[ By Allegra Bennett ]
Clearing clutter is an industry. These days, we can seek out all manner of advice for organizing everything from our brains to our bathrooms. Professional organizers stand at the ready to help end the siege of our stuff, showing up in person with bins, boxes and the focus we can’t seem to find. They will talk us through it on the phone
or guide us to the light over the Internet.
Getting started is the tough part, however, and experts agree that for most of us the starting block is in our heads.
Psychologists say that between the ages of 3 and 5 we learn three basic organizing skills – object discrimination, classification and sequencing. “Object discrimination is a good place to start to sharpen those skills,” says Sue Romanic of Baltimore-based Organized by Romanic. That is the memory skill used to find the needle in a haystack. Word search puzzles like Soduku and acrostics practiced regularly are forms of object discrimination exercises that can make a mind nimble.
But down on the ground, a logical place to start organizing says Romanic “is at the front door. If you can’t get through it, you can’t see what you have.” And if that’s the case, she points out, you certainly “can’t get anything out.” organizedbyromanic.com
Loretta Albert a first-grade teacher and owner of Clear Up the Clutter in Columbia agrees. In her 17 years as a teacher, Albert says, she observed many people struggling with basic organization skills. Parents and kids, for example, would misplace a letter requiring a signature – multiplying the stress of getting out the door in the morning.
Solve the problem, Albert suggests, with a cubby near the front door “with in and out slots for school papers that parents need to sign.” Albert also recommends getting an agenda book – the type used by teachers and students. “They’re great for any household,” she says. “Write everyone’s schedule on a grid and place the book in a common area.” Consulting it daily is obviously important. clearuptheclutter.com
With home offices, clutter and disorganization also happen on the desktop – the computer desktop that is. Robin Abello, a computer expert and volunteer teacher of computer skills for seniors says a good way to think about the computer desktop is to compare it with the physical surface of your desk. “The (computer) desktop is literally your desk so you should keep only what you need immediately. Keep the desk clean.” percworks.com
Some home offices are inventively placed within either walk-in or reach-in closets. Steve Collen says “Whatever the space, make it work for you. When planning, think ahead about electrical outlets, storage, lighting and useful overhead space.” collenbrothersservices.com
Clothes heaping up in the closet? Clutter mavens and a network of personal stylists advise that you develop a personal style and get rid of the rest. They’re at the ready to help you toss, keep, buy – and look great. There are plenty of online virtual shopping solutions. Here are a few: TLC’s media fashionista, Kelly London, created a network of stylists to help do a closet audit, personal shopping and make you over. styleforhire.com
And finally, now that your home is all put together, add just the right polish. The local Merry Maids franchise will send a crew out to make sure that your house is sparkling from top to bottom. Go ahead and check that one off your to-do list. merrymaids.com
Getting organized may start in your head, but once you get the hang of it, anything is possible.
