There are so many reasons why I love what I do. Yes, the satisfaction of a more efficient, less stressful home or office is the main goal. And when I leave a client who visibly shows less angst after a working session together, I receive enormous satisfaction. But the icing on the cake is hearing, “I’ve been looking for that!”. Talk about an immediate benefit of decluttering with immediate gratification!
- I recently found an expensive watch that had been missing for 6 years. The client wasn’t even sure she wanted to focus on that area of her home. I felt like it was a natural extension of where we had been working though so she agreed. Within a few minutes of beginning to sort random items in a large desk drawer, I heard “You just saved my life!” She was pretty darn happy I insisted on cleaning out that drawer!
- I have found safe deposit box keys. Again, an item that a client had been looking for for quite a long time.
- I have found important documents, including work papers, missing checks and the like.
- The “How Much Money Can We Find Game” is always enjoyable. Sometimes it’s pocket change but other times it has been checks, cash in ATM envelopes, all the way up to a real money bag. Yes, a burlap bag of money.
Seeing smiles on client faces as they reap the many benefits of decluttering and bringing a sense of calm to their spaces is incredibly rewarding. The benefits are abundant – even more than finding those missing items. But it always helps to list them. So, here goes:
- Organization leads to less stress and anxiety. This one is self-explanatory and is by far the main reason people contact me for our services. I have literally seen shoulders drop, more relaxed composures, and less edginess to their voices. Hearing clients regularly talk about having more time for the enjoyable parts of their lives directly leads to healthier, happier, less stressful days. Here’s what one client had to say, “When things get cluttered, I’m not as overwhelmed because I know where they belong.”
- Organization saves money. Yes, it costs money for organizing services. However, when you know what you have, how much of it you have and where it is stored, you will save money from buying items you forgot you have or already own an abundance of. I have counseled clients on being more fiscally responsible. Shopping with purpose and intention is a huge step towards those goals and not wasting money on items not needed that you already have an ample (or sometimes more than ample) supply of is an important step. Today’s client in particular is one in which we are learning how to shop at home first. Use up what you have, check your inventory before going to the store, and google recipes using ingredients you have an abundance of are all ways to practice better financial management.
- Organization saves energy. It’s physically and mentally exhausting running around looking for items.
- Organization saves time. Time is money and time is very valuable. Freeing up valuable time may very well be a leading benefit of decluttering! I’d much rather you have time for the priorities in your life and not looking for things, running late as a result, or having to spend valuable weekend time cleaning out your garage or other area(s) of your home. Regular maintenance of organizational systems takes considerably less time than conquering large projects. This client says it all, “Every day I am so thankful that I hired you guys to come. Any time I need to find something, I sort it out, I go there and I get what I need. I can’t tell you how it’s freed up my time.”
- Organization saves space. It allows you to display items that mean the most, and areas of your home or office are easily accessible and more useful. Here’s one example: “Put It There has performed miracles for me with clothes organization. They have literally combined several closets worth of clothes into one, and vastly increased my closet’s functionality. My closet is so nice now- I am wearing items that I couldn’t see before, and enjoying jewelry that was buried in drawers previously. I used to dread going in my closet. Now, I actually enjoy going in there- they have restored its “zen”!
- Organization preserves relationships. If clutter and disorganization is putting strain on the relationships with others you live or work with, then finding compromise and systems that work for all leads to healthier, happier relationships with the important people in your life.
- Organization displays good role model behavior for your children. We teach our kids how to read, write, swim, dress, etc. Displaying good organizational systems and the benefit of decluttering teaches this important skillset. One client shared…“There is nothing better than an anxious 13 year old turning to her Mom and asking, “can she come again? she really helped.”
- Organization allows you to better reach your goals. Whether personal or professional, when you can focus your time and energy on the important areas of your life rather than spinning your wheels, anything is possible! Receiving this feedback put a huge smile on my face…“Your help was invaluable to the achievements of the past two months.”
No matter your reason or your goals, consider how you would benefit from decluttering and having more organization in your life. It has been an honor to help people reap benefits as I mention above, and we would welcome the opportunity to do the same for you.
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