High Costs of Disorganization

High Costs of Disorganization

by Brenda Tringali, At Your Fingertips Organizing

Do you have paperwork stacks littered throughout your office/home without really knowing what’s in them? Could most of your drawers be considered junk drawers? If so, there are several costs associated with this disorganization that you’re probably not aware of. 

The Emotional Costs: How often has your stress been the result of disorganization? One’s mood is typically related to how smoothly their day goes. Imagine your day starts by not being able to find your car keys.  Without your keys, you can’t get to work. Even though you eventually find your keys, you’re now stuck in traffic. And as a result of that traffic, you’ve missed a critical meeting. It’s a snowball effect from which there’s no return. It’s only 10 a.m. and you’re a wreck.

The Physical Costs: Do you feel stressed or have high blood pressure? Perhaps you’re exhausted and don’t understand why? Some of this could be attributed to disorganization. When you don’t have systems in place, you have trouble locating important items. And when you can’t locate critical items, you begin to experience stress and in turn, physical symptoms. It can wreak havoc on your body.

The Mental Costs: How do you feel when you come across a document you should have acted upon months ago? Guilty? Remorseful? Stupid? We beat ourselves up unnecessarily over being disorganized. It’s so depressing to see nothing but piles and stacks around you – like your life is out of control. The mental toll is just as great as the more tangible costs of disorganization.

The Cost of Time: When you’re disorganized, you lose time in several different ways … looking for items you can’t find, going shopping to re-purchase things and even procrastinating to avoid dreaded tasks. You can’t focus on your real priorities because your “To Do” list is always full of busy work. I’ve worked with several clients on time management issues by having them complete a time log. In every case, they’re shocked by the amount of time they’ve wasted without realizing it.  

The Cost to Your Reputation: Are you consistently late or unprepared for events with others? Do you fail to follow up on commitments you’ve made? If so, the damage to your reputation could be even worse than all of these other costs put together. Whether you’re a professional, business owner, stay-at-home Mom/Dad, etc., people will begin to notice that you’re not dependable and that can have serious ramifications on your reputation and future.

The Financial Costs: Do you consistently pay late fees because you can’t find your bills in order to pay them on time? What about convenience fees (out-of-network ATM surcharges, online bill payment fees, bank fees)? What about lost cash or expired gift cards? What about items you want to return but can’t because you lost the receipt? The financial cost is more easily calculated than some of the other costs however don’t waste time trying to figure it out. Instead, use your time more wisely by putting systems in place in order to prevent/reduce additional monetary costs. 

In summary, if you feel overwhelmed, you need to take action … now! Life is too short to be stressed. So whether you take baby steps on your own every day to get more organized or hire a professional organizer, it doesn’t matter. Just take that first step. Free yourself from the burden that clutter and disorganization bring. You deserve it!  

Free Workshop - Those two little words – "Email Overwhelm" – create a pit in most of our stomachs, because we can relate to the sinking feeling of an overloaded inbox. Join Brenda Tringali as she helps you eliminate that sinking feeling. Register for Eliminate Email Overwhelm on June 6 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at MBACC.

About At Your Fingertips Organizing
Brenda Tringali provides workplace productivity and residential organizing services. She is an active member of NAPO (National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals). Tringali also is chair of the national NAPOCares Committee which highlights the social responsibility efforts of NAPO members. You can reach her at 603-490-6062 or Brenda@AtYourFingertipsOrganizing.com.