Why are some of us so obsessed with organizing? Does it bring peace of mind? Yes. Do some of us have OCD tendencies that are only satisfied by making a room look picture-perfect? Definitely. People often ask me why I’d want to clean up after others, but I firmly tell them that what we do isn’t cleaning; organizing is completely different.
Picture coming home from work and the kids are whining, the dog is barking, notifications are chiming nonstop on your phone, you have emails to send and phone calls to make, dinner to cook, and no time to clean up the mess in the living room before that dinner party this weekend. Your daughter decides she will only eat apples for a snack, and after opening every single kitchen drawer, you still can’t find the apple slicer. You’re trying to calm down the lack-of-sliced-apples situation when your boss calls asking about paperwork you can’t seem to recall. Then your son tosses his sweaty shin guards into the living room, knocks over a drink onto the new carpet, and you spend so long looking for the carpet cleaner that it’s too late, and there’s already a stain.
Now imagine that you knew that the apple slicer is always kept in the second drawer to the right of the sink, and that you can cut that apple while on the phone assuring your boss that you do indeed have the paperwork he needs, because you know exactly which file in your office has that specific paperwork. And you know that when your son gets home from soccer practice he knows to put his shin guards in the bin in the mudroom labeled ‘shin guards,’ instead of on the middle of the living room floor.
Maybe if life was like that, you’d breathe a little easier. Maybe it would help you to realize that yes, even amongst chaos, you can have your life together.
Now don’t get me wrong, no one has got it all together. Not even professional organizers. We’re all human, just like you. And eight-year-old boys will not always put their shin guards away, even if they know exactly where to put them.
But do I personally keep my files in order, and know where to find my apple slicer? Yes. Does it make me feel more in control in my own home, and less burdened? You bet.
Organizing helps.
That’s why our tagline is what it is: Lifting burdens.
According to a study from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, clutter in the home can actually affect your hormones. The study found that women living in more cluttered homes had higher reports of depression, whereas those who lived less cluttered homes were able to better control stress and negative thoughts.
Becoming organized is like discovering something you didn’t realize you were missing out on. Like hearing music for the first time through Beats headphones, or switching from Converse to Nike Frees. Or sailing. Or homemade cheesecake. Or How I Met Your Mother.
I think you get the point.
-Heidi
Professional Organizer & Organizing Enthusiast