How Much Does It Cost To Be Unorganized?

How much does it cost to be unorganized. Let's look at the various areas where people tend to be unorganized.

-At Home: Is your house a mess? Are you always looking for something that you have misplaced? Chances are, everyone runs into that problem occaisionally. However, the more unorganized you are, the more things are going to get lost. One simple way to keep things in order is to always have a place for certain items. Have a set of hooks by the door where all the keys go, a basket in the office for all the bills, etc. The key to making this work is to always put things in their proper place RIGHT AWAY! If things aren't put into their proper place immediately, you tend to get into the bad habit of creating clutter again. It does take some discipline to always put everything in its place. I really doesn't take much time, though, and the results are definitely worth it. It is a good feeling to have a clutter-free house, and it is much easier to accomplish one item at a time, than to wait for it to pile up and feel overwhelmed.

-Money: Where does it go? Why do I never have enough? If you wonder where it is going, find out. Keep track of each purchase for a month and see where it is going. Write down each transaction, then look at what you can cut out. Most of the time, you will be amazed at what can be cut out, and the amount of money you can save. Is that daily latte really worth $80 per month? What about the breakfast you get at the local drivethrough twice a week when your running late? Is that extra sleep really worth $32 per month? How about paying close attention to your bills, and paying them on time to avoid late fees and finance charges? These few habits that can be changed or modified, can really save you quite a bit of money. Again, it does take discipline, and that isn't always easy, but it is worth it!

-Work: Unorganization at work can be disatrous. Missed appointments, broken/forgotten promises, missed billings, etc. can make for some serious customer service problems. A salesperson who misses an appointment, already has a strike against him. A service company has a chance to stand out as extraordinary just by showing up when they say they are going to. If a billing is not done in a timely fashion, it makes your company look inept. If I do business with a company and don't receive a bill for 3 months, I question the quality of their work. If their office is unorganized, why should I believe that their workmanship is any better?
A few tips that have helped me: Take notes. Don't overcommit. Promise little, but deliver much. Pay attention. Listen to the customer. Follow up. It is very uncommon to over-communitcate.

These ideas on organization can be applied to many other areas of life. You will find that when you are organized, your quality of life will improve, you will have more money, and chances are, you will get a raise or be promoted at work. A little discipline really does pay off!

Personal Responsiblilty - It's Not My Fault!

Whatever happened to the concept of personal responsiblilty. One of my pet peeves is the prevailing attitude of "I can't help it" or "It's not my fault."

"I am so broke, I can't help it that gas prices keep rising."
I am not an executive at an oil company, and I really don't have control over the gas price. What I can control is my response. I can live within my means by cutting back on other things, so I have more money to spend on gas. Yes, this means not eating out as much, getting rid of the cable, selling stuff on ebay, etc.

NOTE: The government will not fix our problems. For some interesting study, look at the poverty rate before the government started the welfare program, and compare it to the poverty rate today. I may write a post on that in the future.

Times are tougher than they have been the past few years, however, it could be much worse. In fact, it has been much worse in the not so distant past. America is still the nation most of the world is jealous of. If things are so bad why do we have an immigration problem? The great thing about America is the fact that a person can wake up one morning, decide what they want to be, and go out, work hard, and become what they dreamed. There are always exceptions, but for the most part this is true. I still have great hope for this country, especially if we start taking more personal responsibility, and continue to embrace the American Dream.