Top 10 Times to Hire a Professional Organizer

“Organization isn’t about perfection; it’s about efficiency, reducing stress and clutter, saving time and money and improving your overall quality of life.” ~ Christina Scalise ~

If you are going through a major life transition that’s left your home in disarray, have a big move in your future or are simply overwhelmed by clutter, a Professional Organizer could provide the help you need.

Here are the 10 top reasons/times why people should consider hiring a Professional Organizer:

1.You Want to Get Organized But Don’t Have The Time:
· Decluttering and organizing, whether a single room or an entire house, are time-consuming.
· If and when you are able to devote time to your organizing project, it’s always better, quicker and more fun with help. It also helps to get another perspective.
· If “getting organized” has been on your to-do list for weeks, months or even years, consider whether it’s time to finally make it happen.
· A Professional Organizer can guide you through the process, handle the removal of unwanted items and put systems into place so that you can make the most of your space.

2.You’re Moving:
. Hiring a Professional Organizer to help before, during or after a move can be a lifesaver. Leading up to a move, an organizer can help declutter and organize your home and stage your home for sale which can, in turn, help you get more money for your home. A survey by Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corp. found that staged homes spent half the time on the market than non-staged homes and sold for more than 6% above asking price.
· Scaling back before moving also means less weight and less space in the moving truck, which results in a less costly move, something that can have a significant financial impact, especially if you’re moving long-distance.
· Finally, an organizer can help you unpack your belongings in your new home and set up systems so you’re organized from the get-go.
· We make sure that your new home is organized so that things are accessible, functional and look great too.

3.You’re Remodeling:
· Make the most of your new space by hiring a Professional Organizer to optimize every shelf, cupboard and drawer so that your new space functions as beautifully as it looks.
· As much as we’d like to believe that our gorgeous new kitchen will never have piles of clutter on the counters, the truth is that without a plan, we’ll just fall back on our old habits.
· An organizer can make sure your space is set up in a way that encourages order, so it’s easier to keep things organized, even months or years down the road.

4.You Work or Run a Business From Home:
· Whether you telecommute one day each week or run a business from home full time, staying organized can help you stay at the top of your game.
· Office workers waste an average of 40% of their workday. Not because they aren’t smart, but because they were never taught organizing skills to cope with the increasing workloads and demands, Wall Street Journal Report.
· A Professional Organizer can help you rein in a messy home office, organize files and paperwork and set up your space to best support your business.

5.You’re in a Major Life Transition:
· When big life changes are happening — health challenges, the death of a loved one, divorce, the arrival of a new baby, aging parents — the last thing you may want to focus on is organizing. Yet when you have other things going on that leave you without the physical or emotional energy to keep your home life running smoothly, that only adds to the stress and chaos.
· A Professional Organizer can help bring a sense of order to your home when you need it most. Here are just a few ways we can help in a trying time:
o Organize baby gear for new parents
o Help aging parents who need to downsize
o Help you sort and organize a deceased loved one’s belongings
o Get a fresh start and reclaim your space after a divorce

6.Your Papers Are a Complete Disaster:
· Are piles of unsorted papers the bane of your existence? Instead of putting off organizing them yet again, consider hiring a Professional Organizer to help you sort through them.
. Paperwork has been voted the biggest burden for small businesses.
· A Professional Organizer can help you figure out what needs to be kept and which documents can be safely discarded. We can then set up a filing system uniquely tailored to your needs and help you discern which paper management system works for you.

7.One Area Is Driving You Nuts:
· There might one area in your home that just feels disorganized. It could be the garage, attic or basement — or even a storage unit you’ve been renting for so long that you hardly remember what’s in it.
· Professional Organizers are not fazed by overstuffed spaces! We can help you tackle even the most daunting storage area and transform it into a functional space.

8.You Want to Make Everyday Tasks Easier:
· Proper organization can go a long way toward making everyday tasks and routines run more smoothly.
· If you want to eat more healthfully or cook more meals at home, a Professional Organizer can whip your fridge and pantry into shape, making it easier to find ingredients and prepare meals.
· We can also help create a neat laundry room, streamline cleaning supplies and set up routines and systems to make your household run more efficiently. You can then spend your time doing more of what you want to be doing and less time managing your stuff.

9.You Need Accountability:
· If you really want to get organized but you’re just not getting it done on your own, accountability could be the missing piece.
· The great thing about hiring a Professional Organizer is that this person can also act as an accountability partner. Simply knowing that someone will be checking up on your progress can be enough to spur you into action between visits.

10.You’re Totally Overwhelmed:
· If clutter is taking over your home and you just can’t take it anymore, a Professional Organizer can immediately begin to ease your burden.
· You don’t need to feel embarrassed by the state of your home. Most Professional Organizers really have seen it all. Further, as a Member of NAPO, the National Association of Professional Organizers, we abide by a code of conduct and ethics. We do not pass judgment. We’re there to help you.

10 Ideas to Take Spring Cleaning to the Next Level

It might be a little early to talk about Spring Cleaning but its finally getting warmer, the rain is letting up and it’s been on my mind. So, I thought I’d provide a different take on Spring Cleaning. Instead of giving you tips and tricks on how to go about your Spring Cleaning rituals, I want to talk about the things that never seem to come up when we get ready to tackle our Spring Cleaning chores. For example, most articles talk about switching out winter clothes for spring and summer clothing, house cleaning from dusting to window washing to carpet cleaning. But what about all the other things like:
1. Cleaning and/or replacing make-up brushes or hairbrushes.
2. Cleaning out the junk drawer or any drawer for that matter.
3. Instead of just switching out winter clothes for Spring, what about going through & getting rid of the clothes you didn’t wear this winter before storing them away.
4. How about going through the cabinets & closets throughout the house. I don’t mean all at once but, every so often it’s a good thing to go through these areas to determine what to keep, what to donate and what to toss. Break it down & do one cabinet or one closet at a time until you’ve gone through them all. It will take time but there’s no rush. Afterall Spring is still a couple of months away.
5. When was the last time you looked at the stacks of magazines that seem to pile up around the house in different areas (think bathroom)? Do a sweep of the house & get rid of any magazines that are older than 3 months. The only exception is if you or a loved one are in that magazine.
6. Have you looked at the kitchen counter lately? Are there appliances or other random items that are there just because they’ve been there and not necessarily because anyone is using them. Take anything off the counter that really doesn’t need to be out. Put it away or give it away if you don’t need it or want it any longer.
7. Medicine cabinets don’t get much love either. Take a few minutes & throw away the old razers, expired medications & make-up that you haven’t used in several months. After you make some room you can put away the other things that have been on the counter because there was no room in the medicine cabinet.
8. Book shelves. Look closely & see how many objects, other than books, are on the shelves. Oftentimes there are so many other objects that you can’t even get to a book without having to move the other items (ie, photographs & small objects that you didn’t know what to do with so you just put them on the shelf). Wouldn’t it be great if you could just pull out a book that you want to read without having to move everything over to get to it? Move 90% of anything that is not a book off the book shelf. Keep a photo or a chotschke or two but move the rest out of the way so that you can actually see the books. Find other more appropriate homes for those items that don’t belong on the book shelf.
9. Wires and cables and chargers Oh My! I see it all of the time. A box or bag or drawer full of wires and cables and chargers that nobody seems to need. You’re probably saving them “just in case” but mostly they are for items that you no longer have. If you had the item you would undoubtedly need the wire that came with it for one reason or another. Soooo, if you haven’t needed it for a few months chances are you won’t ever need it. At the very least, go through them and sort and purge in the process.
10. Finally, get rid of anything that “you’ve been meaning to fix or mend” and just haven’t gotten to it. The broken piece of ceramic from your favorite mug, the ripped article of clothing, the handbag with the missing shoulder strap. I’m sure your intentions were good but, if it’s been sitting around waiting to be fixed for a few months, perhaps its time to let it go.

To be clear, I’m not saying that the above should take the place of Spring Cleaning. I’m just suggesting that there are other things and places around your home that need attention too.

I’d love to hear from you if you thought this was helpful. If not, I’d still like to know.

Spring Is In The Air

After reading so many articles about Spring Cleaning, I decided to dig in and figure out why so many people do this.

Having been diagnosed at a very early age with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) I just always assumed that everyone did it because it was such a wonderful thing to do and that everyone enjoyed it as much as I did. To be truthful, I engaged in Spring Cleaning all year long. I just didn’t get teased when it was spring as everyone else seemed to be on board.

Where it all began:
Once upon a time, long, long ago, spring cleaning, albeit not referred to as spring cleaning, was a cultural endeavor. Here are some interesting historical facts:

Iranian culture – Every year on March 21, the spring equinox, Iranians celebrate Now Rouz or the new year. It is a 2 week long festival which includes a variety of celebrations. Every year before it begins, Iranians participate in khaneh takani, literally “shaking the house”, or what we would call spring cleaning. They believe everything must be made as good as new essentially to begin the new year in the right way. (Source: Iran Press Service)
Jewish culture – During Passover, when the Jewish people celebrate their departure from Egypt, they are required to remove all leavened products from their homes. Some historians believe they would clean their homes from top to bottom before Passover, and therefore during the spring, to ensure that nothing leavened remain, no matter how small. (Source: The History Channel)
Chinese culture – Before the Chinese New Year, usually in late January or early February, the Chinese clean their homes to sweep out the bad luck and usher in the good. (Source: The New York Times)

Whatever the reason, spring cleaning has been around for ages and I don’t see signs of it disappearing anytime soon. Below are some helpful tips on how to start the process and get through it efficiently:

1. Be Prepared: Make sure you have the right supplies
• Cleaning supplies (vacuum, rags, dusters)
• Tote to hold the cleaning supplies
• Containers, bins, boxes or baskets
• Bags for trash or for donations

2. Have a plan: Take all your supplies (see above) with you into each room to save time and energy.
• Start by picking up the clutter in each room.
o NOTE* ANYTHING THAT DOESN’T HAVE A HOME IS CONSIDERED CLUTTER
• Toss the garbage
• Anything that you want but doesn’t have a home in the room you’re working in goes into a basket or bin for distribution in another area
• Anything that belongs in that room needs to be put where it belongs
• This is a good time to put things away that don’t necessarily need to be on display. It will certainly cut down on your cleaning time if you have less out on the shelves, countertops, etc.
• Start at the same place in each room. I like to go from left to right. It takes the decision making component out of it. I just start at the same place in each room.
• Always clean top to bottom. This is important! Anything that you don’t get with the dust rag will fall to the floor so when you’re finished you can then clean the floor.

3. Prioritize: Figure out what area is most important. This is important as you might not get this all done in one day.
• Tackle one area at a time: I can’t emphasize this enough. If you try to get the whole house done it will be overwhelming.
• Spring cleaning is a process and it does not have to be done in one day or even one weekend.

4. Delegate:
• Ask your significant other, children, roommate or housekeeper to help.

5. Have some fun!
• Make a game out of it
• Challenge your children to a contest and make sure to reward the winner
• Play some great upbeat music.