Home organization is a great investment

Many of us see the value of outsourcing household to-dos. Cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, you name it. But outsourcing home organization gets overlooked because people either don’t know this type of service exists or because it feels like a ‘nice to have.’ I’m biased, but I think hiring a home organizer is actually a great investment and worth every penny. What’s the value of having a clutter-free house? Why should you invest in organizing your home? There are many reasons home organization is a worthy investment but I think it boils down to: improving mental health, cost savings, and gaining more time in your day. 

Mental Health

I’m not surprising anyone when I tell you there’s a direct link between clutter and stress. Our brain can only process so much information at a time and clutter is an overwhelming visual cue. A 2017 Ikea survey found that having too much stuff is the single biggest cause of stress in the home.  Women in the study who described their homes as cluttered were more likely to feel depressed and fatigued (and had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol!). I don’t know about you, but I’ll do whatever I can to eliminate unnecessary stressors in my life.

Cost Savings

Having a disorganized home costs you money. In an article from BHG, they said, “[disorganization] leads to spending money on replacing items simply because we can’t find them. One survey revealed that U.S. households collectively spend $2.7 billion dollars a year replacing lost items.” It’s easy to forget where things are when there isn’t a clear system. A professional organizer can help you set-up better systems so you aren’t constantly replacing items that are hiding deep in a drawer or closet. 

Similarly, we’ll encourage you to get rid of stuff that you aren’t using anymore. How many of you have thought, “I paid blah blah blah for that in 2000-whenever and maybe, just maybe, I’ll use it again.” I hate to break it to you, but you probably won’t. And if you do need that item down the road, consider borrowing it instead. Stuff accumulates and over time, it may inadvertently lead you to buy a new home to gain more space. Zanon estimates the average household could free up 20% of its space by getting rid of items that are no longer needed. 

Having More Time

A 2017 study published in Current Psychology found a link between procrastination and clutter. Now that so many of us work from home, it seems even more important to keep the house organized so you can focus. You probably feel overwhelmed anytime you have to start a task because you have to track down something or move things around to make space. According to a survey by Pixie, Americans spend an average of 2.5 days every year looking for misplaced items. That’s about 10 minutes every single day. You can free up that time to do what you need to do. Or maybe even want to do - imagine having a few minutes to relax?

I recognize that getting rid of stuff is easier said than done. Many of us have emotional ties to our things. But that’s exactly why I think having a professional home organizer help you is such a good investment. In a recent New York Times article, Dr. Ferrari noted that clutter is also often the result of an “over-attachment” to our personal items, which makes it difficult to part with them. “If you’re going to declutter, don’t touch the item. Don’t pick it up,” he said. “Have somebody else hold the pair of black pants and say, ‘Do you need this?’ Once you touch the item, you are less likely to get rid of it.”

Organizing can be a tough process. As a professional organizer who is certified with the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO), I’m here to help get you through it so you can finally cross ‘get rid of this stuff that stresses me out’ off of the to-do list.

Ready to invest in your own home organization projects? Contact us today to get started!