The Time Cost Of Our Stuff – guest author Mandi Ehman
March 8, 2010 by Marci
Welcome to Day One of the Overcoming Busy Celebration! We are kicking off the new, updated version of Overcoming Busy with a week of guest authors and giveaways. Each day this week, there will be a new guest post and a giveaway post. Keep checking in and don’t miss the fun!
————————————————–
You’ve probably thought about the cost of various knickknacks, doodads and gadgets around your home — at least for a minute or two — but have you ever stopped to think about the time cost of these same items?
How much time do you spend moving things? Cleaning them? Thinking about them?
According to a statistic on Julie Morgenstern’s website, “Getting rid of excess clutter would eliminate 40% of the housework in an average home.”
40 percent!
The fact is that while stuff has an impact on our budget and our bottom line, we often forget that it also uses up one of our most precious commodities — time.
Have you ever noticed that organization and time management often go hand in hand? The reason is simple. Physical clutter and disorganization affect your ability to be productive and overcome busy.
It’s no secret that there are only so many hours in a day and that once they’re gone, they’re gone. Clutter doesn’t just impact your productivity by making it harder to find what you need when you need it; it also robs you of your time.
Tsh from Simple Mom lives by this mantra: “Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful” (from 19th century architect William Morris).
If every item in your home has a time cost, then it’s important to evaluate which items you’re willing to spend your time on and, quite frankly, get rid of the rest.
Special artwork from your children, a family heirloom that reminds you of time with your grandmother, a beautiful sculpture that makes you smile or a kitchen gadget that makes preparing meals for your family easier — these things are worth the time that you spend on them.
On the other hand, every picture your child’s ever scribbled or colored, cheap trinkets from a family vacation, stacks of old magazines and even unused kitchen tools that take up space within your drawers and cabinets simply don’t stand up to the test.
Take time over the next week to consider how much time the things in your home are costing you? Only you can decide which items are worth that cost!
Mandi Ehman is a work-at-home mom to four spunky little girls. She believes that organizing only lasts if you do it your way – to fit your needs, your preferences and your lifestyle – and she shares organizing and time management tips at Organizing Your Way.
Comments (13)
[...] This week, Marci from Overcoming Busy is celebrating the relaunch of her wonderful blog, and she invited me to participate with a post on The Time Cost of Our Stuff. [...]
This is a wonderful reminder. Spring cleaning here I come!?
Good pick Marci! So nice to see Mandi sharing on your site. This hits at the perfect time. I will be doing spring cleaning the next few weeks what a great reminder for me to look at the items in my home. I could get rid of a lot! Thanks Mandi for sharing!
Oh wow, great reminder! I need to go clean another box out of the garage now.
I love this! What better time than now to start getting rid of things that wast our time.
Wow, hadn’t thought about it that way in a while…how many times do you re-sort a stack of papers or dust a “thing” that you don’t even like any more…thanks for the reminder.
Mandi, lovely to see you here
Great reminder, thank you!
You know, having guys at my house right now painting and me having to move ALL THIS STUFF from one place to another just so they CAN paint… is seriously making me realize… WE HAVE TOO MUCH CRAP! Now, how do I get rid of it all? I have NO problem letting it go — but GO TO WHERE?! That’s the new problem!
What a great point! I’ve seen how too much clutter can steal little bits of time…having to move things to get to something else, or having to search through drawers, or especially for me, taking extra time to find a spot to put things away! I think clutter steals my energy too…I feel so much more relaxed and productive after clearing out a space. Wonderful reminder.
[...] The Time Cost Of Our Stuff – Mandi@Organizing Your Way [...]
[...] up in our desire to reuse, recycle and repurpose, and keeping everything that you might use one day steals your time and space. Sometimes, it even results in more waste because you’re unable to find the things that you [...]
[...] important to remember that both your time and the space in your home have value. Think about how much time you spend cleaning knickknacks that you don’t really love. Or how [...]
[...] necessarily mean the financial cost, but rather the cost in terms of the space they take up and the time they waste (to dust, move, think about, etc.) just by being in your [...]