Write a New Chapter 

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is 'New Year's Day.'" 

Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Now that the manic rush of the holidays is behind us, I must confess that one of my favorite days of the year in my home is the day we take down all of the Christmas decorations. We almost always do this on New Year's Day, and did so again this year. My family would disagree quite vehemently, but for me, having my home back to "normal" symbolizes the fresh start that the new year brings. I love putting up my Christmas decorations, and enjoy them to the utmost throughout the season. However, by the time New Year's Eve rolls around, I'm ready to have them gone. My house feels so much less cluttered and fresh when everything is finally put away for the season (maybe it's because it's the first time the house has really been vacuumed since Thanksgiving ;-).

While I'm not a big New Year's resolution maker, I do enjoy the feeling of turning the page to a new chapter, much like when the school year starts again in September. I know many people make the resolution to be more organized in the new year, which is one of the reasons that the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) has designated January "GO Month", as in "Get Organized Month". Many of those folks will consider hiring a professional organizer to help them with the task, but many may hesitate for any number of reasons. Some may just not be ready to tackle the commitment that getting organized takes. However, thanks in no small part to the recent proliferation of "organizing" shows on T.V., many are held back by fear. Fear that an organizer will bully them into throwing away their possessions. Fear that they may be judged lazy, or messy, or incompetent. Fear that the organizing process may take up precious time and money, of which they already have too little. 

While I appreciate the higher profile and recognition afforded to professional organizers by these shows, I am frustrated by the stereotypes they perpetuate. My job as an organizer is to help you with your organizational issues with compassion and expertise. Organizers don't bully, and they don't judge. For those of us who belong to NAPO, our code of ethics states, "I will serve my clients with integrity, competence, and objectivity, and will treat them with respect and courtesy." I am there to help you make those tough decisions, to work with you through the process, implement new systems, and to teach you how to maintain them (and hopefully make the process enjoyable at the same time!)

If your fear is that you don't have the time or the money to get organized, I ask you to consider how much time each and every day that you waste looking for things you can't find. A recent NAPO survey finds that people lose as much as an hour a day looking for things at home and at work. If that's you, if you even waste 10 minutes a day looking for your keys, your glasses, your cell phone, that piece of paper that was just on the counter yesterday, think of how much time that adds up to in the course of a year. Nearly 61 hours a year. And that's only 10 minutes per day! Think of what you could do with that lost time - bill more hours, get to your kid's soccer game, even take a vacation! Financially, if you're paying late fees on overdue bills because they get lost under the pile, or not sending out invoices from your home office in a timely fashion because your desk is disorganized, or buying duplicates of stuff you already have because you can't find it, you're losing money, too. Consider also the toll it all takes on your stress level and your peace of mind. I've seen it happen over and over again - when people finally make that commitment to get organized, they gain so much more than what they initially invested in time, money and peace of mind. 

 My clients are people who have called me into their homes for many reasons. Some have struggled with life-long disorganization and are looking to me to teach them those organizing skills that they never learned as we work together. Some have one particular area of their homes in which organization eludes them and they just need some outside, objective expertise. Others are enjoying the empty nest for the first time and have the desire to re-organize their homes to suit their new lifestyle. Many are people who are basically organized, but have recently gone through a change in their lives, like a move to a new home, the birth of a child, or the death of a loved one and the resulting accumulation of inherited belongings. They all have realized that getting some professional expertise, like calling an accountant to help them with their taxes, or a lawyer to draw up their will, ultimately not only makes the job easier, but gets it done faster and with better, longer-lasting results.

If your New Year's resolution is to get organized once and for all, don't let fear, procrastination or the media's stereotypes keep you from enjoying your home the way it was meant to be - functional and peaceful.

Open that book, stare down that blank page, and write your own first chapter for the new year. Call it "The First Day of My Organized Life"!

I invite everyone to check out my newly redesigned website at www.organizedway.com. It's a bit easier to navigate, and you will find some new resources along with the tried-and-true. As a special benefit of being a current subscriber to my Home In Order newsletter, and to thank you for your ongoing loyalty, I am offering you several free tips sheets that are now available only to new subscribers. Click here to access several downloadable pdf tips sheets on organizing your kitchen, your paperwork, and your kid's stuff. There is also a free grocery list & menu planner that you can print and make copies of to make your weekly shopping trip a little easier. Thanks, and enjoy!

Home In Order

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