What does organization mean for your health?
If you follow me on twitter or read my blog regularly, you know that a few weeks ago, my amazing mother came over to help my clean my house from top to bottom. Let’s just say that I’m quite sure she’s convinced I’m filthy. I live in an old house; dust accumulates! We scrubbed the floors, ceiling fans, furniture, windows, sinks, bathtub, floorboards, appliances… the list goes on! It was tough work — I even took a nap afterwards!– but it was such an incredible feeling to have my house sparkle (now if only I could keep it that way…)!
I don’t know about you, but whenever I clean my house or office and re-organize everything, I feel refreshed and energized! It’s as if I have a clean slate, ready for new projects and experiences. The truth is, this organized ‘clean slate’ provides many benefits to my health and well-being. According to an article on the psychology of getting organized, “individuals who are organized in their personal lives most generally constitute efficient and organized employees in their work environments, succeed in their personal endeavors and are, more often than not, financially secure.”
Quite simply, once an organizational state of mind is established your status of efficiency in all areas of your life will ultimately benefit. “There is a profound psychological thread that binds all areas of your existence into one distinctive unit. A messy house trashed with useless clutter is an abstract representation of many lives – also muddled with unnecessary debris that needs to be regrouped, set aside, hidden out of sight or, better yet, disposed of completely. Wasted thoughts, wasted energy and wasted time all add up to wasted money. In contrast, a well kept home and yard tend to indicate a well-ordered existence in every area of your life, whether it is financial, emotional or physical.”
The article explains that organization is simply having a system for everything. “By utilizing these systems, or routines, you manage to run a household, you manage to be where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there, you manage to do everything that needs to be done and you manage to find the time to do the things you enjoy. The only way you can manage to do it all these days is if you are organized. And that means having a system. It’s really the easy way out, but so few people seem to be able to grasp it.”
After doing a bit of research, I’ve put together a list of benefits organization provides…
1. Reduces stress. When you’re swamped with a list of to-do and navigating through clutter, your blood pressure is
bound to go up. Getting organized will lower your stress level and you’ll be able to relax and reduce the chaos.
2. MORE BALANCE!- You’ll have time to read a book, take a class or take up a hobby! Since organization will make you more efficient, you’ll finish projects more quickly and waste less time — leaving you even more time to do the things you love. Being organized will put YOU in control of your time, allowing you to schedule time for the thing that count.
3. More time for family and friends. Leaving work on time or spending less time doing household tasks, will give you even more time to spend with the people who matter most — your friends and family.
4. Pride in your home or office. No longer will you be embarrassed if someone drops over! Getting organized will allow you to be excited to invite neighbors or friends in for some coffee, instead of panicking about your messy house, you’ll be able to concentrate on the memories you’re making.
5. Practice what you preach. If you have kids (or a messy roommate!) at home, being organized is very important. Monkey see, monkey do. If you don’t put things away, chances are your kids won’t either. However, when your kids see how organized you are, they’ll know you practice what you preach. If you teach them how to get and stay organized now, that’s something that will help them in all the years they have ahead of them.
6. You’ll breathe easier. An organized environment, also tends to be a much cleaner environment.
7. Savings! When you’re organized, you’ll always know what you have, reducing the spontaneous purchases and trips to the grocery store.
8. You’ll achieve more. When you are unorganized, there are many things that hold you back from reaching your goals — so often you have to focus on the menial, insignificant tasks — just to get by! But organized people find ways to eliminate tasks that aren’t necessary and to streamline those that are taking too much time. This leaves plenty of time to work on achieving all of those goals on your list.
OK, so know we know WHY organization is important, but for those of you who struggle with it (myself included!), HOW can we become better organizers?
Well, personally, I know that organization is something that I have to concentrate my efforts on daily. I’m a very strategic, top-level, creative minded person, which often leads me to thinking too much about the ‘big picture,’ and not enough about the details that I need to get me there. I will say that I’ve made improvements. One thing that works well for me is LISTS. Each day, I start with a to-do list and prioritize the items that need to get done. What MUST I get done today, and what can wait for tomorrow if it has to? I power through my ‘MUST’ items and more often that not, also crank out some things that could have waited until the next day. But by getting everything on paper and organizing my thoughts, I’m able to remain levelheaded instead of whirling around in a mess of tasks.
For those of you who would like additional information on how to get organized, I suggest reading How To Get Organized-Finally!, a WebMD Feature from “Psychology Today” Magazine.
I’m interested, what are your organization tips?
Shannon is the founder and creator of The Daily Balance, a Web site updated daily with advice, tips and personal stories to help others find balance in their lives. From food to fashion, fitness, inspiration and recipes, The Daily Balance is the perfect tool for those who “want it all.”
[photo credit: Getty Images]
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