FAQs

 1.  What's the cause of the problem?

There are many possible causes, including:

Competing priorities, i.e., trying to do too many things; failure to establish/identify clear purposes for your current stage of life and, therefore, (often) holding on to clutter that doesn’t truly reflect or support your real current needs, goals, desires, and/or activities

Lack of storage space (not very likely in the average home, but possible; it’s also possible that the existing storage is poorly designed) (for closet redesign)

Lack of organizing skills (e.g., grew up in a disorganized environment and have tendencies toward disorganization yourself)

Situational factors (e.g., household move, marriage, divorce, widowhood, new baby, departure / return of grown children or aging parents, disability, illness, change of employment situation, etc.) 

Brain function factors such as ADHD, strong right-brain dominance, processing “glitches”

Emotional factors: “Frugality mentality”; subconscious or conscious rebellion against “neat freak” parental figure or other household member or authority figure; childhood trauma, loss, or abuse; fear of the future, of failure, or loss of creative “spark”; identity crisis; perfectionist mindset; underlying desire to “provide for everybody”; unreasonable emotional attachment to possessions, or

Any combination of the above

 

 2. Do I need to get rid of everything to be "organized"?

Being organized does not require throwing everything out and living in a spartan, sterile-looking environment. It does mean that you have a place for everything and can find it when you need it. However, if you have a hard time finding open spaces on horizontal surfaces, and your closets, cupboards, and drawers are stuffed to the gills, it’s almost a 100% guarantee that you’re “living beyond your means” in terms of space available. In that case, decluttering will surely require some elimination.

 

3. How long does it the process take?

That depends on several factors:

Determination to follow through on both starting / continuing the process and doing your “homework assignments” between sessions

Amount of clutter buildup, i.e., mild, moderate, major, or “mega”

Your energy level (physical and emotional) and a determination to understand the possible causes for the mess and disorganization (some counseling may be helpful) and get to the root of it in your own head/heart.

Your decision making ability about keeping, eliminating, and storing items                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

4. Can you guarantee this will “work”?

There are a couple of things that are guaranteed:

I can help you through the initial decluttering / organizing process, demonstrating and helping you learn how to do it.

I can help you find lasting solutions to a disorganized situation if you feel you are ready and willing to make changes in your approach to your stuff and learn some new skills for managing it. Learning to think more like an organized person is important if you want to get, and stay, organized.

You are the only one who can bring about permanent change in your situation; i.e., you are the factor guaranteeing that it “works.”

Clutter control, organization, and time management are ongoing lifestyles, not one-time fixes.

 

 

Be Organized Now--it's a great time!