A Word on NAPO.

I'm sure many of you aren't familiar with the term 'professional organizer'. Heavens knows, I get a lot of blank stares when I mention the name.

Perhaps the easiest way to explain what a professional organizer is/does is to start at the top of the hierarchy. Ever heard of the popular TV show 'Hoarders'? It features people who obsessively collect 'things' until they are literally digging tunnels through their piles of stuff in order to access limited areas of their home. Many times, this clutter causes health issues as well as emotional and spacial problems.

Cue a professional organizer.

This being the most extreme, and probably complex, of scenarios, a professional organizer would come in to the home to both sort through the massive amounts of clutter and to help the hoarder sift through their emotional attachment to it. They help with cleanup/organization of both the home and mind.

However, professional organizing does not need to be so dramatic.
Many professional organizers choose to deal with small home or business clients in need of simple storage and/or filing solutions without becoming involved in the emotional aspects that surround the human need for 'things'. They simply contact the client, discuss their wants/needs and complete the set arrangement.

Although becoming a professional organizer does not require earning a degree, many are certified through the National Association of Professional Organizers. Surveys have also shown that professional organizers tend to hold degrees in a wide range of other fields but, for some reason or another, have decided to focus their efforts on helping the world and its inhabitants become more organized.

Believe it or not, NAPO has been around for quite some time: more than twenty years to be exact. This may come as a surprise to some, considering that the general population is in ignorance of its mere existence.

Now you are well versed in the rapidly growing field that is professional organization. Be proud. Very proud.

A Bit O' Inspiration

Upon moving out of my parent's house and into my own apartment, I discovered a new and exciting aspect of adult life: limitless access to cable TV.

And, more importantly, a wide assortment of potential channel choices. So far my favorites have been Food Network, TLC, HGTV and Style.

These days, I am completely and utterly fascinated with the Reality TV show, Clean House. So much so that I'm even willing to put up with large doses of Niecy Nash.

The show revolves around clutter-happy families who have accumulated massive piles of 'stuff' to the point of insanity in every crevice of their homes.

Enter the Clean House team.

Throughout the course of the episode, the family members are asked to remove everything from their home and keep only what is absolutely essential to their everyday living. If they haven't used the 'thing' in over a year or only hold onto it for sentimental reasons, they are bribed into letting it go in exchange for new furniture.

Eventually, a yard sale is held and the proceeds of which are doubled (up to $1,000) and applied towards the new home's interior.

So as I sit, wide-eyed, marveling at the amazing transformation every time, I can't help but wonder: why do you have to be on TV to take such initiative?

Really.

I'm issuing a little challenge.
Go home and look around. Do you like what you see?
Maybe you haven't even really noticed before, but are your 'things' taking over?

If so, have your own personal episode of 'Clean House'.
If you can't sell it, chuck it.

And when you're all done, sit down and enjoy the result of your labors with a little HGTV.

Rule Number Three.

I must once again put in a good word for the handy (and I might add CHEAP!) organizational supplies found at IKEA. They offer small storage solutions for laundry & cleaning, waste sorting, boxes & baskets, paper & media organizers, bins & bags, clothes & shoes organizers, hooks & hangers, kitchen organizers and (of course) bathroom accessories.

Now, you already know Rule Number One ('Everything Needs a Home') but what if  the 'home' you give something is a 'full-house'.

What if you have so many spices or so many pens/pencils or so many anything really that you can't easily access any of it? What if you're dutiful to return everything to its proper place but things still don't seem to be going your way organizationally?

That's where Rule Number Three comes in: Accessibility is the Key.

Many times, storage systems purchased at stores such as IKEA can offer the perfect solution. I hope my sister won't mind if I use her bathroom as the perfect example.

What you must know: my sister has four, count em', FOUR girls. And as many can relate, four girls all sharing one bathroom can equal disaster at times. Happily, my sister has it under control. She purchased three BYGEL rails for $1.99 a piece and six BYGEL containers for $.99 each. To add some variety, she also invested in two BYGEL wire baskets for $1.99 a piece.

The end product looks AMAZING.

Now, instead of piling things of top of each other and cramming hair products onto a shelf too deep to be humanly reached, everything is logically ordered for accessibility. Her girls love having their own space and the removable containers make finding the perfect hair accessory easy-peasy. She even added a fun plastic plant for a burst of color and freshness. (Excuse the poor photo quality.)



Other times, necessity is the mother of invention.

Take a look at the clever way in which she organized her daughter's flower hair clips. By tacking a fun, wide ribbon to the wall and clipping each barrette along its length, she not only created a beautiful wall decoration but an ingenious solution to the 'messy bin of hair things' that no one ever uses because it's so cluttered.

Learn to tell the difference between 'organization' and 'compilation'. Are you organizing logically to allow for easy accessibility? Or are you simply making cluttered piles?

Assess your surroundings and make them work for you.