Is Being Too Organized Detrimental to Our Health?

Even with as much excess stuff as I have already removed from our home over the last couple of years, I’m going through yet another slow purge and organization project. It’s not that we have a ton of stuff. Really, it’s not. It’s because we are trying to live large in a small home. But that’s not what this post is about.

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Recently, while bemoaning the fact that my physical health is not all that great, it dawned on me that I might have made a mistake by following certain organizational advice in the past.

A Huge Mistake!

 

Well…on top of the mistake of bringing all this stuff home in the first place.

I hear you thinking “Whaaat?” Stay with me, while I explain myself….

We’ve been told for years to create “zones”. Place everything within easy reach for quick access. Store things in the rooms where the items will be used. Anything to streamline and make our lives easier. That’s all well and good, especially if you have a large home or physical disabilities. That is until you figure out you got soft. Physically soft.

Kitchen Organization

My kitchen is kind of small with about 8′ of overhead cabinets. A third of them are over the counter where the microwave is sitting.

The lower shelf of that cabinet was for the few glass dishes I used in the microwave and the dishes we used daily, or frequently. Above the plates and saucers on the lower shelf were wire shelves to hold the cute little serving dishes I like to use for sauces, snacks, etc.

The top shelf was designated for extra place settings, extra serving dishes, plus the collection of cups, mugs and glasses.  Guess what? We don’t drink wine, and who needs 10 mugs when there are only two of us in the house? But that’s a matter to address in another organization post.

Anyway…I needed something off that top shelf the other day. Since I try to stay off step stools for fear of falling and breaking a leg, I just reached up there with my outstretched arm, and standing on my tip toes, to stretch that last inch or so.

Oh! Oh! What’s that strange feeling going up my side?

Hmm…that feels kinda like that sensation I get when I go to yoga class.

Really?

I PAY to go stretch and exercise!

And I could be doing those stretches at home?

For FREE!

Wow! What a wake-up call! In an effort to save time, more often than not, I have made everything in my house so accessible, that I have to exert little energy to keep my house up. I don’t have to reach, or stretch, or bend over. Or go to another room to get something I need.

Then…I had a real facepalm moment.

Hubby and I both have created our own little “Command Centers” right next to our easy chairs. My gosh, no wonder we got so lazy and out of shape!

Now don’t get me wrong. I love organization. It’s kind of like a puzzle to me, trying to decide what goes where, or asking myself what can I put in that space to fill it up. There were even times that I felt challenged to find the perfect size and shape of container.

I guess my turning point with getting rid of crap came after I happened across an article recently about a new organizing book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter and I wrote about it here. I had been thinking along those lines for a couple of years, but seeing the idea in print validated my thoughts.

But this new revelation about being over organized really hit home, too. So much so, that I had no qualms what-so-ever about pulling those extra things out of that cabinet that we didn’t need.

I actually stopped writing this post, to go do that.

Whatever style of organization you decide to try, just make sure it works for you and your family!

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Happy Organizing!

Robin