Is it worth the Time to Declutter and Organize?

[AmyBoz]

I think so, but if you are wondering for yourself, here is some information I found in Julie Morgenstern's book Organizing from the Inside out .

"As you ponder whether the required investment of one to three days per room is worth your time, let's look at what the disorder is costing you.
-Americans waste nine million hours per day searching for misplaced items, according to the American Demographics Society.
-The Wall Street journal reported that the average U.S. excecutive wastes six weeks per year searching for missing information in messy desks and files. (That translates to just one hour per day!)
-Cleaning professionals say that getting rid of excess clutter would eliminate 40% of the housework in an average home (National Soap and Detergent Association).
-"Crisis" purchases related to disorganization could cost as much as 15 to 20 percent of your annual budget - buying duplicates of misplaced or broken items, last minute shopping at premium prices, and unncessary interest, rush, and finance charges on late payments.
-Realtors regard "first impression" improvements such as decluttering closets to be one of the smartest ways to speed the sale of a home and fetch a better price, according to the New York State Association of Realtors."

[homesteadmamma]

Thanks Amy, great points. And yes, I think its worth it. Not only for the reasons given above, but for your peace of mind. It changes YOU when you don't have clutter everywhere.

[Mom23boys]

I think it is worth it too. Just think of all the time you save when your home is decluttered.

[voodidit]

I do think it's worth doing, but sometimes it's just so hard to do. I am going to try to do better this year even if it just means throwing out something everyday or organizing a drawer a day.

[simplemom]

Originally posted by voodidit
I do think it's worth doing, but sometimes it's just so hard to do. I am going to try to do better this year even if it just means throwing out something everyday or organizing a drawer a day.

Yes, it's so hard for me, too! I have the impression of decluttering all year long, but never finish it...and boy do we ever look for things and papers here...