The Cost of Disorganization

“Mom where’s my soccer cleats?”
“Honey have you seen my keys?”
“Mom I can’t find my cell phone.”
“Has any one seen the Smith file?”

Sound familiar? Sounds like disorganization to me. Losing things and wasting time searching for them is one of the biggest costs of disorganization. According to the National Association of Professional Organizers (www.napo.net) “Americans spend over 9 million hours each year looking for lost or misplaced items.” Just for a moment consider the amount of time you spent this week looking for things for yourself, co-workers, or family members. Not only was this a giant waste of time but I bet you were extremely frustrated. And that feeling tends to last with you for awhile. It can even set the tone for the rest of the day.

What else can disorganization cost us? Money. Again according to NAPO, “The average executive spends 180 hours per year looking for misplaced or misfiled documents.” That’s costing companies a lot of money. And what about all those commonly misplaced personal items, such as cell phones, sunglasses, and wallets never being recovered? There’s the cost of replacement. Also, missing deadlines can be costly. Ever have to pay a late fine on a bill? Maybe you couldn’t find the bill or lost track of time and forgot that the payment was due. And many Professional Organizers have stories of finding money in a client’s mass of clutter; from small change to gift cards to un-cashed checks.

So here’s a New Leaf Organizing Tip:

Near to the door that you enter your home (for most of us, that is the garage door) place a piece of furniture with a drawer or a small bowl or basket. As you enter, drop off all those items in that spot that you’ll need the next time you leave the home, such as, purse, keys, wallet, sunglasses, work ID badge. And it may be a good idea to keep the cell phone charger in this spot, so you don’t accidentally leave the house without it. And if you catch yourself not leaving everything in it’s designated spot, move it there immediately. Also, should you have to take something out of the ordinary with you the next day, place it in that spot with your keys. Practice this and it will soon become a good habit.