Pop Quiz: Is your clutter killing you?
I’m was browsing through an interesting book called “The Owner’s Manual” (Harper Collins), written by two M.D.’s. It’s “An Insider’s Guide to the Body that will Make You Healthier and Younger”. Who doesn’t want to be healthier and live longer? Early in the book, they ask you to test how “body smart” you are with a quiz. The very first question was the closest I have seen to an ROI (Return on Investment) study on the benefits of getting organized. ROI, in this case, measured in years of life.
Here it is:
Which of the following ages you the least?
a. Smoking one pack of cigarettes a day
b. An HDL cholesterol level of 29 mg/dl (for those of you who don’t know, that’s sorely inadequate)
c. Consistently avoiding a nagging task on your to-do list (…in other words, clutter!)
d. Eating steak twice a week
The answer.. eating steak twice a week ages you the least. A lousy cholesterol level will age you about 4 years. And, drum roll please, avoiding a nagging activity – such as those clutter piles or an action item you hate – will age you just as much as smoking a pack of cigarettes a week! The doctors say it will age you eight (8) (yes, eight) years! Yikes! Eating steak ages you less than a year.
So, the return you get from investing in getting organized is to live a longer, less stressful life! Does your clutter stress you out? Time to get organized. Eliminating those nagging to-do items. The time is now. Because, it’s aging you my friend.
Stay tuned to www.balancesf.com in 2011 to help you stay young! Our mission, after all is “to inspire your quest to live a more organized and balanced life.”