Making Your Home Sing -The High Cost of Disorganization

It has only been in the last few years that I have gotten serious about home organization.  Now, our home is not total chaos or always dirty(!), but when it was time to find important papers, or that special pair of soccer socks on the way to practice, etc., I would flounder and get frustrated because I could not remember where they were.  It became apparent that some home organization was in order. Slowly and bit by bit, we are implementing organization that works in our home.  It was not an easy job, but it was and still is an ongoing process.  I came across an article talking about the high cost of disorganization and it brought up some great points of why it is so important to get a handle on important things.

Money

Good place to start!!  We all want to save money.  Being disorganized can be costly through daily habits. Things like:  Bills that are tossed into a pile and go unpaid until after their due date will acquire a late payment. Keeping your grocery list in your head instead of writing it down may cause multiple trips to the store to pick up items you forgot on your mental grocery list will eat up gas money.  The lack of a functional receipt filing system can make it difficult for you to track business expenses and prohibit you from claiming a potential tax deduction. Neglecting to regularly have your car serviced can lead to costly repairs.

Time

Being disorganized will almost inevitably cause you to spend more time completing tasks than you would if you were organized.  Time is lost through searching for things, extra trips because of forgotten items at the store. A disorganized morning with your children could lead to lost time as you drive your daughter's forgotten lunch box or backpack to school.

Productivity

At home or at work piles of paperwork, missing or being late to meetings, or the inability to find an important document can easily become a thing of the past if you take time to organize your workspace and keep and up to date daily agenda. Imagine all of the extra work you would accomplish if those distractions and disorganization didn't exist.

Your Personal Image

Not to get caught up in "how we appear", but a calm and peaceful demeanor can speak to others without us saying a word.  On the other hand, so can if you are constantly 5 minutes late for play dates, forgetting Suzie's cleats for soccer practice, or canceling your dinner date because you double scheduled, people will also notice.  The reduced stress of keeping things together is a blessing to us, our families and those around us.

Organization does not happen immediately.  It is a process that may not be the same for each family.  It takes trial and error to find what system works.  Whatever steps we take toward organization will bring order and peace to our lives and homes...and that will make our homes sing!!