when they feel unsupported. Families are a team, and everyone should be contributing to the welfare and care of the home. Even stay-at-home parents need support with home maintenance and responsibilities.
Helps you to be on time
Are you the friend who is always showing up late? Whilst anyone can find themselves running late on occasion, it is bad for friendships and relationships if you are always late and making others wait around for you. Even if you don’t mean it, it can send a signal that you think your time is more important than theirs.
When I find I’m running late, it’s usually because of being disorganized. I hadn’t made a mental to do list of everything I needed before leaving the house, and suddenly I’m racing around trying to get things together before heading out the door. Or I hadn’t checked the bus or train timetable, and worked out when I needed to leave to reach my destination on time.
I always feel bad when I am late and make others wait for me, so for my own happiness and the health of my relationships, I make an extra effort to be organized and not be late.
Benefits of being organized at work
Being more productive
I have a pretty busy job and can sometimes find I’m working 50+ hours per week. When I’m working alot, I really want to be sure I’m making the most of my working hours. When I have a clearly prioritized to do list, I can focus on my important and meaningful tasks first. Without a to do list, I will often try to multitask and flit between different things which is bad for productivity and ruins my concentration.
Not dropping the ball
Ever had someone chase you for something at work that you had promised and then not delivered because you forgot? Or missed a deadline because an email was lost amongst a messy inbox? I hate feeling that I have dropped the ball at work and let people down, but it can happen if you have an overflowing inbox, piles of paper and no idea what you should be prioritizing next.
Making sure you have a well organized desk, a system for managing your inbox, and a way to file and prioritize your stacks of paper will work wonders to keeping you on top of your workload. If your emails and project folders on your computer are all over the place, then check out my article on organizing your digital files.
Final thoughts about the importance of being organized
Sorting out the clutter and getting organized can streamline life and make it easier day-to-day. It may require effort in the beginning, but the results are worth it. Once you have the resources in place to maximize your home and your mind, you can expect to feel things getting easier.
You don’t need to hire a professional organizer in order to live in a clutter free home. Just a few changes to your habits will get you there, and you’ll discover more spare time and have less anxiety about chores and the expectations of your family.
