Organized? What is it and do it need it?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE “ORGANIZED”? The topic of organization is quite popular right now. People strive to become organized in all facets of their lives. But what does “being organized” mean? Simply put, when you are organized, you know where various items are, you are aware of what you are doing and you definitely know where you are going. Being organized is not just a term, but it is an act. To become organized is a state of mind with many actions taking place to become a person prepared for anything that happens in life. Yes, having an organized household helps a person to take on anything that is thrown to them at any time of their life. Many people believe that they are organized, but when they are asked to locate an object or when they walk into their house and piles of papers are all around, knick knacks scattered on various shelves and tables, mail covers the kitchen table, they suddenly realize that they aren’t organized. Their living space is cluttered and in disarray. They are not prepared for what is about to happen. What if some friends drop by? Unexpected out of town guests? Where does the average person start when it comes to being organized? How does one become organized to begin with? How does a person stay organized? Before those topics can be discussed, a few things need to be defined and expanded on for clarification. WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO BE ORGANIZED It is a popular belief that being organized and having to keep all your stuff orderly is painful and time consuming and that the thought of being organized causes extreme stress. This is false in all aspects. Walking into a room that is organized, where there’s no clutter, no piles of clothes laying on the floor, no newspapers thrown on the floor, is actually calming. Why is it calming? The calmness comes from everything being in order. You can walk into the room and immediately sit down in a chair and place a cup of tea on the table instead of having to clear out the things from the chair and clean off the table before you can set the cup down. Being organized can also be relaxing. It only takes five to ten minutes to put away items from the day and then you can settle down with a good novel. When your area is clean and tidy, then a person doesn’t feel guilty for sitting down to read or spend time with the family. Organization actually reduces stress. Everyone knows about April 15th, income taxes are due. Most of the general population is stressed out because they have to locate receipts, income statements and other papers for preparing their taxes. People who have organized all their paperwork into one or two folders or boxes has an easier time and less stressful time in preparing their taxes. The same is for any situation where you need to locate papers quickly. Research has found that a sense of peacefulness is found in areas that are organized versus areas that are cluttered. This again relates to the calming feeling that you also get. For example, every morning, if you wake up, make your bed, pick up items from your bedroom that do not belong, then when you return that evening for bedtime, the room is peaceful and ready to be slept in. It is a definite peaceful feeling that makes a person feel satisfied as well. Most people feel more confident when they have an organized area. Knowing that they can organize and achieve a goal brings about confidence. Also knowing that this feeling of confidence can be catching, not only can it be prominent in their home or office, but it can expand to other areas of their life or possibly other people in their household. Once a person has become “organized,” they have this ability to be able to take on more and to achieve more in their life. The person has recognized that they have a problem and the problem has been solved then they can do more with their life, become a better person. It has been seen that a person who constantly lives in a cluttered area becomes secluded, but once they break free from the clutter, their lives become lives of happiness and full of achievements.]]>