Orderly Living Report

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There are many reasons why clutter has crept into our homes…

• You were not born with the organizing gene
• You were not taught by your parents how to organize
• Life has been extremely busy due to family responsibilities, career pressures, or life transitions
• Illness, grief, or other personal emergencies have taken your attention
• You may be a “saver” or clutter-bug
• Piles have slowly grown and now you feel paralyzed and overwhelmed
• You inherited an estate from a friend or family member
• and the list goes on….

Disorder is defined as a breach of peace. Clutter and disorganization negatively impact your life and everyone around you in four major ways:

1. Time
2. Money
3. Health
4. Safety
5. The average person spends 55 minutes a day searching for things they know they own, but can’t find! When was the last time you were trying to find an important paper, your keys, or a specific tool?
6. You may waste time and money buying duplicate purchases because you can’t find what you need when you need it and it’s quicker and easier just to run to the store, right?. Or perhaps you’re renting off-site storage or upsizing your home because you need more room for your “stuff.”
7. Chaotic homes impact your physical and mental health by causing conflict between everyone in the house. Arguing with your loved ones over the constant chaotic condition of your home is extremely stressful. Did you know research has proven stress to be one of the main contributors of disease?
8. Homes with cluttered floors, covered stairways, and piles of boxed items are a minefield of tripping hazards. A recent study reported that accidents in the home have skyrocketed due to the electrical cords and piles of stuff everywhere.

Here are some stats that highlight the epidemic of disorderly living: 


• 25% of people with 2-car garages don’t park any cars in them because there is no room; 32% only park one car. (Source: US Department of Energy)
• 23% of adults say they pay bills late because they lose them—costing them substantially in late fees and increased interest rates. (Source: Harris Interactive)
• Most people only wear 20% of their clothes 80% of the time—resulting in wasted time and money. (Source: Paul Tabot)
• Research has proven that 80% of the time clutter is not due to lack of space, it is due to disorganization. Furthermore, orderly homes reduce housework by 40% (Source: National Soap and Detergent Association).

Take time to consider how being organized can help you live a more efficient and satisfying life.

• More time with family?
• A healthier lifestyle?
• Less stress?

Here are a few tips to help you simplify so you can focus your time and energy on the things that are important to you. Here's to a happy, healthy, and majorly organized life!

1. Each time you come home, take in an armful of items from your car. Getting into a clean car is such a great feeling!
2. Make a pledge to use up your current inventory of lotions, hair care, and other personal products before buying more. If you're really honest and don't see yourself using them, toss them out!
3. You can't afford to keep paying bills late. Sign up for auto-pay on recurring bills and cancel paper statements. Assign one collection point for non-recurring bills and select one day each month to pay those bills.
4. If someone held all your clothing hostage and you had to pay a ransom for each item you wanted back, which pieces would you pay for? Those are the clothes you love. Donate the others.
5. Have 3 boxes: donate, elsewhere, and trash. Start in one room, working clockwise. Items that you find that belong in another room go in the 'elsewhere' box. Items you don't need go in 'donate.' Work for 20 minutes each day and then put things from the elsewhere box in the appropriate rooms.

Décor. Minimize cleaning time by minimizing your décor. Donate items that are no longer interesting to you and that feel outdated or tired-looking.

1. The locale for everything "gadgety". Thin out specialty tools that rarely get used. Store them elsewhere in a seasonal or entertaining area or let them go.
2. Take the frustration out of meal planning. Subscribe to online meal-planning sites such as www.e-mealz.com, www.myweeklyfig.com, www.foodonthetable.com.
3. Perhaps the most overwhelming of all. Imagine being paperless, how good that would feel! Start by going paper-less. Cancel magazine & catalog subscriptions (call the 800# inside, it only takes 2 minutes!) and junkmail (www.donotmail.org).
4. Plan out your week or month in advance. Mark down work commitments and personal time. What tasks, errands, appointments and events are you going to do? Kindly say no to events that would require you to over-commit yourself. Simply say, "I'd love to, but I already have commitments that day."
5. Too many toys in the room? Put some aside and rotate toys every few weeks to keep things fresh for the kids. They'll ask for their favorites. Are there toys they never seem to miss or they've outgrown? You guessed it, donate or toss them!

Travel. Make a standard checklist of all items you need when you travel. Include personal items, electronic accessories, documents (i.e. maps, passports, phone numbers), clothing, snacks, etc. Leave blanks in each category for things to add for each specific trip. Print off a form each time you travel or laminate and use a dry-erase marker to check items off as you pack.

ORGANIZATION INSIGHT

The information age is over. The digital aged started years ago. Have you joined the digital age? Technology offers many solutions to your everyday frustrations. You may even be surprised how easy they are to use! Items such as smart phones and iPADs make you more mobile and more efficient. Digital calendars make it easier to share information with friends, families and co-workers. Cloud solutions make it possible to access your information and share it 24/7. Society will continue to change and progress. So what are you waiting for? Don’t be left behind. Decide to go digital.