By Barbara Ricketts a.k.a. “The Mess Doctor”
Certified Professional Organizer®

With the cost of just about everything (gas, food, etc.) going up daily, we are all looking for ways to save and/or more efficiently use our money. One expense that you might not have thought about is the “Cost of Disorganization”. If you have a lot of clutter and disorganization in your home, office and your life, then you are wasting money in some form.

Here are a few examples of the cost of a disorganized home, office and/or life:

“Late Fee Charges” because your bills aren’t organized and easy to pay on time.
– Have a system for bill paying.
– Make a date in your calendar: Pay bills twice a month
– For Paper bills, Keep a single file folder along with your stamps, return address labels and envelopes.

Impulse shopping without a list.
– Make a shopping list before you shop… Planning = Savings
– Purchase only what you need.
– Stick to the list.
– Don’t shop while hungry!

Avoid Duplicate Purchases.
– Gather all similar items together; inventory what you have!

Uncoordinated Errands
– Take time to plan your errand “Circuit”
– Minimize unnecessary travel
– Combine tasks to fall into one longer trip rather than several smaller ones.

Interest lost on checks before you deposit them (or you lose them all together).
– Use direct deposit or Schedule weekly (if not daily) paper check deposits.

Fees for “overnight expressing” late items.
– Don’t procrastinate!

Faulty or Inadequate Project Planning.
– What is the cost of your or your employee’s time… probably the biggest $ expense you have.
– Inefficiency = Money and Opportunity lost

Overtime pay for support staff staying late to do a “Rush” job because:
– It was given to them at the last moment, or
– It was not properly planned in the first place

The cost of replacing and retraining burned out employees who quit.

These are just a few examples of how disorganization can equal money wasted. At this time we all need to be as efficient as possible in all areas of our lives so we maximize our return for every dollar spent.

If you have questions for “The Mess Doctor” or if you need professional assistance to get organized contact Barbara Ricketts at MessDoctor@Mac.com or call 661-263-0124.

Almost everyone has clutter, and most of us DO know it because our closets, garages and drawers are stuffed to over flowing; there may be papers all over the desk and on the floor around the desk. But did you ever think that you might also have clutter that you can’t see?

So what is clutter? Clutter can be physical, mental, energetic or spiritual. We are all familiar with the physical clutter, those “things” we don’t use, clothes that don’t fit, things we don’t repair and projects we don’t finish, anything we don’t love or use is clutter.

Mental clutter consists of negative thoughts, stories we tell ourselves, and the “I should do these” list of things we never get around to completing. Mental clutter is also the inability to think clearly when sitting in a space full of physical clutter.

Energetic clutter is noticed when one is in a room that is overflowing with items that don’t have a home. Instead of flowing uninterrupted, the energy is caught as if in a cobweb and becomes stagnant. One may even feel physically ill or confused in this environment.

Spiritual clutter is anything that gets in the way of your “true purpose”.

There is a lot more to clutter than meets the eye and there are many reasons why we have clutter. There are many resources available to help deal with this challenge. If you are feeling embarrassed, overwhelmed, out of control, frustrated or even physically ill, you just may have clutter!
Remember, Buddha said, “Learn to let go, that is the Key to Happiness.”

Barbara Ricketts is a Certified Professional Organizer (CPO). If you need assistance to simplify & organize, contact her at MessDoctor@Mac.com or call 661-263-0124

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