Recently I attended a conference called NERCPO 2021, the NorthEast Regional Conference for Productivity and Organizing professionals. We were virtual this year, with participants Zooming in from all over the country. I learned a lot of great information on topics such as helping clients who have ADHD, managing moves and transitions, and how to find the value for objects that clients want to sell. I also had the privilege of once again running a game for conference attendees. This year I put together a trivia game called “Did You Know?” with questions around all things organizing. I thought it would be fun to share it with you so you can test you knowledge.
#1. According to the LA Times, the average American home has how many items?
- 150,000
- 200,000
- 250,000
- 300,000
#2. According to the Junkluggers, how many pounds of waste does the average American generate per day?
- 3.0 pounds
- 3.7 pounds
- 4.9 pounds
- 5.4 pounds
#3. Over the past four decades, the fastest growing segment of the commercial real estate industry has been offsite storage. According to the New York Times Magazine, how many Americans are renting offsite storage?
- 1 out of 20
- 1 out of 15
- 1 out of 10
- 1 out of 5
#4. What percentage of the following materials are being recycled?
| Paper and paperboard | 68% |
| Glass | 35% |
| Plastic | 25% |
| Aluminum | 9% |
BONUS QUESTION: Nearly ____________% of aluminum ever produced in the U.S. is still in use today.
Data sources: EPA, the Aluminum Association
#5. According to the Freedonia group, sales of home organization products are forecast to grow 2.1% per year through 2025, reaching…
- $12 billion
- $13.5 billion
- $15 billion
- $15.5 billion
#6. According to the Huffington Post, what percentage of stressed-out Americans said they worried that their homes weren’t clean or organized enough?
- 42%
- 55%
- 76%
- 84%
#7. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, every minute that you spend planning your day will save you how much time later?
- 1-3 minutes
- 3-5 minutes
- 5-7 minutes
- 7-9 minutes
#8. How many times more clothing does the average American woman own than her grandmother did?
- 3x
- 7x
- 9x
- 11x
#9. According to a 2021 study by Reviews.org, how many times each day do Americans check their phone each day?
- 230
- 262
- 396
- 412
#10. According to a 2021 study by Team Stage, what percentage of their work do salaried employees do outside of working hours?
- 12
- 19
- 22
- 26
#11. In 2020, how many emails were sent and received each day worldwide? (Statista)
- 306 billion
- 340 billion
- 380 billion
- 412 billion
#12. According to a 2019 survey by Tommy John, what percentage of Americans say they’ve worn their underwear two days or more?
- 4%
- 26%
- 38%
- 45%
#13. A poll of 1,057 women by shopping magazine ShopSmart found that the average woman owns how many pairs of shoes?
- 11
- 19
- 22
- 26
BONUS: On average, women purchase _______ new pairs of shoes per year.
#14. In April of 2021, Amazon Prime surpassed how many million subscribers?
- 100 million
- 150 million
- 175 million
- 200 million
#15. According to Owl Labs, as of August 2021, what percentage of companies worldwide are fully remote?
- 6%
- 16%
- 26%
- 36%
* * *
Those were the questions. Want to see how you did? Give yourself one point for each correct answer, and two points for each correct bonus question. Here are the answers…
#1. According to the LA Times, the average American home has how many items?
- 300,000
#2. According to the Junkluggers, how many pounds of waste does the average American generate per day?
- 4.9 pounds
#3. Over the past four decades, the fastest growing segment of the commercial real estate industry has been offsite storage. According to the New York Times Magazine, how many Americans are renting offsite storage?
- 1 out of 10
#4. What percentage of the following materials are being recycled?
| Paper and paperboard | 68% |
| Glass | 25% |
| Plastic | 9% |
| Aluminum | 35% |
BONUS QUESTION: Nearly 75% of aluminum ever produced in the U.S. is still in use today.
Data sources: EPA, the Aluminum Association
#5. According to the Freedonia group, sales of home organization products are forecast to grow 2.1% per year through 2025, reaching…
- $13.5 billion
#6. According to the Huffington Post, what percentage of stressed-out Americans said they worried that their homes weren’t clean or organized enough?
- 84%
#7. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, every minute that you spend planning your day will save you how much time later?
- 3-5 minutes
#8. How many times more clothing does the average American woman own than her grandmother did?
- 3x
#9. According to a 2021 study by Reviews.org, how many times each day do Americans check their phone each day?
- 262
#10. According to a 2021 study by Team Stage, what percentage of their work do salaried employees do outside of working hours?
- 26
#11. In 2020, how many emails were sent and received each day worldwide? (Statista)
- 306 billion
#12. According to a 2019 survey by Tommy John, what percentage of Americans say they’ve worn their underwear two days or more?
- 45%
#13. A poll of 1,057 women by shopping magazine ShopSmart found that the average woman owns how many pairs of shoes?
- 19
BONUS QUESTION: On average, women purchase 4 new pairs of shoes per year.
#14. In April of 2021, Amazon Prime surpassed how many million subscribers?
- 200 million
#15. According to Owl Labs, as of August 2021, what percentage of companies worldwide are fully remote?
- 16%
* * *
Well, how did you do? Were you surprised by these statistics? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
So many great tidbits here. Oh and btw I just bought 4 new pairs of boots in the last month here so guess I met my quota for the year – joking! But in all seriousness I can’t help it I just love buying new shoes 🥰
Janine Huldie recently posted…10 Pin Types You Need In Your Sewing Kit
We all have the things we love, Janine. Boots are so much fun! The cool weather has finally descended so go rock those boots. 🙂
I only got 6 right. The 2 that surprised me the most are #7 (I would have expected planning to save more time), and #8 (Again, I expected a higher number. Maybe it’s all relative…maybe because I don’t own a lot of clothes I do only have 3X as much as my grandmother did. And maybe if someone has tons of clothes their grandmother did, too, for her time? Or, as a professional organizer, I’ve just seen a lot of overstuffed closets?) Eye-opening quiz!
Hazel Thornton recently posted…Mom’s Boxes Part 9: Mom’s Good Silverware
When it comes to planning saving time, I’ve seen various estimates. Ten minutes is another estimate, so I guess it depends on the person and the source. As with all “averages,” most people will be either above or below. Still, I found all of these interesting. We had a lot of fun at the conference playing!
Wow, and my grandmothers both had a lot of clothing! It’s possible they have me beat with that one. I think the saving time statistics are always fascinating whether it’s about driving or planning.
Also, I hope it goes non-virtual next year, but I’m so glad you attend these!
Tamara recently posted…Stand Up in a Clear Blue Morning
We have a great time at the conference every year. When we are in person, I bake coffee cake, and other volunteers make yummy snack mix and salads. It’s a blast. Would be fun even if you weren’t an organizer LOL!
I always think statistics are fun. Most people will be above or below any average, but it provides a benchmark against which we can measure our own behavior, right?
Wow! I knew only a few of these stats. With Apple’s help, my iPhone tells me how many times I check my phone and am glad to see it is less than 262 times. =)
Sabrina Quairoli recently posted…Easy Tips to Make Your Holiday Season More Relaxing
That feature on the iPhone can be HUMBLING! I actually love that when I’m working with clients, I don’t check my phone. It gives me a true break, and I actually feel refreshed after work because of that. Fun game, right? Maybe you can come next year, Sabrina!
You always design the best games, Seana, for the NERCPO conferences! This one was terrific. I loved all the stats- so eye-opening! At NERCPO, I think I only got five correct answers, but I learned a ton. So thank you for that…and for sharing them again here.
I hardly got any myself as I was putting it together. These kinds of stats are fun for people like us, right? Thought I’d share it in my blog in case participants wanted access to the stats to share on their own sites.
I only got 4 correct, but found the questions (and answers) fascinating!
Janet Barclay recently posted…Six Questions You Must Answer on Your Website to Attract Your Ideal Client
We had a lot of fun with the game, and many were asking for the information, so I just decided to post the whole game!
I love quizzes, but I gave up on really trying to answer things like pounds of waste or recycling percentages. I just know I’m wayyyyy under the average for shoe ownership or purchase. 4 pair per year? Two pair in the same year would be a lot for me, but I go long stretches without buying new shoes. (Hmm, I spend long stretches without wearing shoes!)
#s 6-11 will be especially useful statistics to bring up with clients, but #12? I’m going to wash my brain out with soap to try to forget that one.
NERCPO sounds like it was fabulous!
Julie Bestry recently posted…20+ Sites to Organize Your Holiday Dining, Shopping & More
So funny because one of my first comments on this post was about having purchased 4 pair recently at once. That’s why we take these averages with a bit of a grain of salt. Still, they are interesting to see how our society is behaving, and for seeing trends and changing patterns!
We had a great time at NERCPO. YOU are always welcome, my friend!
Thanks Seana. I attended NERCPO and have been waiting for your post on it. This quiz was so fun and you did a great job. I have to say that I did pretty poorly on the quiz, so I think the info will be interesting to many others who think they know the answers.
I would have done poorly myself, Janet! I’m so glad you attended. It’s nice to see familiar faces in the chat. I hope you enjoyed it!
Wow! This was certainly an eye-opener!!
Even the organizers were surprised by some of these!
1 out of 10 people have a storage unit?! That’s a staggering statistic and an overwhelming number number of decisions about stuff that just aren’t being made. Thank you for collecting all these stats together, Seana. If we ever think our jobs aren’t useful, we just need to revisit your post!
Lucy Kelly recently posted…How to have a successful yard sale
That’s so true, Lucy. There is definitely a need for what we do!