Organizing with My Clients
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Keep what’s important and let go of the rest. Keeping only what’s important will help us stay organized because we won’t be wasting our time with things that aren’t wanted, needed, or used.
Complete these 4 statements to focus on what’s important in life right now.
Once the 4 statements are complete, take action to remove, recycle, or re-purpose what you can.
Would you consider your home to be an average American home? Do you think you have just as much stuff as your neighbors? Do you rent any storage units? Would you believe that there are 300,000 items in the average American home? (Becoming Minimalist) That’s a large number of possessions to have, store, maintain, and organize.
Where are people keeping all their stuff? Two of the most common options are in their own homes, or in a rented, off-site storage facility. Actually, the average American home has converted 3 or more spaces into make-shift storage units. (SpareFoot) On the other hand, the self storage industry is a booming business, reaching an annual revenue of 22 billion dollars in 2016. (Statistic Brain Research Institute) According to an LA Times article, there are 51,000 storage facilities in America, which is more than four times the number of McDonald’s.
Before considering another option, let’s ask the question, “Are storage units a good or bad solution?” Do they just allow us to acquire and hold onto more stuff, or do they serve a helpful role in storing our belongings ? In my opinion, I think there are two legitimate reasons for using storage units.
Unfortunately, most storage units start off as temporary but become long-term. So, is there another option? I think there is. Live with less stuff. It’s estimated that we use 20% of what we own, 80% of the time (Pareto Principle). That leaves plenty of room for editing and reducing. I know it can be difficult to make decisions on what to keep or not keep, so here are some helpful suggestions:
©October 2017 Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer All Rights Reserved
Situational disorganization is when our organizational systems are temporarily derailed, or when we’re temporarily overwhelmed by life. A few examples are when one has to downsize in less than 3 months, when one has to clean out the family home to prepare for a sale, or when one inherits a mass quantity of things all at once. In these situations I’d recommend asking for help from a Professional Organizer.
Being a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) is educational and rewarding. As a member I receive valuable training, business support, and resources. One of the best benefits is the collaboration with other Organizers. There are several smaller groups within the association, and one that I belong to is Golden Circle. We meet 4 times a year to discuss a specific topic, to offer each other support, to get to know each other a little better, and to socialize. Last month we met to discuss lessons we’ve learned from our clients. Everyone had such valuable insights to share.
One important lesson I’ve learned is that it’s not easy to accept reality, especially when it means that our dreams are unattainable. For example a client of mine had collected large amounts of books with the dream of spending hours enjoying her books. Although she wanted my help to sort, reduce, categorize, and organize these books, the reality was that her eyesight was going, and she would never be able to read the majority of her books. My practical, organized self, encouraged her to reduce and let go, until she said to me one day, “What if the doctors are wrong, and my eyesight improves?” That is when I realized that she wasn’t giving up on her dream. So, I needed to respect that, and not be a dream crusher. Coincidentally, it was not an easy reality for me to accept.
Here are some lessons we (Professional Organizers from NAPO-NE Golden Circle) have learned from our clients:
Another lesson I’ve learned is that simple solutions are often the best solutions. To read more, click here.
©June 2016 Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer® All rights reserved
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