“We, Life Organizers, often describe ourselves as ‘tidying professionals’ in a simple way, but in fact, we are not only specialized in helping people clean up their rooms, but also in organizing their lives, or as the term implies, organizing their lives, and ‘Tidying up’ is one of the entrances to this process.
And we believe that “people” are the main players.” – Mayumi Takahara
There are a lot of factors that contribute to helping one to a well executed, happy and healthy life. The one in focus today as discussed by Mayumi Takahara is the influence of having an organized life, Mayumi points out an example case of Japan,in a country like Japan, where it is most challenging to have an organized life. Mayumi has been driven to form JALO (Japan Association of Life Organizers) as a drill-unit to teach, empower and help individuals understand how and why its beneficial to have their lives organized.
There’s much to gain when you have an organized lifestyle— aside from the overall benefit of helping improve your health, progressive happiness and stability; it also proves to make it easier for those around you to do the most with their time and space. At the beginning before her innovative reform, it was quite difficult for Takahara to function in the clutters of an unorganized life as she was in constant argument with her family over a number of things. According to her, it was two power quotes that sprung the inspiration to get out and make a change in this direction. One was “You have your way, I have my way, as for the right way and the only way, it doesn’t exist” and the other was “throwing things away is a managerial approach, giving things away is an emotional approach” – the letter a quote from an expert in life organization from the United States, Judith Kalborg.
Amongst the many things that organizing your life can help you with, here are a few highlights:
• Reduced stress: A cluttered and disorganized environment can contribute to stress and anxiety, whereas having a clear and structured schedule and workspace can help to reduce stress levels.
• Better time management: By organizing your time, you can prioritize important tasks, avoid missed deadlines, and have more free time for yourself, which can improve your overall well-being.
• Improved sleep: A cluttered and disorganized lifestyle can make it difficult to relax and unwind, leading to insomnia and other sleep-related problems. On the other hand, having a structured routine and a clean and organized environment can help to improve sleep patterns.
• Increased physical activity: When you’re organized, you’re more likely to stick to a regular exercise routine, which can improve physical health and boost mood and energy levels.
• Improved nutrition: Having a structured routine can help you make healthier food choices and stick to regular meal times, which can contribute to better overall health.
After piercing much of its benefits, it is perhaps important that we look at some of the causes or reasons, as discussed by Mayumi, that affects proper life organization, especially in Japan.
• Small living spaces
• Convenient and easy access to shopping
• High quality consumer products
• Organizing into “one size fits all”
A clear understanding of the challenges, benefits and how one can go from a space of clutter, disorganization and instability to a place of mental wellness, clarity and soundness of mind could just be the game changer. Mayumi, has invested more than 18 years of proactive research into these causes, challenges and benefits before the creation of JALO in 2008. The organization has since then, educated more than a hundred thousand people, given certification to thirteen thousand for them whilst more than three thousand has emerged as trained professionals with proven expertise.
In explaining the goals in the future, Mayumi Takahara explained that there are objectives to go virtual. With virtual organizing, more people would have the access to DE-clutter, it will be easier and more comfortable to gain body and mind empowerment.
