How to Become Organized
NAPO, the National Association of Professional Organizers, has designated January as "GO" Month. That stands for GET ORGANIZED! Their tips can help us all learn how to be more organized! The benefits of living a more organized life will amaze you. Everything from better sleep, higher performance with more free time, to better health can be yours. And all it takes is organization.
It's easy to put off unpleasant tasks for another day. But postpone no longer! Although getting your home, yourself, and your family organized may seem like a daunting task at first, it doesn't have to be. Small, simple steps can have big payoffs. And both the immediate and long-term benefits for getting our lives onto the organized track are huge. Make a commitment to "Organize Your Life" this month and you'll reap the results for years afterward.
The National Association of Professional Organizers, also known as NAPO, has put together a few guidelines to help us all get started. Check out the how and why.
The benefits of being organized.
Organization has countless benefits.
Save Time:
When you add it all up, the average American has historically spent an average of ONE YEAR of their lives searching through desk clutter looking for misplaced objects. Just think of all the things you could do with an extra year added onto his leisure time. We expect this number to increase even further with more and more people working from home.
This organized home office saves time for the owner. Save Money:
1 in 11 households rents a self-storage space and spend over $1,000 per year in rent. That doesn't include gas used to go to and from the unit.
The renters of these storage units are keeping their "stuff" outside the home. Thing of the savings in time, monthly rent, and gas if all of this was neatly inside their organized homes. Feel Calm:
Studies prove that a decluttered environment contributes to greater productivity and happiness.
This calm homeowner practics yoga in front of her beautifully designed living room bookshelves. The wall unit showcases her treasured collection of Asian art and books. Maybe "organizd" could be your new mantra? Never Miss a Due Date:
23% of adults admit to paying bills late because they lose them or simply lose track of them. Even if you switch to email delivery, how many emails can you get a day before some start to slip through the cracks?
A dedicated home office area will keep you organized. This one is located off the kitchen. Relax:
43% of adults say if they had more time, they'd spend it with family. Wouldn't we all like a little more time for relaxation and family?
This family knows how to stay organized and uses the extra time gained to relax. They enjoy watching movies together in front of their entertainment center wall unit. Sleep Better:
When you're organized, your mind can rest at night. You know that your to-do list is updated, and you don't have to worry about missing anything.
This bedroom offers plenty of organized storage leading to a better chance of a good night's sleep. This bedroom even has a desk located right in the bedroom, but unfinshed chores don't loom over the sleeper since everything has a place to go and can be put away before bedtime.
Steps you can take to become better organized.
Start with the closet:
If you're going to be organized, you need a place to put things. A closet with plenty of organized storage is the best place to start. Many people simply need more storage in order to get things picked up and put away. Rather than renting an outside storage unit, consider investing in a custom closet system to maximize the closet space you have inside your home. Even a small closet can be made to hold more. And chances are the new closet will pay for itself within the year through the savings you'll reap by not having a storage locker.
An organized closet lends a feeling of peace and tranquility to the bedroom that will translate into a better nights sleep. Tidy up the kitchen:
Inadequate storage is the primary cause of a messy kitchen. Even if you think you have no space, a professional closet designer can often reclaim unused corners and areas that you didn't even realize you had. And storage doesn't necessarily need to stay in the kitchen proper. An adjacent hallway can often accept an extra storage unit.
This basement pantry provides extra storage for a small kitchen in a 1950s ranch home. Organize dedicated space for a home office:
Many people were taken by surprise by the new work-from-home mandate that took effect in 2020. The commute can't be beat. But working out of the house also has its challenges when it comes to staying organized. For the best experience in home office productivity, try and maintain a separate area that gets used exclusively for work. This may seem easier said than done, especially if you don't have a lot of room. However, there are many ways to add a home office including an empty corner, a closet to office conversion, a guest room/office combo, and many types of hidden desks that can be added to any part of the home.
This small guest bedroom is only used occasionally for sleeping. But the corner desk storage unit ensures that the space is used every day for work. Invest in a garage storage system:
If your garage is full of piles of "stuff" everywhere you look, you're not alone. The garage seems to be the place we all tend to stick those things that we don't want or need right now. Chances are, winter snow shovels, summer gardening equipment, and other out-of-season yard tools clutter your garage to the point of being a tripping hazard. The only way to get a handle on it is with proper storage. That means shelves, cabinets, plus some sort of system for hanging things on the wall. Overhead storage is another possibility. Remember, unless you enjoy scraping ice off your windshield in subzero temperatures, you need to get everything up off the floor so that there is room for the car inside the garage. The best way to do this is with a garage storage system.
The best advice as to how to become organized in the garage is to invest in a good garage cabinet system with wall organizers for the big stuff like garden tools.
Resolve to spend a little time learning how to become organized!
Don't delay your move to the organized life. If you haven't added it to your list of resolutions, now's the time. And being organized is not just something to do in January with your New Year's resolution. You can get organized at any time of the year. The benefits may last a lifetime. If you're still a little hesitant, hiring a professional organizer may be the best investment you can make. Closet Works is a member of the NAPO Chicago chapter. Let our storage designers get you off to happy and healthy start for the New Year through better organization! If you do this, you are well on your way to making every day an organized day.
