If you are thinking about hiring a a professsional organizer, this excellent article by Erin Doland, Editor-in-Chief of Unclutterer.com is a MUST READ. Like me, she is a recovering packrat. She is also an excellent writer and has interviewed many of the top professional organizers, like my friends Monica Ricci, owner of Atlanta-based Catalyst Organizing Solutions and Geralin Thomas, owner of Cary, North Carolina-based Metropolitan Organizing. There is also a lot of GREAT advice in the comments from my friends and colleagues Ilene Drexler based in NYC and Jeri Dansky author of the MUST READ blog Jeri's Organizing & Decluttering News. (I also much give many thanks to my fabulous virtual assistant Janet Barclay, for bringing this article to my attention)
As an organizing coach who specializes in ADD and chronic disorganization I simply had to chime in with my thoughts as well and of course, mention that if you have tried to get organized many times in the past, and your quality of life has been seriously impaired by clutter and disorganization, look for a professional organizer who also belongs to www.NSGCD.org (the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization) which provides specialized training to organizers on how to help people overcome chronic disorganization (CD). CD is not a medical condition but it is something that you will probably always have a tendency toward so overcoming it requires highly creative and customized organizing strategies.
A few points I added to consider in hiring a professional organizer include looking for someone who:
1) Partners with you and doesn't tell you there is only one "best" way to do things. To get long lasting results, choose an organizer who listens to your needs, gives you options to choose from, incorporates your preferences in the solution, and takes your personal organizing and learning style into consideration. There is never just one right way to organize something.
2) Seeks to understand your most deeply ingrained habits and work "with" them as much as possible. i.e., if you "live" in your kitchen, you probably won't suddenly start sorting your mail in that cute office upstairs. With some creativity, there are many ways to continue to use your kitchen counter to sort and still keep your kitchen neat and organized.
3) Understands backsliding. Most people get excited about a new organizing system, but then something happens that causes them to to slip back into old habits from time to time, especially when stressed. The important thing is to LEARN as much as you can from these events and "recover" as soon as possible. Don't hide them from your organizer or be ashamed to have them come back and see that you haven't been perfect. Your organizer should help you learn from the events and prepare you to deal with backsliding.
My article on "What to expect when working with a professional organizer" has several more tips like this.
Thanks again Erin for bringing up this very important topic!
P.S. After getting many requests from people who wanted a print version of my book, I spent my entire weekend making it happen! Not only that, I daresay 99% of the typos have been cleaned up by an awesome, multitalented friend of ours who gave the book a very thorough proofreading! Thank you Cathy!!! I would tell you how to reach her, but she doesn't want me to. : )
You can now order the "Neat & Simple Guide to Organizing Your Home Office!"at the new
Neat & Simple Organizing Success Bookstore on lulu.com! We are working on getting our other books available in print as well, so stay tuned!
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