Disorganization happens and there are many reasons:
And there are probably a few more but oftentimes it stems from
These are harder to identify as somehow they help us cope with stressful things we don’t want to deal with. Working with a Professional Organizer can help you overcome some of these underlying issues. (If you don’t have it in your budget to hire a P.O., try to find a family member that can be there for you). It provides accountability, motivation, support in making decisions and completing those unfinished tasks you have been postponing forever. It gives you that necessary push to get it done and over with. One of the sentences I hear quite often is “ I know I would never do it if you weren’t here!” And that is because my presence provides them with accountability. When people hear the word Professional Organizer they either think about someone that comes and makes them go through all their belongings and discard ½ of it, or they think about perfect pantries and closets full of plastic bins and minimalistic in possessions! That is because TV and social media are portraying that picture. That picture is different in real life. Yes, I do have clients that love to have that perfect pantry or closet, and don’t get me wrong I love them too! I am a minimalist at heart and I love well coordinated spaces, but that is not everyone’s reality or wish. There are everyday people with smaller budgets and longer wish lists of things that need to be done and this is when a Professional Organizer puts on one of her other many hats and becomes a support person there to help you anyway she can. I can’t tell you the variety of things I have helped people with, for some reason people keep asking me for advice or assistance with many different things, I must look very resourceful ;-) 😅
Now these might not be tasks one might associate with a Professional Organizer but it is a daily occurrence for me. If it is something that is in the way of my client achieving some level of organization we will tackle it!! While most of the time my work focuses on bringing order to chaotic or cluttered households, usually in closets and flat surfaces which tend to accumulate clutter overtime. Once the accumulation reaches a certain level it causes overwhelm and thus the individual tends to postpone the decision to deal with it! Which is a natural reaction to something we perceive as difficult or unpleasant . Luckily for me I enjoy bringing order and clearing up messes. Closets tend to be a place where people put things and never see them again! ;-) Naturally disorganized people also have the disadvantage to think creatively rather than logically and organization is not something that comes naturally to them. These individuals tend to have lists of uncompleted tasks, piles of mail and bills, and no systems in place so they are constantly misplacing items and repurchasing them, only to misplace them again. I can’t tell you how many times I have found multiples of items within a household for this specific reason! Flashlights, scissors, razors, blow dryers, cords, I can fill bins with them. There have been times when the “goal” was to find specific items, like a missing shoe, a passport, a tax document, a pet vaccine record, even a specific shirt needed for an event!! Other times a good chunk of time is taken by completing tasks, especially when there is a deadline, like items that need to be returned or bills that need to be paid or assembling furniture and finding the right size bedding because guests are coming. Once there is a person present to keep you focused and accountable to, things get done! In conclusion, if the type of disorganization you are dealing with is just material, meaning your closets are messy, overstuffed, and you are not able to see or find things due to lack of time, or skill a PO can reset your closet to a place that is functional and aesthetically pleasing at the same time, same goes for other rooms, but if the situation you are dealing with is due to inability to get things done you need the assistance of a PO that can be your push to tackle those issues, complete those tasks, keep you focused, and steps in when you can’t do it on your own! You will feel like a New lighter version of YOU! As you can see there are multiple reasons why a person, a home, a room might be disorganized oftentimes it has nothing to do with space, I have worked with roommates situations where the individual has a single room, apartments, and families with large homes, disorganization happens everywhere.
Some might deal with material reasons, too much for the space they have, sometimes it is a poorly designed space which does not provide much in storage space, but often it has to do with life and its twists and turns, someone might have to move in a hurry, might have an elderly parent to care for, have a baby. Or it might just be that life is too busy and time is lacking so the focus would be on the most important items on your list. But as I said before sometimes time is not lacking and it has nothing to do with material things, it is just a matter of accumulation, not only in belongings. An accumulation of unfinished tasks, postponed decisions, procrastination and that is a change that has to happen within the individual. I am not a psychologist so I am not familiar with all the intricacies but I have witnessed the change happening with a little support and a soft push. Even just being there and taking charge, finishing those tasks and lightening the load for the client will provide enough relief for them to want to continue and get things done, either with help or on their own. So don’t let things pile up any longer, it will just get worse, ask for help to get it done, it’s worth it. This is not something I wrote or came up with…. I wish! I am not talented in the writing department but I have very good logic and spacial skills, I am good at organizing and clutter comes with the territory. A large majority of my clients have organization challenges and issues for different reasons, but most often one of them is CLUTTER. What can be considered clutter is different in every home, and many people have a hard time recognizing it and letting it go. I found this documentary intriguing and revealing, and I believe it is helpful in understanding some truths about clutter. This documentary (3 parts) series by a group of archeologists and anthropologists at UCLA University is a study of people’s habits, consumerism and overabundance in the U.S. which along with other factors contributes to a large majority of U.S. households to live with clutter, the way it affects families, and stress levels. It analyzes how clutter accumulates over time and why it is so hard to reverse the process. It is a condensed version, there is also a book titled: “Life at Home in the 21st Century: 32 families open their doors” by Jeanne E. Arnold, it is available online at multiple stores or look if it’s available at your local library. Here you can read a blurb about the book: https://ioa.ucla.edu/press/life-at-home "U.S. households have more possessions per household then any society in global history and hyper consumerism is evident in many spaces." by lead author Jeanne E. ArnoldSTUFF - A cluttered life part 1 FOOD - A cluttered life part 2 SPACE - A cluttered life part 3 " The U.S. has 3.1% of the world children but consumes 40% of the world's toys" lead author Jeanne E. ArnoldThis study was not done to shame anyone rather to shine a light on how consuming affects us, the planet and the future of our children. It is a good watch and makes for a good read not only for those dealing with the problem of CLUTTER but for those that are curious to understand how this comes to happen and where to start to address it.
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AuthorHello, my name is Vicky and I am a Professional Organizer in NYC. I am passionate about anything related to organizing and most of all I fully believe in the benefits of it. Archives
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