Four Common Characteristics of Chaotic Homes
Author: Janet Nusbaum

In my work with clients as a Professional Organizer, I've
observed many characteristics in chaotic homes, but here I
focus on four major characteristics that I've found to be
most common.

1. Lack of systems and homes for belongings - Without
systems and procedures, each time a task is performed; it's
like reinventing the wheel.  Time, energy and productivity
are lost. In addition, if belongings do not have consistent
homes, then again, time, energy and productivity are lost
when searching for needed items.   Without systems and
regular homes for belongings, family members have nothing
to count on in the home, like "this is the process for
performing this task, or this is where we put this item."

2. Children not consistently performing home maintenance
tasks as an active member of the family team - Let me share
with you one lesson I've learned in my many years as an
Organizing Consultant and parent of two ... you cannot
truly gain control of your home and achieve an organized
lifestyle if your children are not an active and
contributing member of the family team working toward the
common goal of keeping the home picked up, organized, and
running smoothly. From my observation, the less the
children are given clear home maintenance expectations
(chores) and consequences for not performing these expected
tasks, the more chaotic and disorderly is the home, and the
more frazzled and overwhelmed is the home manager.

3. Procrastination runs rampant in chaotic homes. -
Procrastination is a bad habit.  There is really nothing
positive that comes from choosing to procrastinate.  In the
organizing world we define it as a delayed decision.  There
are many causes of procrastination, most notably our
increasingly fast paced 24/7 lifestyle, but essentially,
procrastination is an impulse to delay an action or
decision until a later time.  Procrastination is always
present in disorganized and chaotic homes.  Procrastination
often spreads to all family members - when one person gets
away with it, it opens the door for others to adopt the
same behavior.

4. More stuff comes into the home than leaves. - With the
massive debt that the average American carries, it is no
surprise that our homes are bursting at the seams with over
purchasing and consumption.  Common in chaotic homes, are
often few limits placed on how much stuff comes into the
home.   Impulse purchasing is common, with little analysis
about the purpose of a new purchase or where it will be
stored once home.  Then as a result of our busy lives, we
never get around to the drudgery of purging little used and
no longer valued stuff.  Without regular efforts to
equalize our stuff (eliminate equal amounts of existing
stuff as new stuff is brought home), our homes are soon
bursting at the seams and in a state of chaos.

There are many more common characteristics than the four
detailed above, but these major characteristics will give
you some food for thought.  Can you identify your own
household in any of these characteristics?


About the Author:

Janet Nusbaum, AKA the Organizing Genie, is a mom of two,
an Organizing Consultant, Speaker & Author of 'Mom, Can I
Help Around the House?' A Simple Step-by-step System for
Teaching your Children Life-long Skills for Pitching in &
Picking up, who inspires individuals, families and
businesses to organize their lives and navigate
transitions. Visit http://www.KidsandChores.net for a FREE
chapter of her new book & family chore system.