Read any article about improving mental health and chances are getting organized is mentioned. Organizing and mental health have gone hand-in-hand for years. Once researchers saw the positive benefits an organized home had on our minds, they were quick to spread the word.
But why is having your junk drawer organized beneficial to your mental health? Is there really that much of a difference if you kept it unorganized?
The answer? Yes. Getting your home organized is way more effective than you think. And today we're sharing five ways organizing and mental health go together like peanut butter and jelly.
Let’s take a closer look at the ways organizing and mental health are important to each other.
Organizing improves your sleep
Have you ever left a stack of dishes in the sink, promising yourself you’ll do them tomorrow? Who hasn’t? But we bet that while you were falling asleep, you couldn’t stop thinking about that pile. Or the laundry you still haven’t folded. Or the dust building up on your dresser.
When your home is organized and you take the time to tidy things up before going to bed, you’re going to sleep better. Why? Because you know all those pesky little tasks are done. All you’ll have to worry about are the new ones tomorrow.
Something as simple as picking your clothes up off the floor before going to bed can greatly improve your sleep. And when you sleep better you’re more focused and energized. This is why many productivity experts tell you to write tomorrow’s to-do list today. This way you know what you have to do instead of thinking about it all night, hoping you’ll remember.
Keeping your home organized is no different. When you go to bed knowing that everything is in its proper place, you have less to worry about, and more time to sleep soundly.
Organizing reduces your stress
Let’s talk mail for a second because this is something we encounter all the time with clients. When you bring in your mail for the day, what do you do with it? Do you pile it on the corner of your kitchen counter and promise yourself you’ll deal with it later?
Five days later that pile has grown and you want to sort through it, but you have other things to do. Are you feeling a little stressed out thinking about that pile? For good reason.
When you’re organized, you reduce your stress by a lot. There are countless studies showing how people are far less stressed when their homes are in some type of order.
You don’t have to have every single drawer and corner organized to perfection. But an organized home means you worry less about where something is.
Stress is becoming a normal part of our daily lives. And instead of doing something about it, most people choose to live with it. But stress can lead to harmful effects on the body including illness, chronic pain, and more.
If you could eliminate any potential harm to your mind and body by doing a little organizing, why wouldn’t you?
Organizing frees up your time
Let’s expand on stress a little bit more and throw some time into the mix. One of the leading causes of stress is the fear of time. Of not having enough time. Of running against the clock. How often do you search for something? Your keys. Wallet. That note you had in your hand yesterday?
When your home is organized and you have a place for everything, you save a ton of time looking for it. Most studies reveal that the average American spends 55 minutes a day looking for something they misplaced.
55 minutes!
Can you imagine wasting an hour a day looking for something? This is why organizing is so important to mental health. When you know where everything is, you save so much time. You get out the door faster. You get to appointments on time. You’re never late (unless there’s traffic, of course).
Spending time getting organized will benefit your days and how you spend them. Reclaim that hour spent searching for things and instead do something you love. It’s a win-win.
Organizing improves your focus
You already know that improved sleep means better focus and it’s true. A clear workspace equals a clear mind. Most productivity and organizing professionals agree with this statement. You might think you work well with a cluttered desk, but the truth is you don’t. Not in the way you think.
Are you prone to digging through piles of papers for one sheet? Well, that takes focus away from the task you’re currently working on. You get frustrated until you find the paper you’re looking for. But it’s too late. Your mind has already spent too long away from the task and your focus has suffered.
It seems a little crazy to think that something as simple as rummaging through a pile of papers can derail your focus, but it does. This is why an organized workspace is vital for productivity. It doesn’t have to be bare, it only needs to be organized.
Keep the daily essentials you need like pens, sticky notes, paperclips, and more in a desk organizer. This way when you need it, you can quickly reach and grab what you need without pulling your focus too long away from the current task.
There are a ton of ways you can improve your workspace and we have two blogs to help you out. Be sure to give them a read if an organized workspace is something you struggle with.
Organizing relaxes your mind
One of the biggest ways organizing is linked to your mental health is the peace of mind it gives you. If you haven’t already noticed a pattern, here it is clear as day: an organized home allows you to relax more.
If you make it a habit of putting things away where they go each day, you’ll find it becomes second nature in no time. That means when something is out of place, you’ll want to put it back as soon as possible. If not, it sets off warning signals in your brain. This is not right!
When you can walk into your home and feel instant peace, you’ve done something right. Your home should be a peaceful place where you can relax and spend time with family. This is especially true if your job is stressful. Why go from one stressful place to another?
That’s why getting your home organized will not only improve your mental health, but it’ll also improve your way of life in general.
We hope this has shown you why organizing and mental health are the perfect pair. But we also know that getting organized can often be pushed to the bottom of your priority list.
You want to get organized, but you don’t know where to start or how to maintain it. It seems so daunting you scare yourself off before even starting. In fact, we wrote a blog post all about it, which you can read here.
At Imagine It Done NY we trade chaos for peace. Our proven systems and methods have already helped hundreds of people. Let us help you next. Contact us today or check out our available services. We look forward to hearing from you.