With National Pack Rat Day on May 17, a new national survey found that while only 20 percent of the population consider themselves to be pack rats, more than 30 percent of those surveyed are holding onto things longer due to the economy.
The survey, developed by Smead, a leading provider of filing and organizational products, also found that more than 70 percent of Americans need help when it comes to being organized.
“When times are tough, people tend to hang onto things longer,” said Louise Kurzeka, a professional organizer who works with Smead. “While hanging on to stuff longer is not a problem it becomes even more important for people to have systems in place to avoid the appearance of becoming a pack rat.”
The survey also found that 56 percent of those surveyed either don’t like to throw anything away and don’t know what they should throw out. And, 44 percent of respondents said they don’t have time or don’t know how to set up an organizational system to help them deal with the clutter.
Organizational Challenges at Work and Home
The Smead National Pack Rat survey looked into organizational challenges in the home and at work. At home, people’s biggest challenges were hanging onto everything with sentimental value, failure to file items regularly and a lack of a central place to get organized. At work, the challenges include having too much stuff on their desks and not knowing what to keep electronically versus in paper documents.
“Even though people may feel overwhelmed by the amount of paper that they keep, the answer isn’t to throw everything away but rather to find a system that works for them,” Kurzeka said. “There are many simple solutions for all of these organizational challenges and once people get a system that works they are much more efficient, productive and have less stress.”
Smead offers a free interactive “how to” Web site, Smead Organomics (www.smead.com/organomics), that can identify a person’s organizational style and offer tools to match that style. The site was developed with help from professional organizers and offers practical ideas and advice including the latest trends and solutions to the most common organizing challenges in easy to digest “One Minute Answers.” In addition, an “Organomics Calculator” provides the actual time and money lost to individuals and companies due to disorganization.
