Organized Living

A LIVABLE LIVING ROOM!

If you find yourself overwhelmed with clutter and disorganization to a degree that interferes with your life, your productivity or your peace of mind, hiring a professional organizer may be an excellent investment in time and money.

All of us have strengths and weaknesses, and just as we hire someone competent to do our taxes, fix our cars and clean our teeth, organizers offer skills that may help you establish practices, systems and habits that will assist you in the process of getting organized and staying organized. Also, it helps to have an outsider’s objective eye survey our “stuff” and suggest how to manage it, because they don’t carry the emotional baggage we associate with it.

Some of the ways that a professional organizer can help you include: a general sort-and-purge of belongings; assistance with downsizing; organizing and packing a move; choosing storage systems; rearranging interior space; or organizing a specific area of the home. An organizer can also help you categorize a collection, for example, or create a new system of work files.

It helps to have a goal or goals in mind before you set out to hire someone. Personal referrals from other satisfied clients are ideal when you seek out an organizer, but you can also consult the National Association of Professional Organizers (www.napo.net) or use a web site like www.OnlineOrganizing.com. They can help match you to an appropriate professional suited to your specific goals. There are even organizers who specialize in chronic disorganization and helping people challenged by Attention Deficit Disorder.
Most organizers will schedule a consultation first, then create an action plan with solutions. You can hire them only to assess your situation and make recommendations, or pay them to also do the physical labor. Different fee structures are available, but depending on your needs and geographic location, expect to pay between $55-$85 per hour. Some organizer’s fees, however, can go as high as $200 per hour. Some will charge per project.

Once an action plan is in place, an average room in a house will take 1-2 full days (at 8 hours a day) to reorganize. An average one-person office can take 2-3 days. An overstuffed basement or garage will take longer. Bathrooms and other small rooms go faster. All of this depends on the state of your disorganization at the outset, of course.
If you aren’t comfortable with the person you’ve chosen after your initial consult, don’t feel shy about requesting another. This is a highly individualized process and you will need to feel at home with the organizer’s personality.