One day, as I helped a client organize his home office, we came across an envelope with $3500 in cash! He had completely forgotten about this money, which could have been thrown away and lost forever.

You may not have envelopes bulging with cash lying around, but being disorganized does have a cost ... in terms of time, stress, worry, late fees, and more.  

Disorganization takes a toll on your life - and your wallet

Emotional costs of disorganization include:

• Medical costs due to stress and worry (80% of our medical expenditures are stress related, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Strain on household relationships
• Strain on outside relationships because you're too embarrassed to have visitors

 Financial costs include:

• Losing gift cards, checks, and savings bonds
• Missing errors on bank or credit card statements
• Paying bills late, which incurs late fees
• Continuously paying bills late, which impacts your credit rating (this has expensive ramifications when purchasing homes and other big-ticket items)
• Overlooking errors on medical bills
• Paying for a storage unit because you have too much stuff
• Missing out on tax-return deductions because your paperwork is a mess

 Get over the inertia! 3 steps to take action ...

1. Select one organizing project - What area of your life, home, or office is most pressing or stressful? This is a great place to start. It could be anything from organizing a cluttered closet to setting up a bill-paying system. Work systematically and don't try to rush through it.  

2. Schedule time to address this project - Can you complete your project in an evening? Over a weekend? If necessary, set aside a regular time every week to focus on this project. It's important to stick with this project until you're finished, so you gain a sense of accomplishment and don't get overwhelmed with multiple projects.

3. If you get stuck, find ways to keep moving forward - If you run into something you don't understand, set that piece aside for the time being. For example, if you're filing medical paperwork and you have a question, you can call the insurance company or the provider. If you feel stuck or overwhelmed, get outside help from an objective friend, family member, or From Piles to Smiles. (It may be helpful to know that I'm a CPA.)

Think about how great it will feel to lift this burden from your shoulders - and from your life! Remember, we're just a phone call away if you need help.

From Cluttered Home and Cluttered Mind to a Life of Freedom and Creativity 

 
The Situation:

The Solution: We discovered that Beth had a good organizational foundation in place, but a recent illness had caused her to get off track and get overwhelmed. We helped her see that the root of her problem was actually poor time management. Together, we re-established her organizational structure, revised it to accommodate her new physical limitations, and helped her create a time-management plan to maintain her new systems.

The Outcome: After a few minor setbacks and follow-up visits from us, Beth was able to maintain the organizational systems we had developed. "I just LOVE my organized home!" she told us. "I'm amazed by the freedom I feel. Having a completely organized home makes a HUGE difference in my quality of life. And the organization is carrying into other areas: my finances are solid and organized, my purse is organized, and my desk and office space are clutter free. I now have free time to create, develop, and implement my ideas. Working with you has really changed my life."