An article came out this week in the New York Times detailing the author's experience working with a professional organizer to organize her home office.
http://tinyurl.com/cqvykk Of course I love it when anything is published about the work of organizing consultants because it brings awareness to the type of work that we do.
The important message in the article is that organizing your office, setting up systems, and making it an efficient and appealing space to be in, is a personal experience.
What will work for one person, may not work for another. That is why trying to follow advice from books and television shows may work for some and not for others. Many people feel like they fail when they measure the results and compare themselves to others. (You must know that there are a lot of people behind the scenes making the dramatic room make-overs you see on popular organizing television shows.)
The following is a typical conversation I might have with someone who discovers that I am a professional organizer (PO):
Friend: "You're an organizer?? Wow! I could really use you at my house!"
Me: "I'm sure I could help you. What sort of issues are you dealing with?"
Friend: "Oh, you know, the usual closet clutter, and my basement could really use some help."
Me: "So, what's stopping you from getting it done?"
Friend: "I never have the time. I work at it when I can, and I had my basement in really good shape last summer. But now it's a mess again."
It's at this point in the conversation that I feel like people are apologizing to me for not being as organized as I am. They say they could really use the help, but seem to feel like hiring someone is an admission of failure or perhaps a lack of a basic skill. What I and all the other POs would like to tell you is, STOP BERATING YOURSELF! Accumulating clutter is natural at times. When it shows up to stay - that's when you need to take back control.
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