Organizing Facts and Figures

You will not believe some of these statistics about organization! Provided courtesy of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO).

80% of what we keep we never use.
Agency Sales Magazine, April 2003

Getting rid of clutter eliminates 40% of housework in an average home.
Ottawa Citizen, January 2003

The average American burns 55 minutes a day – roughly 12 weeks a year – looking for things they know they own but can’t find.
Newsweek, 2004

Realtors regard “first impression” improvements such as de-cluttering closets to be one of the smartest ways to spruce up your home before putting it on the market.
NAPO media stats

Executives waste 6 weeks per year searching for lost documents.
Fast Company Magazine, August 2004

Employees spend roughly 25% to 35% of their time looking for the information they need to do their jobs.
Document Magazine, October 2003

50% of homeowners rate the garage as the most disorganized place in the house.
NAPO media stats

23% of adults say they pay bills late (& thus incur fees) because they lose them.
Harris Interactive

More than 1 out of 4 Americans remarked that they would like to be better organized.
NAPO media stats

UPS and GM have implemented clean desk policies.
Wall Street Journal, May 2002

We wear 20% of the clothes we own 80% of the time. The rest just hangs there, just in case.
Calgary Herald, 2004

25% of people with 2-car garages don’t park any cars in there and 32% parked only one.
US Department of Energy

80% of the clutter in most homes is a result of disorganization, not lack of space.
Ottawa Citizen, January 2003

The average American receives 49,060 pieces of mail in their lifetime, 1/3 of it is junk mail.
NAPO media stats

The average American spends one year of their life looking for lost or misplaced items at home and in the office.
US News and World Report

US employees waste more than two hours a week finding, sharing and storing documents.
www.smartbusinessmag.com, July 2001