Have you ever thought or wondered if, by getting yourself organized at work would allow you a more stress less work experience? What about those organizing projects at home? It is extraordinary how many people in today’s workforce devote an enormous amount of time and resources to getting organized at work, only to experience even higher amounts of stress at home due to clutter. This article looks to outline how organizing can reduce stress, thus create more order, balance, and control in your life, both at home and work.
As some contextual background, according to theorists, like Victor H. Vroom, an international expert on leadership and decision making, Victor Vroom’s intrinsic (i.e., internal) motivational theory suggest that employees are motivated by equity and reinforcement theories consistent with an equal chance at upward mobility in the workplace. Thus, rewarding and promoting all employees equally would keep employees motivated in an organization[1]. Think of it this way, if a person perceives that there is a positive payoff (e.g., reduced stress, etc.), they are likely to engage in the action required to receive the desired outcome. In fact, a study of Fortune 500 employees indicated that some people will even stay at work longer (an area that possibly requires more organization) due to the stresses associated with their unorganized home[2]. Furthermore, even when accounting for marital status, fearfulness, and mood, a study of 60 viewed participants by Darby E. Saxbe and Rena Repetti[3], also found that individuals who describe their homes with negative language (e.g., too much clutter, not enough space, too many projects, not enough time, etc.) were found to characterize their homes as more stressful than those who were found to describe their living spaces using words that were more associated with uplifting language connected to restfulness and recuperation (e.g., relaxing, orderly, etc.).
Considering that the home is one that is usually viewed as a place to rest, recuperate, and recharge, it is clear that a home that is in good order can assist in reducing stress, which, in turn, can increase rest periods within the home, while also increasing a sense of calm in its occupants. Thus, understanding the outcomes of the Saxbe and Repetti study, improved organization within the home can actually lead to less time at work and more time at home for sorely needed rest, relaxation, and family time. Organization is a hot trending topic. Individuals like by Paige Fowler in her online article, published in the January 2015, in Shape, a magazine devoted to stress relief and health, which distinctly expressed that becoming organized can lead to increased productivity, both at home and at work[4], amongst a host of other health benefits!
If you, or a colleague you know, are in need of other ideas or motivations for getting organized, Organizing Resolutions with Starks can assist. We help our clients create balance and control in their lives through uniquely tailored organization strategies!
We leave you with one word to start you on your journey--incrementalism. Now, let’s get organized!
References
[1] Vroom’s Expectancy Theory. (2015). In Work Attitudes and Job Motivation Wiki. Retrieved July 28, 2015, from https://wikispaces.psu.edu/display/psych484/4.+expectancy+theory
[2] Hochschild, A. R. (1997). The time bind: When work becomes home and home becomes work. New York, N.Y.: Henry Holt.
[3] Saxbe, D. E., & Repetti, R. (2010). No place like home: Home tours correlate with daily patterns of mood and cortisol. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36(1), 71-81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0146167209352864
[4] Fowler, P. (2015, January 29). How cleaning and organizing can improve your physical and mental health. Shape. Retrieved from http://www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/how-cleaning-and-organizing-can-improve-your-physical-and-mental-health