Guest Author - Emily Wilska
Each of us has our own reasons for wanting (or needing) to get organized, from being fed up with clutter to wanting a better way of dealing with paper to simply being ready to make a change in our lives.
Here are six of the most common reasons my clients, friends, and family have given for wanting to bring more order and organization to their lives.
Less stuff means less stress. For many people, clearing the piles or boxes of stuff that have been lurking around their homes or offices is a relatively quick and undeniably powerful way of decreasing stress. Once the excess stuff is gone, we no longer have to worry about finding space for it, taking care of it, or wondering what to do about it.
Being organized saves money. If you've ever had to pay a late fee because you lost a bill in a pile on your desk, or if you've ever bought multiples of the same item because you knew you had a stapler/salad tongs/extra bottle of shampoo/hammer somewhere but couldn't find it among all the clutter, you know that getting things in order can pay off.
Getting organized can help you make money. This I know from my own life: getting rid of the excess stuff in your life--whether books, music, clothes, furniture, or other household items--by reselling it can be a great way of bringing in some extra cash. I've made over $1200 by selling books and cd's I no longer wanted, and I get the benefit of a less cluttered house to boot!
Better organization means more productivity. Dealing with disorganization can sometimes feel like a part-time job, or at least an endless task that keeps us from doing the work that would really be useful to us. Many of my clients report (and I know from personal experience) that not having to deal with managing clutter, searching for lost papers, or stressing about a general feeling of disorganization frees them up to devote more time, attention, and energy to the things they really want to be doing.
An organized home is a safer home. When I work with clients who are looking to make their homes safe for a child, a person of limited mobility, or a pet, the first thing we do is clear out any excess clutter. It's simple but true: even with the most high-tech baby proofing or mobility assistive devices and gadgets in place, a home isn't truly safe if it's full of unneeded and potentially dangerous stuff.
Organizing gives you more time to do what you love. Chances are good the first thing you want to do at the end of the day or on the weekend does not involve managing piles or dealing with clutter. So this is one of the most powerful motivations for getting (and staying) organized: when you no longer have to devote time, thought, and energy to corralling the excess stuff around you, you can devote that time, thought, and energy to the people, activities, and events that you love.
Getting (and, moreover, staying) organized doesn't happen overnight, and isn't always fun, but as the six reasons above show, it can be well worth the effort, and can pay off handsomely in unexpected ways.
