5 Workplace Organizational Skills That Can Also Help You at Home

Office supplies retailer OfficeMax conducted a study of 1,000 American adults that showed the value of workplace organization. Some of their findings included:

  • 71% of those surveyed say they feel more an accomplished after their workspace has been organized
  • a tidy work environment made 68% of respondents feel more in control and 54% feel more confident
  • 52% of those surveyed felt more motivated and 43% more relaxed when their work area was organized

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that a more organized work environment produces people who have a more positive outlook on things. The same can be said for those living in an organized home.

Just as workplace organizational skills are transferable from one job to the next, they’re also transferable to your home life.

organizational skills

Your workplace organizational skills can simplify your home life

Nearly all positive workplace organizational skills have value outside of the workplace. Examples include being a strong communicator, knowing how to plan, effectively managing your time, paying attention to detail, and being physically and mentally organized.

Applying any of these organizational skills to your home life can help simplify things and lead to a more organized, efficiently run household.

But as much as good workplace organizational skills can help at home, so too can poor organizational skills used at work follow you home.

That only creates a perpetual cycle that keeps you surrounded in clutter almost all of the time. This contributes to higher stress levels and poor productivity, both at work and when it comes to getting your house in order.

If some of your organization-related skills at your job or home aren’t what they should be, work on improving them and then reap the benefits they’ll provide when applied in either environment.

Here are five workplace organizational skills that you’ll find very helpful when used at home.

1. Establishing clear goals

Your employer will have certain work expectations that need to be met. You’ll also have personal goals that you set for yourself, such as exceeding a weekly work quota or earning a particular promotion within a specific timeframe.

Having a clear focus on what your goals are will increase the odds that you’ll fulfill them. And while it’s always admirable to be ambitious with your work and career goals, remember to keep things realistic. There’s no shame in adjusting your goals to accommodate previously unforeseen variables or factors.

The same philosophy applies when establishing clear goals of what you want to accomplish with your home’s organization. How realistic is it to get a certain number of chores done within the time you have available? When will you realistically be finally able to add that long sought-after laundry room?

2. Knowing how to effectively plan

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of the beloved children’s book The Little Prince, once said “A goal without a plan is just a wish”.

You’ll need to have an effective plan in place to reach your long-term or short-term goals at work. Smart planning is a key organizational skill for anyone seeking success in their field.

Effectively managing appointments, schedules, and deadlines are all part of this process. Creating to-do lists are always helpful as well.

Schedules, deadlines, and to-do lists can also be extremely helpful when used at home in order to keep on top of things. Some of the organization apps we wrote about recently can make things even easier to manage.

3. Managing your time well and prioritizing

With established goals and a plan in place, which tasks will take priority over others? Understanding the best approach to tackling your to-do list will result in their successful completion. You’ll also experience less of the frustration that comes when goals aren’t met.

For example, certain tasks at work might be harder to complete at certain times of the day due to interruptions that make it difficult to focus.

This same scenario could also occur at home. Perhaps your laundry duties are taking longer than they should because you’re being interrupted by your kids who need help with their homework.

Understandably, their educational needs come first. Scheduling your laundry chores for a time when they’re out of the house (such as at a hockey practice) will result in more productive results when it comes to completing this task.

This is simply choosing to work smart. When your organizational skills help you effectively prioritize and multi-task, you’ll accomplish more.

And getting more done is only useful if you’re actually getting more done at a high standard level. Taking on lots of tasks and only getting decent results for each of them (as opposed to great results) isn’t the goal here.

4. Being physically and mentally organized

Being physically organized means keeping your environment tidy and clean, whether it’s your work office, home office, or bedroom.

Decluttering regularly is essential if you want to sustain an organized workspace or home. At work, this can include getting rid of unnecessary paperwork, keeping your desk clean, and managing digital clutter such as email.

It can be tricky finding enough time to tidy up at work or home, so you’ll want to make it as easy as possible to do so. That OfficeMax survey reveals that about a quarter of those polled said that not having the right organizational tools or systems made it more challenging to stay organized.

In the home, you could turn to a helpful closet organizer to make it easier to manage your wardrobe collection. Closet organizers allow you to group like items together so that you can easily find a specific piece of clothing.

Other helpful closet accessories like drawer dividers to separate socks, ties, and undergarments, or a retractable valet rod for extra hanging space can also save you time.

Once you’ve taken steps to ensure your world is physically organized, you’ll find it easier to achieve a balanced, healthy level of mental organization. That helps you focus better and be more productive in your career and your home life.

organizational skills closet organizer

Being physically organized includes maintaining a tidy closet.

5. Communicating and getting support

Strong communication skills will always serve you well. If you’re a leader at your work, that means making sure your workers understand what’s expected of them. Any strong leader also has a good sense of when and how much they should delegate.

For the non-bosses, part of their organizational skills includes constantly communicating with leaders and co-workers to maximize workplace efficiency. They should know when to ask for support and help if certain tasks are beyond their capabilities or time availability.

At home, a healthy level of communication between all family members capable of doing chores is important, too. Delegating tasks and holding family members accountable for their completion, in addition to lending others a hand with chores all work towards creating a harmonious household that’s more likely to stay organized.

Helping people get their home physically organized is what Organized Interiors specializes in. We provide free in-home design consultations, so schedule yours today.

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Why the Type of Clothes Hangers You Use Actually Matters

Unless you work in the fashion, retail clothing, or home organization business, there’s a good chance you don’t give much thought to the type of clothes hangers you use.

We use clothes hangers every day and stand to benefit from storing our apparel in the best manner possible. That’s why it’s actually rather curious that we mostly don’t pay much attention to what kind of hangers are in our closets.

So why is this the case? You might be surprised to learn that it does actually matter what type of clothes hangers you use.

Most clothes hangers are cheap and readily available

The main reason clothes hangers probably don’t quite get the consideration they should is because they’re typically very cheap and easy to come by.

Yes, that 12-pack of plastic hangers that only costs a buck at the dollar store might seem like a great deal today. You probably know they won’t be the best quality, but they’re only clothes hangers, right?

And all those free wire hangers you’ve gotten from your dry cleaner over the years? Well, why throw out a perfectly functional item?

However, it’s worth pondering this – just what kind of quality can those hangers possibly have if the dry cleaner is just giving them away all the time?

The truth is, there’s a downside to buying and using cheap hangers instead of relying on a higher quality type, like wood clothes hangers.

clothes hangers

The downsides of using plastic clothes hangers

Everyone has had to throw out some of their plastic clothes hangers at some point. While they may be cheap, plastic hangers have several downsides:

  • they’re flimsy and have a shorter life (a reminder that “cheap” also equals “disposable” much of the time)
  • aren’t ideal for maintaining the shape of your garments, which shortens the lifespan of clothing
  • are more prone to clothes slippage
  • you’re more likely to have many colours and styles of plastic hangers, which creates a disorganized, mismatched closet look

The downsides of using wire clothes hangers

Wire hangers share some of the same downsides as plastic hangers and have a unique additional downside. The downsides include:

  • their pliability causes wire hangers to bend, which reduces their lifespan
  • also don’t provide an ideal long-term storage method when it comes to maintaining garment shapes
  • will rust, which shortens their life and can damage clothing
  • are also more prone to clothes slipping off the hanger

So as you can see, wire and plastic hangers may be readily available and cheap, but that comes at the expense of the best interests of your clothing.

Why premium wood clothes hangers are your best option

Aside from plastic and wire hangers, velvet hangers are an additional option that have their own benefits. But when it comes to hanging storage for your clothing, premium wood hangers are your best choice. Here’s why:

  • they’re much sturdier and won’t bend, which keeps your garment structure intact
  • will last a lifetime, which provides better value
  • have a stronger design, which allows for storage of heavier items like winter coats, jackets, and jeans
  • look much nicer than wire and plastic hangers
  • offer special design features like notches that keep clothing with straps secured
  • your garments are less likely to slip off the hanger or wrinkle

Are all wood clothes hangers created equal?

Definitely not. A set of wood clothes hangers being sold at your local store for a tantalizing low price might be better than the thin, flimsy wire hangers you’re currently using, but beware.

Both the wood and design quality are the key factors you need to be concerned with. Logically, a harder wood used in the clothes hanger’s construction will provide better strength and durability.

At Organized Interiors, we believe our premium cherry and white hardwood hangers are the best clothes hangers you can invest in. Here’s what they feature:

clothes hangers 2

The metal head of our hangers is smartly designed with a safety hook to prevent scratching.

clothes hangers 3

The hanger shoulders are strong to support jackets and shirts. We also carry thicker hanger shapes to support heavier items of clothing.

clothes hangers 4

Notches securely hold straps in place and prevent clothing from falling.

clothes hangers 5

Like the hanger‘s shoulders, its supportive cross bar is resistant to clothes slipping and creasing.

Maximize the life of your garments with wood clothes hangers

Our premium hardwood clothes hangers work well for all types of garments and will help you get the most life out of them by providing an ideal storage solution for your clothes.

You’ll spend less time ironing out the unsightly creases and wrinkles that can be problematic with inferior hanger types.

High-end clothing items (such as an evening gown or men’s formal wear) can cost into the thousands of dollars, so you need to protect your investment. Even a relatively cheaper $100 blouse deserves a suitable hanging home to ensure you’re getting your money’s worth out of it.

Keep your closet or dressing room’s look classy with wood clothes hangers

The mismatched colours of a closet filled with plastic hangers doesn’t add to the space’s aesthetics. Neither does the nondescript look of a bunch of wire hangers.

Premium hardwood clothes hangers add a distinct touch of class to your closet space. And while it may seem like a small thing, you’ll also appreciate the cohesive look that’s added to a closet full of identical premium clothes hangers.

If you’ve had home improvements made in the form of either a closet organizer or dressing room/walk-in closet, premium hardwood hangers are also a must-have. They’ll nicely complement the upgraded looks and functionality of these transformed spaces.

clothes hangers 6

Organized Interiors’ premium cherry and white hardwood hangers.

Limit your clothes hanger clutter by saying “no thanks”

After years of buying clothes and getting your dry cleaning done, it’s inevitable that clothes hanger clutter will become just one more thing you’ll eventually have to contend with.

You can minimize or eliminate this problem by simply saying “no thanks” when presented with the option of bringing a free wire or plastic hanger home. The salesperson or dry cleaner certainly won’t mind.

It’s a small gesture and the impact on your carbon footprint by rejecting hangers you don’t really need may be minimal, but every little bit helps.

Your old useable wire and plastic hangers might be welcome at a thrift store. Plastic hangers (without any metal) might also be recyclable in your blue box. Check your municipality’s recycling guidelines.

Treat your garments right with premium hardwood clothes hangers

You’ll prolong the life of your garments by treating them right and hanging them on premium wood clothes hangers.

Organized Interiors has a special offer that gives you 160 deluxe hardwood hangers for free with a closet or wardrobe order. That’s a $300 value!

Schedule your free in-home design consultation to take advantage of this great offer.

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9 Back-to-School Tips That Set Kids up for a Successful School Year

As the days get shorter and temperatures begin to cool, this time of year finds parents and their kids occupied with preparations for the upcoming school year.

There are many different back-to-school concerns for parents to consider, especially for those with younger children.

For example, what supplies and clothing needs to be purchased? What summer habits from your kids aren’t going to work during school season? Are there opportunities to improve areas that can streamline the morning routines of both kids and parents?

Simplify things with these back-to-school tips

Leaving yourself enough time for back-to-school preparations will make the transition into the school year much easier. No parent wants to find themselves scrambling around on the morning after Labour Day because they didn’t devote enough time to back-to-school prep!

These nine back-to-school tips will make the new school year easier to adjust to. They’ll also simplify things for you and your children well after that first school bell of the year has rung.

back-to-school tips

1. Adjust your kids’ sleep schedule

The first of our back-to-school tips is to ensure your kids aren’t going into a new school year with too many bad habits they’ve picked up during the summer.

Kid’s sleeping habits should be near the top of your list of back-to-school concerns. One of the cornerstones of good health is getting consistent and quality sleep, which minimizes the likelihood of stress.

A new school year can be a stress-causing time for many kids and they’ll be better equipped to deal with things if they’re well-rested.

With the first day of school just around the corner, you should already be getting your kids back into the same sleep schedule they’ll be keeping during the school year. It can take some kids longer than others to make an adjustment, so don’t procrastinate on changing their bedtimes.

2. Start limiting screen time

Another summer habit to keep tabs on is the amount of screen time your kids are getting. Like their sleep schedule, you should already be limiting the time your kids are spending on phones, tablets, and in front of the TV.

Making sure your back-to-school prep includes the gradual limiting of screen time will result in fewer headaches and potential arguments over the subject with your kids once the school year begins.

Another reason it’s important to monitor the amount of screen time kids are getting is because it can impact their sleeping habits. Even adults should be conscious of the fact that plenty of research shows that the blue light devices emit can disrupt our sleep patterns and throw off our body clocks.

There are many smartphone and tablet apps available that can limit screen time and help you monitor the usage of your kids’ devices.

3. Ease into a school day routine to lessen new school anxieties

It can be helpful to ease into the changing daily routine that comes with a new school year. Taking a proactive approach to a changing routine is particularly beneficial if you have kids starting at a new school.

If you’re responsible for driving your kids to school, do a few morning dry runs prior to classes beginning. Know how long it’ll take to make the drive and get to school in a comfortable amount of time. Naturally, factor in the added traffic that will be on the roads in the morning once the school year begins.

Unfamiliar surroundings and faces can be stressful, so see if it’s possible to tour the new school and meet some teachers beforehand with your kids. Familiarizing your kids with the school playground and bathroom locations can also up their confidence level.

Even the most well-adjusted of kids will be nervous before starting at a new school. Don’t add to their stress by having them and yourself unprepared for the coming school year.

4. Assess what school supplies you’ll need

A new school year means new school supplies. Check your school’s or board of education’s website to see if a list of recommended supplies is available.

Be sure to first take stock of what school supplies are already owned. This is a good opportunity to begin phase one of a back-to-school clean-up of your kids’ rooms. Clear out desk clutter like broken rulers, crayon nubs, and useless papers.

Bring your kids along for their back-to-school shopping and be sure to limit purchases to needs versus wants. Involving them in buying decisions will also instill a greater sense of ownership and responsibility towards purchased items.

And don’t overlook the importance of kids backpack safety. Ensure your kids are using a backpack that’s suited to their needs and physical size. Also, make sure they’re wearing their backpack properly to minimize aches and pains.

5. Take stock of your kids’ wardrobes

Any list of back-to-school tips would be incomplete without addressing kids’ wardrobes. Does your child have enough outfits for school to accommodate your laundry schedule? Is their clothing clean and presentable?

There are many kids clothing concerns to consider before a new school year. The best way to take stock of what areas to address is to carry out phase two of your back-to-school clean-up. That means thoroughly taking stock of what clothing your kids own by emptying out their closets and dresser drawers.

Some kids can grow several sizes within a year, so you’ll undoubtedly find outgrown clothing that’s only contributing to bedroom clutter. Store them away for future hand-me-down use with one of your younger kids or donate them.

After weeding out the old clothing, go through the keepers and determine what needs to be freshened up with a laundering. Make a list of what new pieces of clothing will be needed to enable an adequate rotation of school and play outfits.

6. Upgrade your kids’ storage and organization systems

Even a larger closet space can easily become disorganized if it’s poorly designed. You can make it easier to keep kids bedrooms and mudrooms/front entryways organized with the following solutions:

  • Custom closet organizers enable kids to maintain an organized closet space and can adapt to kids’ changing storage needs
  • Closet accessories like hooks, extra hanging bars, and drawer dividers enhance the functionality of any closet space
  • Make better use of a kids bedroom’s storage space with a bed surround
  • Your mudroom or front entryway can be upgraded with improvements that make better use of storage space

These upgrades can provide more kid-friendly functionality. Everything from better accessibility (such as hanging heights) to the ability to group like items together can be taken into consideration for your kids.

Kids clothing costs can add up and they’ll quickly outgrow things. You don’t want a new pair of kids jeans being worn once and then forgotten about under a heap of clothes in a messy closet, only to be found later when they no longer fit.

Boy's organized closet.

7. Teach your kids to be more self-sufficient

One of our back-to-school tips that can make your morning run a little smoother is to get your kids in the habit of being more self-sufficient.

That can include helping get breakfast ready or taking responsibility for their own breakfast. Monitor that they’re eating healthy, protein-rich foods – there’s a reason breakfast is referred to as the most important meal of the day! And make sure they’re leaving enough time for breakfast and not relying on just a couple of protein bars or a Pop-Tart.

You can also get your kids to start making their own lunches. Be mindful that they’re adhering to their school’s allergy policies and that they’re packing a well-balanced, healthy lunch.

Get your kids in the habit of making their bed before leaving for school. Author Charles Duhigg writes in his book The Power of Habit that this practice becomes a “keystone habit” that gets one’s day off to a positive start.

Preparing the night before can also save everyone time in the morning. Make sure your kids’ backpacks are ready to go and you can also have the next day’s school outfit hung up on a handy valet rod. This eliminates wasted time caused by wardrobe indecision.

8. Enable scholastic success with a proper kids study space

Is the space your kids are using for studying and homework enabling them or holding them back? Kids need a comfortable area that’s organized, well-lit, and functional, which can help keep them focussed.

Organized Interiors designs beautiful home office spaces which can be designed with your kids’ needs in mind, your needs in mind, or a combination of the two.

A spare room is ideal for setting up a home office or study space. If that’s not an option, we can also work with an underutilized area of your home to establish a productive studying environment for your kids.

9. Establish good organization habits your kids can emulate

The last of our back-to-school tips involves setting a good example for your kids with your own organization habits.

If the parents aren’t demonstrating that they’re concerned with organization in the bedroom and throughout the home, it’s unreasonable to expect a higher standard from your kids.

Set weekly cleaning and decluttering schedules for you and your kids and stick to them. One of our earlier back-to-school tips mentioned limiting screen time, but some exceptions can be made.

Make use of the many organization and productivity apps families can use to keep on top of home chores.

Get the school year started right with these back-to-school tips

These back-to-school tips can set your kids up for a successful school year. And by giving your kids the back-to-school tools to succeed, you’ll be minimizing your worries as well.

Schedule a free in-home consultation with us and one of our design consultants can evaluate your space. They’ll determine how to best utilize some of the home-enhancing back-to-school tips listed here.

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These 9 Free Organization Apps Can Simplify Your Daily Life

Successfully managing the many aspects of our everyday lives can be tricky.

Having to keep the home organized, schedules coordinated, appointments kept, and keeping on top of so many other things can get overwhelming. Prioritizing them all becomes a real challenge.

Well, as they say, “there’s an app for that”. And when it comes to improving your organization and productivity, there’s actually quite a few.

Tablets and especially smartphones are never far from our reach, so why not put them to use to help simplify your life?

Here are nine of the better free organization and productivity apps that can make your daily life simpler to manage. All of them are available on both iOS and Android devices.

organization apps

1. 24me

24me functions as a virtual personal assistant, providing an all-in-one tool for managing notes, tasks, calendars, and to-do lists.

Paying bills, providing event reminders, connecting your social networks, and even sending gifts to friends are just a few of the tasks this handiest of organization apps can help you manage.

24me website

2. ChoreMonster

The app’s website confidently promises that “Your kids will beg to do their chores”. That might be a stretch, but ChoreMonster takes a fun, engaging approach towards home organization for kids aged 4 to 12.

Parents add home chores into the app and list rewards for completing them, such as an extra hour of video game time or ice cream for the kids.

Kids sign into the app and can review to-be-completed chores and what the rewards are for completing them. The colourful interface is easy and fun to navigate for them.

ChoreMonster website

3. Cozi Family Organizer

This easy-to-use organization app is a 3-time winner of the Mom’s Choice Award and helps your entire family’s daily routine run smoother.

Coordinate schedules, create and share shopping lists and chores, create event and appointment reminders, and view the entire family’s plans for the day at a glance.

This handy communication tool lets everyone in your family view the same information. That means any changes made in the app on one device will update everyone else’s app.

Cozi website

Cozi organization apps

4. Wunderlist

Whether it’s vacation planning, managing projects at work, or sharing a shopping list, Wunderlist helps you manage each task.

Set reminders about deadlines and scheduled appointments, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks any longer.

Wunderlist website

5. LastPass

It can be a nuisance keeping track of the many usernames and passwords we rely on these days, especially with internet security concerns making it a smart idea to change your passwords semi-regularly.

If your device’s default password management isn’t to your liking, one alternative option is LastPass. It helps you manage all your login information in one app that’s accessed with a master password.

Online shopping is made much easier as well. You can also set the app up to give selected friends or family members access to your protected information in case of an emergency.

LastPass website

6. Our Groceries Shopping List

The best organization apps are user-friendly and Our Groceries Shopping List is just that.

Create grocery lists that can be shared on the devices of everyone else in your family. Whenever someone buys a grocery item, simply cross it off the list and everyone will be aware of the purchase.

Leave notes for specific items if need be. And the app also lets you add recipes and makes it easy to add needed ingredients to your shopping list.

Our Groceries Shopping List website

7. Closet+

A closet organizer keeps your closet in order and is one effective way to make it easier to decide what to wear. Clothes organization apps like Closet+ can also help you plan your wardrobe and keep track of what you own.

Keep track of when outfits were last worn and what items of clothing are best paired together. This can help you get a better sense of the value you’re getting from your wardrobe.

Closet+ website

Closet+ organization apps

8. BrightNest

For organization apps that help you stay on top of housework, try BrightNest. This app helps you establish and maintain a regular maintenance schedule for keeping your home organized and clean.

Set reminders for upcoming cleaning tasks. The app also offers tips for specific chores you need to do, drawing from the thousands of home care articles on BrightNest.com.

BrightNest website

9. Evernote

The app’s tagline on their home page is “Meet Evernote, your second brain”.

Evernote helps you organize notes, tasks, ideas, inspiration, images, or anything else you might find online, syncing them to all your devices.

Your notes and ideas can also be easily shared from the app with friends, family members, or work colleagues.

Evernote website

Supplement these organization apps with our home organization solutions

These organization apps can help you manage your daily life and so can many of our home organization and storage products, which come with a 10 year warranty.

From custom closets to beautifully crafted custom cabinetry for the entire home, Organized Interiors can help in areas beyond what these organizations apps are capable of assisting you with.

Schedule your free in-home design consultation with us today!

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5 Ways Being A Clutterbug Costs You Time And Money

It’s estimated that the average American will lose $5,591 of belongings over the course of their lifetime.

Seeing such an eye-opening dollar figure attached to the negative effects of living a disorganized, clutterbug lifestyle can make one take stock of their own organization habits.

That figure comes from a survey of 1,000 American adults by Pebblebee, a Bluetooth tracking company. In that same survey, 20% of the respondents admitted to losing or misplacing personal items on a weekly basis.

Are your organization habits comparable to the “average” person? Think about how much $5,000+ can buy, such as a luxury vacation for two or a medium scale home improvement project.

Here are five ways that being a clutterbug can negatively impact your life.

1. A clutterbug wastes a lot of time searching for things at home

A disorganized home causes a clutterbug to waste lots of time searching for misplaced items. A Boston marketing firm conducted a study that found the average American wastes 55 minutes a week looking for misplaced items in the home.

That works out to the equivalent of more than one full day being wasted every month simply because someone is disorganized.

We live in a world where waiting mere seconds for a Wi-Fi signal to be found or a web page to load on our smartphone or tablet makes us impatient.

Shouldn’t we be placing more value on the hours of time many of us needlessly waste because our clutterbug tendencies slow down our daily routine?

clutterbug closet

2. Clutterbugs are more likely to incur late fees for bills

Online bill payment options and bill payment apps for smartphones make it easier than ever to take care of monthly payments for all the services we use.

Even with these conveniences, a Harris Interactive study found that 23% of adults still pay their bills late (and incur late fees) because they’re too disorganized.

Whether your e-bill or email notices requesting bill payment are getting lost within your digital clutter or your clutterbug habits are causing you to misplace your old-school paper bills, your hard-earned money could be better spent elsewhere.

3. A clutterbug wastes money on self storage units

There are some good reasons for renting a self storage unit. Perhaps you’ll be out of the country for an extended period of time and it doesn’t make financial sense to keep your current residence.

Unless you’re lucky enough to have a good friend with an extra 100 square feet of empty storage space at your disposal in their home, a self storage unit is probably your only option.

Maybe you need a temporary storage space to hold the belongings of a recently deceased friend or family member. Another reason might be that you underestimated how much space you’d have for your things in the new home or condo you’ve moved into.

While these are viable reasons to rent a self storage unit, the reality is that most of these units are filled with clutter that homeowners just haven’t bothered to deal with.

The North American self storage industry generates billions of dollars every year, mostly because of the clutterbug habits many of us have.

A conservative estimate of the monthly cost to rent a 10 x 5 storage unit is about $80-100 a month. That number can rise substantially based on the location of the storage facility, as well as extra insurance and climate control fees.

It’s much more sensible to tackle your home clutter problems. Invest the money you’d be wasting on storage fees on practical home organization and storage products  that deliver a much better return on investment.

4. Disorganized homes waste a lot of food

A 2014 study by Value Chain Management International found that $31 billion worth of food was wasted in Canada every year. While much of that waste occurs at the manufacturing and retail level, 47% of it takes place in the home. 

Another recent study revealed that the average American household throws away an average of $640 worth of food annually.

Some of that waste can be attributed to poor organization systems within pantries, freezers, and refrigerators. Disorganization in these storage areas increases the likelihood of food being misplaced and lost within the food clutter.

The perpetual upwards creep of food prices makes the wasteful management of food add up financially over time. Of course, there’s also the added burden of the needless carbon footprint that wasted food leaves.

clutterbug wasted food

$31 billion worth of food is wasted in Canada every year.

5. Being a clutterbug can hold you back at work

If your clutterbug habits follow you to work, they may be holding you back in your career. A survey by retailer OfficeMax revealed the following facts from the 1,000 respondents:

  • 77% believe clutter slows down their productivity
  • more than half think clutter negatively impacts their motivation level
  • 90% believe clutter negatively impacts their home and work lives
  • 35% are embarrassed by the state of their workspace
  • 40% had a lower opinion of co-workers who had excess clutter in their workspace

Change your clutterbug ways to save time and money

With so many drawbacks to living a clutterbug lifestyle, why not change your ways and reclaim some of that precious lost time and money?

Enabling yourself with more effective organization systems for your home is a good place to start. From closet makeovers to custom storage and organization solutions for the rest of the home, Organized Interiors can help.

Schedule your complimentary in-home consultation with one of our design experts today to get started.

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