10 Amazing Benefits of Being Organized: It Doesn’t Mean Life Can’t Be Fun!
Does the idea of a strict, joyless life come to mind when you think of organization and have a set schedule that you follow day in and day out? I understand where you’re coming from. I once thought the same exact thing. But once I started implementing more of a structure and organizing all aspects of my life, the positive changes in my life were drastic and the benefits of being organized were clear.
Let’s paint a picture. You wake up in the morning. You have to be at work in 1 hour, the kids have to be at school in 30 minutes. Your daughter can’t find an outfit that matches. She only has one sock.
You can’t find the binder with the completed project you finished up last night for work. The car keys are not in their spot next to the door. You almost forgot, you have to make the kid’s lunches for the day.
By the time you are out the door, the kids are late for school and your risk of being late for work is quickly climbing. And why? A lot of preventable things that would have gone much more smoothly with a little bit of organization and preparation.
We have all been here, right??? As busy parents and career people, there is always something to do, someplace to be, and always something that we can’t find or something that doesn’t go right in the moment we need it to.
While being organized won’t prevent every mishap, it will eliminate a lot of unnecessary ones that cause stress and put us off to a bad start. So, how can being organized help you? After many experiences like the one described above, I have clearly learned the benefits of being organized and want nothing more than to share them with you, so you can do the same!
What Exactly Does It Mean to Be Organized?
We have all heard the term organization. We have all likely been organized at some level in our day to day lives. We have all felt the consequences of not being organized at one point or another. We may associate organization with a storage system within our home or a daily planner to keep track of appointments and assignments. But what exactly does it mean to be organized.
The definition of organization, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “having a formal organization to coordinate and carry out activities.” Collins Dictionary defines it as “someone who plans their work and activities efficiently.”
When we are organized, we have put a system into place for the different areas of our life, whether it be professional work, home life, or steps along our self-discovery journey, to allow us to complete those tasks in the most efficient manner and get the optimal results. In layman’s terms, it means creating a way of life that allows us to identify what we need to complete, prioritize, ensure they are done on a consistent basis, and to get them done while exerting the least amount of effort, resources, and waste. So, let’s dive in to all the benefits of being organized!
10 Benefits of Being Organized
Increased Productivity
Increased productivity is the first of the amazing benefits of being organized we will discuss. Being organized maximizes your productivity by eliminating distractions and keeping you on track. Knowing what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, how it needs to be done, and doing it on a consistent basis reduces the amount of time spent on each task and the amount of time spent on trying to scramble last minute and figure out what you need to do.
Another one of the benefits of being organized is it reduces the stress and hectic atmosphere you experience when your life is out of control. Living in this sort of environment on a consistent basis undoubtedly has a negative impact on your mental health. It makes you less efficient, and impacts your ability to get the important things done.
Improved Efficiency
Organization is about being efficient. Investopedia, a go to resource for business owners, defines efficiency as “the peak level of performance that uses the least amount of inputs to achieve the highest amount of output.” In other words, the best outcome with the least amount of work. And who doesn’t love less work??
You can be busy without being productive. Many tasks you do on a daily basis may appear to be helping to move you in the direction you want to go, but in reality may not be. Being organized allows you to weed out the tasks that are most important and eliminate the ones that are time consuming and not really necessary in the first place. It provides you with better focus, allowing you to prioritize the most important tasks and complete them with a clear mind, leading to better decision making skills.
A clear mind and time spent on tasks that matter=efficiency!
Benefits of Being Organized: Streamlining Tasks
Streamlining tasks in another one of the amazing benefits of being organized. When you streamline tasks, you are creating a system or everyday work flow that allows you to complete those tasks faster, simpler, and more efficiently. You get better results while wasting less time, resources, and efforts. Implementing this system requires organization; it requires you to identify what you need to get done (which should be aligned with your goals for the future), what you are doing that doesn’t really need to get done, and creating a plan to get it done.
Creating a system also allows you to automate some repetitive tasks, which can reduce the amount of time spent on these tasks and improve time management. Doing so gives you more time in your life for other activities that you want to do, and that makes life more fun, right?? So, I think we have established that organization is not just about no fun!
Improved Mental Health
Being organized can improve mental health because it reduces stress, decluters your mind and environment, and keeps you on a clear path. Instead of feeling overwhelmed and like a failure when you are unable to accomplish what you need to, you will feel a sense of pride when you begin prioritizing what’s important and checking items off of your list.
A very simple way to look at it is to compare how you feel when you have a room in your house that is a complete disaster. Maybe you are moving and nothing is put away, you can’t find anything, and even the everyday, simple tasks seem impossible to accomplish.
Now think about how you feel when the room is cleaned or after you have unpacked and organized everything. It is such a relief, and makes you feel much more relaxed. Not sure what I’m talking about? Try it.You will easily discover how it improves your mental health. And it doesn’t have to just be cleaning a room in your house, it could be decluttering any area of your life.
Other mental health benefits include decreased anxiety and higher self-esteem. Clutter and disorganization have also been linked to anxiety, and therefore eliminating them from your life can reduce your level of anxiety and improve your mental health. Being organized and in control of your life can also boost your self-esteem, making you more confident in all aspects of your life.
Benefits of Organization: Improved Physical Health
Just like being organized can have a positive impact on your mental health, it can also have a positive impact on your physical health. Being disorganized causes increased stress, whether it’s feeling overwhelmed because there is so much to do and you have no system in place to do it or there’s something important that you need and you can’t find it in all the mess. Chronic long-term stress can negatively impact your body, so reducing this is always a positive for your health!
Being organized also frees up more time in your life, allowing you to have more time to focus on self-care. Rather than trying to find time in the chaos to get a daily workout done or plan meals, you set time aside specifically for those tasks, increasing the chances of them being done. And we all know the benefits of a good work out and healthy eating!
Better Time Management Skills
Time management skills are essential for success, and being organized can help you develop those skills because it allows you to weed out unnecessary tasks, streamline and automate some tasks, and provides you with a clear road map of what you need to get done for the day, week, or month. You won’t spend unnecessary time trying to locate items in your home, in your e-mail, or at the office, giving you more time to focus on the important tasks.
Being organized also means that you don’t have to try and remember what needs to be done, and risk forgetting something completely or doing it at the last minute. I can’t tell you how many times I got a bill in the mail that I placed somewhere, forgot about, and didn’t remember to get back to until the due date had passed. That means late charges and extra fees! Since I put a system into place to organize and check my mail regularly, this has been eliminated and things are being done timely.
Organization will also help you set time frames for different tasks, projects, and areas of your life, allowing you to make the most efficient use of your time, one of the main benefits of being organized.
Improved Relationships
One of the most valuable benefits of being organized is improved relationships. When you are frazzled because of disorganization and everything seems to be taking longer than it should or going the wrong way, it is easy to take that out on other people around you. This can damage relationships and discourage people from wanting to be around you.
Being organized can also help you ensure that you don’t forget about or miss commitments and obligations that you have made. When you have too much on your plate and no real way to manage it, it is easy to simply forget about a commitment you made to a family member/friend or to be unable to meet those commitments because you are too busy trying to comb through the unorganized mess that is your life.
And, as we already discussed, being organized results in better time management, giving you more time to spend with loved ones!
Benefits of Being Organized: Better Decision Making
The next benefit of being organized is the ability to make better decisions. Being organized reduces stress and allows you to make better decisions. Organization helps to minimize the clutter in both our minds and our homes. By doing so, you free up your mind of unnecessary stressors, giving a clear mind to make the important decisions throughout your day. It gives you clarity and focus, which equals better decision making ability.
Being organized also gives you more confidence because you have all the information and tools needed for making the best decision. You will know what you need to do, how much time you have to do it, the consequences of not doing it, and will be able to make decisions in your everyday life to ensure you get the best outcome.
Being organized allows you to plan ahead, preventing last minute, rushed decisions. You have the time to think about the important things in your life and consider all options, instead of being presented with decisions that you have thought nothing about.
Better Work-Life Balance
Organization can help you create a better balance between work and home life. Creating a schedule for work/home tasks can help you build boundaries between the two, preventing too much of your time from being dedicated to work when you should be focusing on self-care, family/friends, and relaxation. It will give you the foundation you need to be able to say NO to certain tasks, such as picking up overtime, because you have already committed the time to spending with family or friends.
When you schedule your day, you also have the opportunity to schedule breaks into your day, even if they are short breaks. Doing so gives you time to unwind and recharge your mind, improving your productivity and effectiveness. Self care is important!
Benefits of Being Organized: It Puts You In a Place For Growth
Ultimately, with all of these factors combined, one of the most important benefits of being organized is it sets you up for growth and allows you to reach your full potential. When you are organized, you are focusing on specific tasks and goals. To define these goals, you have to have an understanding of who you are and what you want to accomplish. Understanding this gives you something to work towards every day, and propels you towards the life that you want to live.
You will stop wasting time on unnecessary and unhelpful tasks, you will stop feeling like you are on a hamster wheel, spinning and spinning but getting nowhere. and you will start propelling yourself along the path that will take you where you want to go.
Organization also puts you in a better place to gain opportunities. Clearer focus and increased productivity puts you on a better path personally and professionally, which will naturally come with better opportunities, whether it be a job promotion, the launching of your own business, or deepening relationships with friends and family.
So, How Do You Become Organized?
Now we know that there are many benefits of being organized and that those benefits extend to all aspects of your life. But our lives are still out of control. Everyday is hectic, and we don’t even know where to start!
Here are some quick tricks and tips for becoming organized.
- Create a daily, weekly, and monthly schedule
- Make a daily to do list
- Set SMART goals
- De-clutter your home and office environments
- Create an area in your home for important paperwork/mail
- Use a whiteboard/chalkboard/calendar to keep track of important tasks and dates
- Set deadlines for important tasks to keep you on track.
- Start with your end goal. Break it down into smaller and simpler steps and create an action plan.
For more details and a step by step reference, be sure to check out our Organize My Life Checklist!
