The Cost of Disorganization

How many minutes do you waste every day trying to find something?  A report.  A document. An email.  Your car keys.  Your shoes.  If you say about an hour a day, you’re not alone.

Interested in statistics?  Check these out:

  • The average American wastes 55 minutes a day (roughly 12 days a year) looking for things they own but can’t find. Newsweek
  • The average office employee spends 1.5 hours a day (6 weeks per year) looking for things. com
  • The typical executive wastes 150 hours a year (almost an entire month), searching for lost information. Forbes ASAP

Consider the financial implication of this: an employee making $50,000 a year costs a company more than $3,800 in lost productivity because of disorganization. 

The cost rises when these items are declared permanently-lost-but-still-needed.  If it’s your project, you have to start over.  If you’re a leader, you have the option to delegate the re-do to someone on your team, but the end result is the same:  Someone gets behind on other priorities.

Organization plans for your desk, office, home, workspace, etc., are widely available.  Find the ones that work for you and build these habits of organization because there are several benefits for being organized:

  • Your Frustration will be Minimized. Create a workplace culture in which items are placed where they belong right away.
  • Efficiency is Improved. Taking the time to organize your space according to company activities not only improves workflow by saving steps, it also forces you to think through the different aspects of your operation, and how to approach them efficiently and systematically.
  • Employees’ State-of-Mind is Better. Workplace organization is a state of mind that takes ongoing work and thought. Create a culture of keeping your space clean and organized by taking pride in efficient physical systems.
  • Electronic Information Technology Systems are Improved. Create IT systems with the same thought and care that you put into organizing your physical space.
  • Productivity is Increased and Quality is Improved. You will have more time to work on important tasks, such as producing quality deliverables.
  • You’ll be on Time – Consistently. Organization and punctuality go hand in hand. 
  • You’ll Meet Deadlines – Consistently. The use of calendar tracking (tasks, meetings, due dates) will improve your ability to meet deadlines.
  • Employee Morale will Improve. Nobody wants to come into work to be distracted and overwhelmed.

A little bit of structure breeds freedom.  When a Company puts emphasis on organization as a value, mindset, and an expectation and provides tools and resources for individual and team organization, employee morale is positively impacted. 

On a scale of 1 to 10 – 10 means you have everything together – how would you rate your organization skills?  Does your workspace, home, or organization reflect these skills? 

Organization eludes us more often than not.  I can help you with the overwhelm to stop wasting precious time and money.  Let’s chat.

 

P.S.  If this describes you and you want to book a Complimentary Strategy Session so we can get you moving in the right direction, just click on my Complimentary Strategy Session calendar link here and let’s book a time together so you can get started today!