Week 1 of our Organize Your Life class was a complete success!!!

The homework for the week was all about how to begin to get organized by purging the excess and creating a clearing. So many students turned in great pictures and videos of their work, and we celebrate these victories with you. Everyone should be extremely proud of all of the accomplishments and progress that has been made in one short week. People addressed their own personal monkeys, and even though the backstories were different in many cases, the results were the same — inspirational, amazing, and transformational.

Generally in OYL, we honor a “Champion” every week in our class, which is someone who showed extraordinary effort and was committed to the get organized process of becoming organized and productive. In light of the incredible efforts of the entire class in this first week, it is only appropriate that we recognize and honor everyone in the class. The overall engagement was an all-time high, and we look forward to seeing the continued progress. Past classes have shown that the most engaged students tend to reap the greatest rewards.

We are so proud of all of their purging and de-cluttering. The new spaces they have created, whether big or small, are the catalyst for greater productivity and fulfillment. Kudos to all of those who have donated to or are in the process of donating to worthy charities, as our gently used items can have a positive impact to the many people in need.

We saw quite a few different areas that were addressed — garages, bedrooms, offices, kitchens.

Always remember that organization in a process, not a destination, so with that in mind, here are a few interesting stats to keep the motivation going:

* The U.S. Department of Energy reports that one-quarter of people with two-car garages have so much stuff in there that they can’t park even one car.

* 50% of homeowners rate the garage as the most disorganized place in the house.

* According to the National Soap and Detergent Association, getting rid of clutter would eliminate 40 percent of housework in the average home.

* In a 2008 NAPO survey of 400 consumers nationwide, 27 percent said they feel disorganized at work, and of those, 91 percent said they would be more effective and efficient if their workspace was better organized. 28 percent said they would save over an hour per day and 27 percent said they would save 31 to 60 minutes each day.

* The average American throws away 65 pounds of clothing per year.

* Harris Interactive reports 23 percent of adults say they pay bills late (and incur fees) because they lose them.

* The average American burns 55 minutes a day (roughly 12 days a year) looking for things they know they own but can’t find.

* Every year enough paper is thrown away to make a 12’ wall from New York to California.

* IKEA did a survey of customers in which 31% reported they were more satisfied after clearing out their closets than they were after sex.

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.