This is a guest post by Olivia Moore.

The topic of being organized has been widely discussed and all the articles, surveys, and experiments have led to the same conclusion—being organized helps you to be successful in many aspects in life. Needless to say, the busy life makes it hard to stay as organized as most of us would like.

Have you ever thought about the influence the mess at home has on the rest of your life? You wake up in the morning on your day off and instead of a time of well-deserved rest, you have to clean the house, which for many of us is more exhausting than a day in the office. I’ve also known people who isolated themselves at home because they were ashamed to invite relatives and friends due to a messy home. That’s undoubtedly not a good way to be.

Clutter at home exposes us to high levels of stress. I love cooking and I would become frustrated if I spent a few hours preparing a meal but couldn’t do what I wanted because things couldn’t be found in a messy kitchen.

In an informal poll of my friends, all agreed it is much easier in the long run to find a place for every item and reduce the time they spend tidying up. A few years ago I was regularly complaining I was unable to spend as much time as I wanted with family and friends because of the time I had to spend every Saturday cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming, doing the laundry, and picking up the trash my kids left behind on the carpet in the living room. Then I found the “clean as you go” method, which saved cut my Saturday cleaning time greatly.

I create a list with the daily tasks I have to complete and stick to it. I have found it important to not overestimate what I can accomplish, especially on a weekday when I also have spent a day at the office and won’t be energetic enough to dust the house, do the ironing, and prepare dinner. I have learned the hard way it’s better to have realistic goals.

Clutter creates chaos and disorganization, and can make you feel under the weather. Find the best way that helps you manage your own situation and you will surely experience the difference.

What is your experience with keeping an organized home? Join the conversation with your comments…