Why an Organized Home Makes a Happy Home
I don’t mean to been messy, but more often than not, I’m kicking a pile of shoes to the side that’s been on the floor for days when the doorbell rings. Why those shoes can’t make it two more feet into the closet where they belong? I apologize for the mess and wish the table I recently refinished wasn’t covered with school papers, books, snack wrappers and used cups.
Being organized takes a lot of effort. I’m not an organized person naturally. Things always seem to pile up on my countertop. Countless hours have been spent searching for things I know I have. My kids are always asking me to help them find their stuff. Shoes and backpacks are piled up all around my dining table. Sometimes I walk in my house and just sigh—a sigh of frustration and sometimes despair. My home lacks order leading to other issues. I know I need to make some changes and simplify our home to get it in order to make it a happier place for all who dwell here.
According to Professional Organizer Angie Calderwood of A Proper Place (aproperplace.com and on Instagram), being organized is a necessary way of life for many reasons. Here are her reasons we all should want to have an orderly life.
Organization Allows You More Time to Do the Things You Want to Do
Who couldn’t use more time each day? Many of us are too busy to really enjoy the things we want to be doing. I find myself feeling guilty for going on a bike ride if last night’s dishes are still sitting in the sink.
We shouldn’t feel guilty for wanting to do something for ourself each day, but when there are areas of our home that are screaming for our attention it’s hard to ignore that voice in the back of your head saying you should really be cleaning out the storage room.
Organization Increase Your Energy
Clutter and lack of organization drains people both physically and mentally. According to Candita Clayton, founder of Your Life Organized, being disorganized or having clutter in your home can make you feel lethargic and lacking in energy and optimism.
Clutter sucks our positive energy, but clearing that clutter can give you an energy boost and clarity of mind.
An Organized Home Helps You Find Things Quickly
When time is not wasted looking for things, it reduces frustration and makes you more efficient.
Have you ever had to help your son prepare for a campout and can’t find a single flashlight? You know you have at least five somewhere! Or your husband calls and needs the social security numbers for all the family members to apply for new benefits at work? If you don’t know where those documents are, you may have to search the entire office! And what if you can’t find those documents? Imagine the pain of having to contact the social security office and resubmitting paperwork to get those numbers. Not to mention the time and effort you will have to spend filling out forms.
If things are put away in a designated place, they are easy to find when you need them.
Being Organized Eliminates Stress and Clears Your Mind
An orderly home helps people relax and feel calm. When things are organized and clean it creates a sense of serenity and peace as opposed to the anxious feelings resulting from clutter and chaos.
Organization Establishes Order in Your Home
Your home can reflect how your life is. If you are constantly looking for shin guards and soccer cleats, chances are your kid is also consistently late for soccer practice. Creating order in your home will transform your life.
In The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, author Marie Kondo says “A dramatic reorganization of the home causes correspondingly dramatic changes in lifestyle and perspective. It is life transforming.”
Being Organized Improves Family Relationships
My husband is a clean freak—me, not so much. We have different ideas of how things should look. I can tell he loves me much more whenever I do things to help keep our house in order.
Organization Maximizes the Use of Your Space
Often we have too much stuff, not too little space. We need to examine what we have and only keep the things we use and the things that have a purpose.
Organization Makes Efficient Use of Small Space
Organizing helps you make the best use out of small spaces. Containing your stuff in bins, baskets, trays, etc. keeps things orderly and easy to find for everyone who lives there.
Being Organized Gives You Confidence to Host Dinner Parties and Family Gatherings
There’s already a lot of things to worry about if you are having people in your home—Do you have enough food? Will everything be ready on time? Will people have a good time? Will people show up? The last thing you should be worrying about it is, what will they think if they open my pantry?
Being organized means you won’t have to worry about that. It doesn’t mean your pantry will be perfect, but at least you’ll be able to ask someone to get out a bags of chips without worrying about cereal spilling onto their head.
Order Increases Joy in Your Home
In my home, I’m much happier when I’m not digging through piles of papers to find my kids’ homework when they are late for school. I’m happier when I don’t have to clear the table in order to eat dinner there. And what’s that saying—If mom isn’t happy, no one is?
Organization Saves You Money
Organizing can help you save money and find it! How many times have you bought something because you couldn’t find it when you needed it and now you have duplicates? How many gift cards have you misplaced or put somewhere that you can’t find? Do you have checks somewhere in a pile that have never been deposited?
Knowing where things are means you won’t end up buying the same thing twice. And using up those gift cards and deposited those checks, that’s all money I’m sure you could use!
So, how do you become more organized? Calderwood suggests starting with the area that bothers you the most—the area that just seems too overwhelming to tackle. Completing that area thoroughly will give you the confidence to take on other areas. After you have completed that area that was so overwhelming, the other tasks seem small and more doable. Plus, you’ll see and experience all the benefits of decluttering and organization.
Martha Stewart nailed it when she said, “Life is too complicated not to be orderly.” By the end of this year, I plan on having my home in order. I will share my successes with you and hope to inspire you to do the same. We all deserve peace and happiness in our home, but sometimes it’s a process to figure out how to get it.