Think it doesn’t really matter if you organize your office? Think again! Get organized to get on track.

Have you seen this person?

The employee with a horribly cluttered desk, hopelessly rifling through piles of paper.  The small business that can’t seem to get orders right.  Or maybe the entrepreneur with countless scattered ideas but no real plan or ability to execute them.  Of course, we have all witnessed disorganization in many forms; perhaps it is even us from time to time.  More than likely, this disorganization was costly in some fashion.

Organize your office and organize your life to get happy and get on track?

In a 2012 study, Research firm Brother found that the cost of disorganization to US businesses was a whopping $177 billion.  That figure takes into account the money lost due to time spent searching for lost papers and files, whether in the desk or in the computer.

And it is not just at work!  A poll by Newsweek found that the average American wastes 55 minutes per day looking for things they own but can find.  How can we be neat and tidy at work if our home is a mess?  It is not likely to happen and it hampers our ability to get on track. Disorganization is the number 1 productivity killer, and if production is inefficient, so too will be our results, both at home and in our business ventures.

How much more productive could we be at work if we had an extra hour a day where we could focus on finding new customers, driving sales, or perfecting that marketing pitch?  Wouldn’t our home life be more fulfilling if we could spend that extra time doing something fun with our families?  And wouldn’t it be nice to finally stop saying, “There just aren’t enough hours in the day.”

The truth is that there are enough hours; we just need to get better at how we are spending those hours. This is where time management skills and time management strategies are so… important too. We certainly don’t need to be searching through stacks of paper to find bills.  We don’t want to have to look for our car keys or cell phone.  And we don’t need to spend hours at a time with unproductive meetings or phone calls.  Learning how to properly schedule our time and committing to the process of being organized can pave the path to incredible results in our business and in our homes.

Time to get on track, get organized, and have it all.

When you decide to get on track and get organized, it isn’t just as simple as buying a new filing cabinet. Sure that might help a bit, but real change happens when we change our habits. Organization – whether work or life organization – isn’t a destination but rather a process.

Taking the time to really organize your office and organize your life can produce amazing results. Purging the excess, streamlining communications, budgeting and leveraging time — these (and more) are all essential skills to learn and sharpen on the way to greater organization and a happier life in general.

When you combine being highly organized and efficient with the proper mindset, there is nothing that can’t be accomplished.

Susan Sly is a best selling author, speaker and entrepreneur. She has appeared on CNN, CNBC, Fox, Lifetime Television and the CBN. Susan is the mother of five children and resides in Scottsdale, Arizona. 

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