If you search for “clutter control” and “time management” on Google, you get 21,400 hits. Do you think there’s a connection?
Clutter is everywhere - in our offices, in our homes, and even in our cars. How much time each day do you surrender to clutter? Consider these statistics: - 80% of what we keep we never use. (Agency Sales Magazine, 2003)
- 23% of adults say they pay bills late (and incur fees) because they lose them. (Harris Interactive)
- The average U.S. executive wastes six weeks per year searching for missing information in messy desks and files. (The Wall Street Journal)
- According to a study conducted by a Boston marketing firm, the average American burns 55 minutes a day – roughly 12 weeks a year – looking for things they know they own, but cannot find. (Newsweek, 2004)
Convinced? I think these statistics are a little high, but just this morning, I spent at least five minutes trying to find a t-shirt. (I never found it.) If we spend just five minutes a day looking for the dog’s leash, the driver’s education certificate, the scissors, the Goodwill receipt, the white-out, or the safe deposit box key, that’s over 30 hours a year! (If you have to search for two things in one day - imagine how quickly it adds up!)
My time management advice for today is to de-clutter. This is a case of “do as I say, not as I do.” (You didn’t think I made up all the examples above, did you?) In fact, when thinking about this topic, I pulled three books about clutter from my own shelves. Each author addresses the psychology of why we accumulate and hang on to so much stuff. They each make a compelling case for de-clutterring, and provide specific instructions for eliminating clutter in every area of our home and office.
These may not be the newest books on the market, but the strategies – and the results – have withstood the test of time. You can read more about them at Amazon.com.
I’ll leave you with one of my favorite stories about clutter; a true story about a friend of mine in Houston.
Connie was at work when she received an urgent call to return home. There had been a fire. Neighbors had called the fire department early, and luckily there was not much damage. But the fireman expressed ongoing concern for Connie. They were worried because it seemed that someone had ransacked the apartment before starting the fire. Connie looked around and admitted, with much embarrassment, that everything looked just as she had left it.
I bought this Hallmark card for her. :)
(In case it's too hard to read, it says, "I'm embarrassed by the amount of crap I have to move before someone can sit in my car.")
