WHY does being organized help your life? It’s a time saver, makes life easier, looks good, but HOW? Let’s find out.
It seems being organized has become more of a trend with each passing season (spring cleaning, holiday storage) and with the latest crazed t.v show (Tidying Up) that will help us turn out life around! Don’t get me wrong, I love some inspiration! However, there are few articles or shows that highlight WHY being organized helps your life. Sure, we save time, makes your life easier, but what about how?
Our brains can only do so much
Psychology Today explains that our working brain has “limited capacity”. I’m not sure about your brain, but mine FEELS like it’s working over its capacity! Maybe not the most efficient at times, but it’s like Santa’s workshop in there! Okay, okay, maybe that’s a stretch. So if it’s working at limited capacity, then how do I be more productive and organized? The more I learned, the more it sounded like an episode of Super Market Sweep was happening in my brain. If it was up to me, I’d prefer it to be more like the scene in Sing. So, let’s make it happen!
Labels give us a daily review
There is something called Fading Theory, where only 54% of information was remembered 1 day after reading a textbook and the amount declined to only 21% recall in 14 days. There was no review in this time. So, if we aren’t making it a point to remind our selves daily, we need some help! Reviewing information is important, and labels give us a no brainer solution- no pun intended. It’s like a tutor reminding us where things go! YES!
The order stays orderly with labels
Our brain can be tricky sometimes, and information can get crossed or lost pretty easily. Take Interface Theory, for example. As we acquire new information or apply a process, the older information becomes more difficult to recall. We can even have difficulty learning new information like a telephone number because the old one is still being recalled. If you’ve just created a new filing system, you may forget to place your bills in their proper place, once complete. When we label our items, we are helping in forming the new process or new location of an item without having our brain working even harder. TA-DA! You can also find more filing tips with my easy & quick hidden mail station!
Labels help us filter through the time-wasting stuff
The above image from Making It Stick: Memorable Strategies to Enhance Learning is very helpful at understanding how our brain receives information. We gather information from our environment ALL THE TIME! We may not even realize it, but our brain does! It has its own system to filter out what’s necessary, or not. What happens when the phone is ringing, your kids are asking for the signed permission slips, and you’re trying to find the sugar for your coffee – not the salt! Do you want it to look like a scene from a game show? Nope. Your brain will thank you for some labeling help in that multitasking moment.
Labels don’t have to be fancy, but they can be! Enjoy these FREE printables!
It is my hope that you’ll enjoy these simple and easy labels so that your brain can have a break – and you’ll have more time to have one yourself! Whether you are labeling so your space is less messy, or your brain – have fun while you’re at it!
The Messy Polka Dot 
