It seemed inevitable that someday I’d have to inform you about some of the pitfalls of getting organized. Even some doctors will eventually reveal how to stay healthy so you don’t get sick and have to call on them for help.

This type of information puts many types of professionals out of business, but it does become an ethical duty to inform. So, in view of my ethical duty, I wanted to share my observations and findings with you.

What Professional Organizers May Not Tell You

The top ten pitfalls of “When you are organized ….

1. Your family and friends may visit more often and stay longer.

Now that your place is nice and organized, you’ll notice that people stay longer when they come to visit. They might even like your place so much that they want to throw special event parties at your house. That could mean you’ll end up planning more gatherings at your house instead of planning more to-do lists.

2. You will find things faster and end up saving time.

And we all know that saving time means that all the time you used to spend wasting it gives you more hours in the day. Then you’re faced with figuring out what to do with all that extra time you end up with (since you’re no longer searching for stuff). It might mean that you have more time for the kids or spouse, so you should know about this phenomena.

3. Your surplus of food in the cabinets will be diminished.

All that food once hidden in your cupboards will now be found more easily and you won’t end up buying more of something you already have. This could mean fewer trips to the grocery store, or even less food than you’re normally used to keeping around. And it could mean trying to cook up all the surplus of food you had lying around before it actually goes bad.

4. You’ll have less clothing.

That’s right. After you go through your clothes and get rid of ones you don’t like or don’t / can’t wear anymore, you won’t have the abundance you once had. But don’t worry – your closet will begin to look like it has space in it for more clothing. This should give you the satisfaction that you are now able to buy more if you continue to use the “Buy one, get rid of one” clothing rule.

5. You’ll end up in control.

Being more in control of your life has its plus points and minus points. One plus is that you can have more predictability in things around you. A minus is that you won’t get eaten up with issues that arise due to lack of control.

6. You will no longer have your usual excuses.

All those usual excuses you’ve had for lateness or forgotten appointments because you didn’t write it down are obsolete once you’re organized and you’ll need to invent or have other reasons. Others will expect more of you and the days when people used to rely on the fact you would be late or not show up at all are gone.

Those expectations got you off the hook on numerous occasions, but not once you’re organized. They will probably count on you to be there when you say you’ll be there.

7. You will accomplish more than you bargained for.

As if you didn’t feel you were busy enough throughout your day, now you’ll end up doing more since you’re getting more things actually done out of all that busy-ness. That’s because you’ll be dealing with being more efficient which leads to being more productive and doing more than you were before.

Procrastination may still exist in your life, but not to the extent it used to be. Those lists you’ve been used to staying stagnant will start to have things crossed off, giving the appearance that you’re getting things done you once had good intentions of getting done.

8. Your plans may go off without a hitch.

Surprise hitches often come about because you were not prepared, and these type of surprises become less frequent in numbers when you’re organized. This goes for in-expected guests who were actually expected.

9. You could end up spending less money.

Those days of fruitless spending on things you already have may end up being more fruitful because you’re not wasting money on fruitless things. What I mean is, you’ll save money by not spending it on things you couldn’t find before, like another ream of paper, or more pens, or cleaning supplies, etc., things like that.

10. Your lowered stress level changes your sleep habits.

Being stressed over disorganization and disorder is now a thing of the past and you could find yourself over-sleeping.

‘

Well, that’s about it. Or, at least all I could think of at the moment. I’d love to hear more from you of any pitfalls I missed. It helps other readers and may shed more light on what it’s really like to be organized.