Every month Martha will share quick and easy solutions to simplify life.

Top 3 Excuses To Not Get Organized

There are a million excuses out there not to get organized.  Here are the top 3 and some great reasons to drop the excuses and get organized!

#1 - No time to get organized.  I lead a very busy life and have no spare time to spend ‘organizing’ my stuff.

Solutions: 

• Start small – Sometimes when we get the ‘organizing bug’, we jump into a project that will take way more time than we have.  So start small.  Pick an area that will not take more than an hour.  For example, a small drawer in your bathroom, your bedside table, or even just one shelf in a closet.  Your success with be a great motivator for future projects.
• Set a timer – If time really is a concern, then make sure you keep track of time.  Set a timer for an amount of time you can spend on a project, maybe just a half hour to start.  You might be surprised by how much you do get done in such a small amount of time.

#2 – I cannot afford to get organized.  The bins, closet systems and even hiring someone to help is just too much for me.

Solutions:

• Working with a Professional Organizer is 3 to 4 times as effective as getting organizing on your own.  There is so much value in having someone to keep you on task, give you professional advice on what to keep, and suggest storage solutions that you already have (FREE) or that are affordable. 
• When calculating the cost of getting organized, it is also eye opening to calculate the cost in real $$$ of NOT getting organized.  Try using this formula:

• Mortgage or rent payment + home/renters insurance + property taxes + home utilities = total cost of your home. 
• Now add up the square footage of the areas of your home your are not able to use because of clutter (don’t forget the garage, the shop, and that spare bedroom). 
• Determine the % of your home you cannot use and multiply that by the total cost of your home.

Here’s an example:  $900/mo. mortgage + $75/mo insurance + $125/mo property taxes + $350/mo utilities = $1450/mo total cost of home.
Now let’s say you live in a 2500 sq ft home and cannot park your car in your 2 car garage (500 sq ft), the spare bedroom is filled (196 sq ft), and half the basement is unusable do to clutter (625 sq ft) = 1327 sq ft of unusable space in your home, or 53% of your home has become a storage unit.  Out of the total cost of your home you spend about $768 a month to store and heat the clutter.  Really, clutter and being disorganized does cost you money.

#3 – I have always been disorganized and I am fine with it.  Besides, I am the only one who is affected. 

Everyone has a different style and personality when it comes to being organized.  If you thrive in chaos, and quirky systems work for you, then great….carry on.  But most people are not an island.  If you are chronically late to appointments, lose things often, or your home is not an inviting place for family or guests, you might want to rethink your premise.

Solution:
Set boundaries.  In the public areas of your home or office, work with family or co-workers to create a mutually agreed upon organized area.  But in spaces that are exclusively yours, have at it.  Organize the way that works best for you, even if it is just a bit unconventional.

Thank you and Happy Organizing!

Martha Goss