There's Help For The Organizationally Challenged

By KATHRYN J. SIRANOSIAN

Even though Christmas is over, holiday decorations still hang—perhaps they’re not as bright or tidy as a week ago—but they’re still there. Gift boxes, bags, and wrappings fill trash cans. And many toys, received just a few days ago, have already been broken and cast aside. It’s the season of joy, but it’s also the season of clutter.

In fact, these days, there’s so much “stuff” associated with the holidays that many people feel overwhelmed and unable to truly enjoy the season, said Jennifer E. Cramer, a professional organizer from Glen Avenue in Falmouth.

“The speed of information, the pace of our lives, the fact that we are buying so much, that we are such consumers, it all contributes to feeling disorganized,” Ms. Cramer said. “And disorganization can affect every area of our lives.” So, what can you do to stay one step ahead of the clutter this season?

First of all, Ms. Cramer offered this surprising suggestion: don’t make a New Year’s resolution, like “This year, I am going to get organized.” Across-the-board, sweeping decrees like this are too daunting, and make it hard to get started, she said. Instead, commit yourself to small steps and clear, short-term goals.

“People need the confidence that, yes, they can do this,” Ms. Cramer explained. “Maybe they’ve labeled themselves as disorganized, or they see getting organized as such a tremendous project. But, when they see that it can be divided and conquered, so to speak, and that there is someone there to help them, then they realize that they can do it. That’s a tremendous relief.”

Karen B. Butler of Main Street in Sandwich, another professional organizer who works on Cape Cod, agreed. This time of year is great to begin establishing habits and systems that can help the entire family stay organized year-round, she said.

For instance, learn to think of your household as having a “flow,” Ms. Butler explained. In other words, when something new comes into the house, something old must go out. A process like this involves frequent inventorying and assessment, so it helps keep clutter in check.

“It’s called the ‘one in-one out’ rule,” she said. “And, most of the time, when you directly compare the new item against the old, you’ll notice a clear difference. Comparing usually makes it easy to get rid of the old.”

Creating a household “recycling center” can also help encourage family members to part with items that need to go “out.” This center can be a place to temporarily collect not only the usual newspapers and recyclable plastic, but also gently used books, clothes, toys, and other items. Once you’ve accumulated a few of any one kind of item, take the lot to an appropriate charity. (The public library accepts used books, for example.)

“If everyone in the family knows this is the designated place, then they don’t even have to run it by you, when they’re ready to let something go. They can just put it in the center,” Ms. Butler said. “It works really, really well.”

Both Ms. Cramer and Ms. Butler are members of the New England chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). Founded in 1985, NAPO has thousands of members. The association offers training and support to professional organizers throughout the country, and starting this spring, NAPO will also provide authorized certification to qualified members.

“People are becoming more and more aware. People are beginning to value the work that professional organizers do,” Ms. Butler said. “They’re coming to understand the importance of what we do, which is to put systems in place that work for the client.” Today’s hectic lifestyles are crammed with both opportunities and material objects, and not everyone has learned the organizational skills to keep up with the pace, she continued. Professional organizers can help people set up their homes, and their offices, with systems that help manage busy lifestyles and reclaim a sense of order.

“Think of how many hours you spend at your home. It’s supposed to be our sanctuary. It’s supposed to be a place where we can feel peaceful and calm,” Ms. Butler said. “And, yet all this energy is being drained out of us because we are looking at that closet and feeling overwhelmed. For a lot of people it can become very emotional. They’ll avoid rooms. They’ll avoid closets. They’ll avoid cabinets. But, when I go through closets and cabinets with a client, it’s usually not as bad as they thought it was going to be. It’s just that it can be so emotional. The stuff can take on a life of its own.”

Not only can disorganization seriously impact a person’s home life; in some cases, careers are affected, as well. Ms. Cramer belongs to a national study group that is focused on a newly recognized condition: chronic disorganization.

Someone who is chronically disorganized has faced a lifelong struggle against disorganization, she explained. They may have a complex learning style, or another condition (like attention deficit disorder, ADD or AD/HD) that affects their organizational capabilities. Professional organizers help people design individualized systems that are specific to their particular concerns and needs.

“It’s about habits and skills. It’s not so much about the containers,” Ms. Cramer said. “The goal is to set up a system that the client can maintain over a period of time. But, because of learning differences or the pace of lives, there are folks who need us to come back every six months, or so, and adjust the system, or help them get it back into place.”

To learn more about professional organizers, contact Ms. Cramer at Organized for Business, at 508-564-7978.