What’s In Your Purse?

I’m probably one of the few women who carry the bare essentials in a purse: a wallet, pen, small writing tablet, a few business cards, cell phone, reading glasses, and lipstick. The main thing I’ve learned as a woman approaching the body-falling-apart-age is that I should keep my load as light as possible.

I haven’t always been such a streamlined person. I learned a valuable lesson during a trip where I was concerned that I would be without something I might need while out doing some tourist thing. About an hour into my walking excursion, the weight of my purse began to cripple one side of my body, causing me to shift the weight to the other side. Of course, soon later, I was crippled on both sides of my body.

To make matters worse, it turned out I only needed my wallet and small purse-sized camera. I didn’t need to re-apply all my makeup, or eat all the snacks I carried so I wouldn’t starve to death during my excursion, or even read the book I thought I might read in case I got bored while hanging out with friends on an adventure.

I mean, what was I thinking as I prepared to be out drinking wine and being a wild girl? That I’d read a book?

I realize I’m not the only female who tends to fall into the carry-everything-in-your-purse trap. This dilemma has plagued a majority of women, and some haven’t learned my lesson, nor ever will I’m afraid.

Just shopping with a friend yesterday made me realize even more that this carry-all mind-set is still quite prevalent. There we were at the checkout counter when my friend opened her over-sized purse to get money out (which should be properly named a luggage-purse in a pretty color and expensive leather).

I stood next to her while she dug, pulling out a wrong wallet apparently, and eventually coming out with the wallet she wanted. I had the sudden urge to start singing and dancing to the “Hallaluya” song, but restrained from causing that kind of excitement in a subdued environment.

It actually wasn’t until three stores later that she couldn’t find her debit card at another checkout counter. That’s when I got to see what was really in her purse as she dumped everything out. Things sprung to view like, three checkbooks, two wallets, various portfolio cases of receipts and papers, a flashlight, a full makeup bag, a sewing kit, a notebook, magnifying glass, cell phone instructions, kleenix, vitamins, and various other “necessities” for our walk-about shopping trip.

I rather admired the fact that her cards and receipts were “organized” into various specified holders, except she only had to remember which was kept in what. I did however learn that all these items were her “Girl Scout, be prepared” motto.

After seeing this (and it wasn’t the first time I witnessed a search through over-packed purses), I began to observe what kind of purses women carried. That’s when my survey scan determined that 90% of women carried large bulging purses. The other 10% carried very small purses that looked to only be able to contain a few bare essentials for their outting.

It wasn’t just about the purse size however. My own daughter carries a small purse and, when opened, you’ll find loose money and cards and papers. So, what’s in her wallet? I ask.

It turns out, she’s just always in too big a hurry to be bothered with putting items away in the wallet or in purse compartments. That’s an entirely different issue; not to be elaborated on here.

If a woman were to ask me for advice about what to carry in their purse, I’d be very inclined to instruct them on managing it with a “can’t leave home without it approach. And that is to have 2 purses at hand: 1) a small one for short, designated trips with only the bare essentials for that outting and 2) a larger one containing all the “be prepared” essentials.

The truth is, I truly don’t believe that any woman should really be asking me what they should carry in their purse. It’s just one of those subject matters that’s not a “one size fits all”. And I might sound too brutal for them.

When all is said and done, I believe we’ll continue to wear heavy purses that cripple us and high heels that kill us.

Journey to the Center of Your Life

Sometimes things that don’t seem possible become the reality that it is possible, and has indeed cropped up into our life. Good or bad, things happen that we may not expect. And, I’m not talking about stumbling upon some live, ancient dinosaurs either, such as that in Jules Verne’s novel.

I’m talking about falling into a lifestyle you didn’t plan for, and that lifestyle may be a good one or a not-so-good one for you.

Did you ever think that you’d be in a miserable relationship? Suffer through a natural disaster? Lose a good paying job? Or, on the other side of the coin, did you ever think you’d find your soul mate and live happily ever after? Get to buy that dream home you always wanted? Find the best job ever or start your own business?

Life is a series of changes. And change can be viewed as opening doors to new opportunities.

I’ve been reading about many retailers for example who, in the face of a challenging economy, have reinvented themselves, found new opportunities that didn’t seem to exist before, and cut back to basics with strategies that improved their bottom line. And, they’re having success.

Other people are doing it too. When one journey ends, they planned and initiated a new journey. And a new adventure began.

Then, it’s what a person does that leads them along their new path. And, contrarily, it’s what a person doesn’t do that leads them nowhere.

We hear about it all the time, especially in these struggling times. A job lost creates a new opportunity for something else they didn’t attempt to do before. Financial difficulties can lead to a lifestyle that doesn’t have so much stress. A bad relationship opens up the door for finding a good, much better relationship.

I’ve met a lot of people throughout my life who say, “I can write a book about my life,” as they look at how much and how many changes they’ve gone through, and survived. I could probably write one myself, but that will have to wait until I’m bored and have nothing else to write about.

These days, I never know what to write on my own bio because of the various ways I’ve reinvented myself through life changes. I’m a lifestylist, a professional organizer, an interior decorator, a public speaker, an entrepreneur, a writer, a marketing and PR expert, a web designer, an animal rescue activist, a multi-media producer, and the list goes on. I figure I must take on new endeavors every year or so and, at this rate, by next year I hope to be adding something like world adventurer, if there is such a profession.

I’ve had many doors close in the past, too. But, when those closed, a new door opened up which didn’t seem to be there before, strangely enough. And it always seemed to open to something better, and often bigger.

One time in my life I was between jobs and at the end of a 6-year relationship. While my Temp Agency got to work trying to find work for me, I began to embark on my own search. I listed my skill-set and transformed those skills into services. The next thing I knew, I was pounding the pavement with brochures at hand offering services such as organizing an office and a filing system, and other similar business services. Before I knew it, I was in business and my life as a professional organizer began.

I firmly believe these new openings in my life were a result of where I put my attention. And I always chose to put my focus on something better, something positive.

This, I’m sure, holds true for anyone who took change and turned it into a new opportunity. They had to have put their attention on a solution, a new strategy or the like rather than the problem. How else could they have come into the great events and wonderful journeys that took place in their life?

With change, we need to re-organize (yes, I’m sure you were waiting to see how this would tie into the subject I always talk about!). This also applies to making, or causing change. We don’t always have to wait for change to happen to us; we can actually cause change all by ourselves.

If you’re unhappy with something, say for instance a cluttered room, than decide to make a change and re-organize accordingly. Anything you’re unhappy with and want to change just requires that you regroup, reinvent, and re-organize.

After all, a journey to the unknown can be fun and rewarding and prosperous and exciting. Even Jules Verne’s story had a good ending.

Column by
Cyndi Seidler

How to Lose Junk and Win a Life

I’m one of those proud garage owners who like to press the garage-opener button and show off the organized display of my garage items to anyone who happens to be passing by.

I do admit, I’ve taken great pleasure from people who catch the glimpse inside and, if I’m with someone, I usually hear, “Wish my garage looked like this.” My reply back is simply, “It can.” I then refrain from saying, “Just organize it.”

My garage happens to be the storage place for most of my junk. At least what I consider junk, which is all a matter of view-point really. I actually call my garage a resting place for stuff before final burial.

By final burial, I mean the final place for stuff, whether it resides in someone else’s home or the garbage dump. It’s rare that it continues to reside in my garage.

My trick in making my junk not look like junk to other people however is how it is organized. When I no longer want something in the house, or no longer feel I have a use for it, I put it in a large wicker basket in the garage designated to take to a charity retail store. If I can’t find a place for it in my house but still want it, I find a place for it in my garage, and not just a dumping place either.

See, even my garage has a place for everything and everything in its place. My shelves are lined with storage containers that either stack or pull out drawers. The floor along one wall is lined with stacking container bins and another wall with a storage cabinet and wall shelves over a work table.

The thing is, even these organized places can get out of hand when we keep too much stuff. So, the real trick is in deciding which junk we don’t really need anymore and getting it out of the garage (or wherever we’ve put the junk) and out of our life.

I recently bought a new juicer and put the old one in the garage in a box. It still worked and I thought I might need it someday in case something happened to the newer one. After keeping it in my garage for a couple months, I realized that someone else would benefit from it more than me and it was just taking up space, so I put it in my Charity Basket.

That’s what I mean by resting place before final burial. I couldn’t get rid of it at first, but then when I examined it later, the value of the item had changed and I was able to discard it and get it out of my life for good.

My sister, daughter, and friends love to come over and shop-for-free in my garage, too. I typically invite some people over every once in awhile to browse through the Charity Basket before I put it in my car and haul it away. Many of them now ask me, “Get rid of anything lately?”

That question has actually worked to my benefit. It prompts me to take time to look around again and see what I don’t need around the house. Streamlining my belongings has become a regular event in my life as a result.

I once wrote about preparing for a disaster, “Plan for best, prepare for worst,” and took a look at what we have and decide its value to us and what we would want to take with us if we had to depart from our home suddenly. I have since thought about doing a drill on that.

The drill would be: give yourself thirty minutes to look around and decide what you would need to take with you if you had to flee quickly and never come back. It’s certainly a good way to see what you hold of value to you. And it’s also a good opportunity to get in the mindset of letting go of stuff.

I did this, but it wasn’t a drill. It was for real. I had to evacuate because of a looming fire heading my way. And it was the motivation I needed to crack down on my stuff.

I didn’t need a dozen purses, or nail polishes, or lipsticks. I typically only used one of two of these items most of the time. I also didn’t need so many shoes or clothing I haven’t worn in ages. And, what was I doing with three sets of dishware anyway? I only used one set!

I did however gather up all my photo albums and photo CDs. Memories like those are irreplaceable. And, that’s the bottom line: what is replaceable and what isn’t?

So, what would you load up in your car if you had to leave and start over? And ladies, please don’t say it includes a bag of a dozen nail polishes.

Watch video on preparing for a disaster:

Law & Order: Organized Intent

Column by Cyndi Seidler

Sharing a home with a spouse, children, roommate, or live-in loved one can typically be trying. Although I may have much agreement about that statement, let me explain how I’ve made this presumed diplomatically correct conclusion.

The way I see it, there are usually rules that govern a household in which, if respected and executed by everyone, can lead to more harmonious. Yet, no matter how commonsensical a rule or policy may be, some regulations are just meant to bring trouble with them if not understood and agreed upon by those involved.

Yes, it does matter who you impose certain rules upon. And yes, it does have significant effect on your well-being if a particular guiding principle of the household is not valued.

My friend, for example, has a roommate and they get along pretty well. While both are tidy people, the boss of them (my friend) tends to be more stringent about how she likes to keep the house.

They are not exactly an “odd couple” or opposites in the way they like the home, and most of the household rules are honored between them. However, it’s the abstract make-up-rules-as-you-go wishes that go from a simple request, like folding up a throw blanket when done with it, to a “new rule” imagined by the other. This often times has made the requesting person seem a bit over-the-top.

There was one instance where my friend simply stated to her roommate, “Can you return the sofa pillows to their position when you leave?” She claims that this request came after repeatedly re-organizing the pillows back to normal position on the sofa after he left so everything looked tidy.

Okay, seems like a legitimate argument for a new household guideline. But as “a rule,” that might be something to deliberate about.

A rule and a guideline or policy is actually different, although both have very similar connotations to them. The implication that both are expected to be carried out by others is what makes them so similar actually. “Please don’t leave your dishes in the sink” has the overtone of a request, although what this is really saying is, “Please don’t leave your dishes in the sink anymore, ever or there’s going to be trouble.” That could then classify the request as a new rule.

Now, another friend can’t get her husband to do anything around the house, therefore doesn’t expect it. There are no rules because, if made, they wouldn’t be agreed upon anyway, so therefore not honored. Her work-around has been to hire the help she needs to carry out tasks she wishes her husband to do. Therefore, her “teenage husbands-for-hire” come and do any heavy lifting and help her with household projects. She has accepted taking on many manly tasks herself however, like taking out the trash.

I guess you could consider their situation harmonious in that, if nothing is expected from the other, than no hard feelings will ensue and they can live in peace. However, if there are resentments that go along with “no expectations,” than this just might open up a discussion about what peaceful living is about.

I know my sister and her spouse share in household responsibilities. When I asked her about rules they have among them, she didn’t hesitate to list the main ones that make them both happy. Things like clean up your own mess, return items taken from a place when done, don’t leave lights on, don’t talk during a television show’s dialog or try to start a conversation while the other is reading, and if you see something on the floor, that’s a cue to pick it up.

Fair enough, those sounded sane to me and not too over-indulgent or strict in their aim for living a harmonious lifestyle. Back to my friend and her roommate, when too many requests are viewed as new rules, she can be considered a dictator who was never voted into office.

My guess, in that circumstance and many others similar to it, would be about compromises. You can ask of something you wish to be carried out from hereon, but not expect it and even do something yourself which you wish the other to do. This would, of course, depend on the severity or demand you need or want something done.

Asking a child to keep their room straight should be a rule, not a request, for example, and not carried out by you if they don’t do it. Again, that’s where rules and guidelines differ.

In either case, the rule or the guideline need to be understand, agreed upon and hold value. And, if you look up the word “value” in a thesaurus, you’ll find words like worth, importance, and usefulness, among others.

Myself, I can appreciate a good rule that has value. I do tend to enjoy making rules rather than being given rules, and I confess … I’m more like my friend, the dictator who wasn’t voted into office.

The Good, The Bad, and The Snuggly

I don’t know what got into me; the other day I pulled out my “keepsakes” box. You would think I had nothing better to do.

This trip down memory lane is something I sometimes do when I’m doing an extensive clean out, and it only happens during a phase of my life when I think it’s time to re-evaluate the importance of my past.

It’s interesting to see what people keep as valuable memories. One time when I was helping my bi-coastal friend Janet clean out her Los Angeles apartment to consolidate her belongings into her New York apartment, she found things I didn’t know anyone her age kept anymore.

While sorting her stuff, Janet’s teddy bear from childhood came out of a plastic bag and received a tearful hug. There were many more sentiments to deal with and parting with segments of her past was not easy. But, we got through it, keeping only those reminders that could fit into one box.

Not everyone is able to condense a lifetime of cherished memories into one box though. One client could not part with her memories, and proved the hardship of this task when we were sorting her shoes.

This woman had a lifetime of shoes, literally. She had her first dates shoes, her wedding shoes, her anniversary shoes, the shoes she wore to graduation, and many other special occasion shoes. And, I thought women just had difficulty making room to keep their current shoes.

I have most of my memories in scrapbooks now. I followed the advice of a colleague and had taken pictures of my various keepsake items. Becoming a scrapbooker turned out to be a fun little hobby, one which I try to encourage others to try for their keepsakes. Trouble is, it’s another project that often ends up creating another area of clutter if it isn’t controlled.

One scrapbooker I know claims she loves scrap booking. Cheryl is this so-called scrap booking devotee who never seems to get around to the actual event of scrap booking. However she had collected enough stuff for the task than any store I’ve seen stocked with scrapbook merchandise.

As a matter of fact, I helped create a whole section of a room for Cheryl just for this wonderful hobby. She had a work table, wall shelves with box cubicles that held baskets of scrapbook paraphernalia, and drawer organizers for special papers and utensils. It was a scrapbooker’s heaven.

When I checked up on Cheryl several months later, I learned that she still had the intention of getting to her projects, but there was a matter of her wedding to tend to, merging two households into one, holding a garage sale, organizing the holiday events, and a few other activities that took her attention elsewhere.

These things happen. And I suppose Cheryl will get to it when her life stops having so many memories happening all at once.

I finished exploring my own keepsake box and ended up with a couple large manila envelopes to store away. The rest mostly consisted of my daughter’s drawings and story writings, which ended up in its own envelope in a box I had of daughter-growing-up stuff. Now, I can pass it down to her when she’s ready to see her old school photos, report cards, and first pay stub from an acting job she did at the age of six.

I didn’t save her security blanket and just hope she never asks.

Crouching Drawer, Hidden Junk

Occasionally I find things to do with my time that might make the average person believe I should be committed and removed from society. At least, that’s what my daughter said when she saw me organizing the junk drawer.

I ask you, what’s wrong with that? Don’t you think we all need a place to stash our small “miscellaneous” stuff? And, shouldn’t I be able to make a place for all my miscellaneous do-dads so that I can get to them easily?

Call me over-organized, but to me it’s just junk organizing.

I’m a firm believer in junk drawers. I may never label a file folder “miscellaneous,” but I will always have my junk drawer. Because, there are always household miscellaneous things I know I’ll need handy.

I maintain a junk drawer in my kitchen. I think most people do. It’s the one place in the house that you usually spend time in (because that’s where the food is, even if you don’t cook) and it’s usually the hub of the home. In that regard, we owe it to ourselves to indulge in having a junk drawer there.

In my line of work, I’ve seen a lot of people’s junk drawers, and even admired some. I mean, you would have to admire what other people end up putting in there, because you probably put it in there yourself at one time or another: Excess reading glasses, ties from plastic baggies, rubber bands from newspapers, dozens of pens (many of which don’t work any more), notes, receipts, recipes, manuals, tools, batteries, you name it.

The list of possibilities for a junk drawer are endless, really.

One of my colleagues Joanna begs to differ. She’s a stickler for having a place for everything and everything in its place. “Junk drawers just collect stuff,” she says. “They are a black hole of stuff we’ve long forgotten about.”

And while I agree with Joanna to some degree, I still hold my position that some household miscellaneous stuff requires its own place together.

The idea is grouping items together, even if it isn’t like-items (which is what you’re supposed to do when organizing). But, if you consider the junk similar in that you need it handy, than all junk is grouped as being “handy.” You have to admit, there’s some logic there.

The down-side of junk drawers is that they do tend to get out of control. It’s there and therefore it’s quite easy to throw things into it when we don’t feel like putting something away, or just don’t know where to put it at the moment.

And, that’s why I purge and organize my junk drawer every now and then, see? When I told Joanna this, she mellowed out. As a matter of fact, when she was over my house one day, I showed her my junk drawer hoping to impress her with how well organized it was.

“What are all those keys for in that compartment?” Joanna asked me. I was embarrassed that I didn’t know. But I figured there had to be a reason for them being there, or I would have thrown them away.

“I think those are keys to suitcases and spares,” I answered. This white lie wasn’t going to hurt anyone; I was sure of it.

At that point, I really didn’t want her to look any further. She was probably going to question me on the empty film cases I kept there as “just in case” containers for other stuff, and I couldn’t bear to be on the other side of the organizer-client advice lecture.

I proclaim I’m an organized person.  But I confess, I’m not perfect.

COLUMN: ORGANIZED LIVING BY CYNDI SEIDLER

There’s Something About Being Merry

There’s a precept for being happy that says “Try to treat others as you would want them to treat you.” What if we applied this precept to our living areas? Do you think we could make our living environment happy?

I know for a fact, by personal experience, that rooms show emotion. I’ve prove it to you.

See, I keep my office pretty tidy and, as a result, when I walk into it, the room smiles at me. The room is actually happy and greets me with a cheerful attitude. The great part is, that cheerful feeling rubs off on me somehow.

Then, on the rare occasion I leave the office untidy, the greeting is not so friendly. In fact, it is downright unfriendly. I could swear the room acts like I’ve offended it.

This is often the case when I’m at a person’s home or office that needs organizing. My first view of the space makes me feel unwelcomed. The space is clearly unhappy and, when you look at the owner’s emotional condition, it is evident that they are themselves unhappy in that space.

Some spaces might even yell at you with a warning, “Get out of here! Run for the hills!” Or, more apathetically, “Enter at your own risk.”

I’ve been in places where these kind of warning signs are invisibly plastered around the room and it’s intimidating. You may not be able to see the signs with your eyes, but you can feel it. Just like you can’t see “unhappy,” but you can feel it.

So obviously, the condition of a space can reflect the emotional condition of a person in that space. If you feel like putting this to the test and want to try this at home, make sure you have taken all the necessary precautions to prevent long-term emotional injury.

First, keep your escape route clear in case you feel like making a mad dash out of the room. You don’t want to trip over anything.

Secondly, set a timer for a certain amount of time in case you end up trapped inside the room and forget you can leave. This sometimes happens when you get into an unhappy room and wind up spending a lot of time in it trying to get things done. The lingering affect takes longer to recover from.

And lastly, I suggest you play some pleasant music to offset the unpleasant environment you’ll be spending time in. You may not notice the lowered emotional affects so easily.

Once you’re ready to spend time in the unhappy, disorganized space, observe what happens. Notice whether you start to feel sad, overwhelmed, flustered, unable to focus, or just unable to get anything done. Try not to stay there too long, as I said earlier, or these affects will stay with you longer.

Now, finish the test and tidy up the room. Get it organized. Maybe even paint it or rearrange the furniture; whatever it takes to make it happy (the room, that is). Then do the test again. Only this time, you won’t need to take the precautions you had to previously.

Go back in the room and do whatever it is you do there: work, relax, watch television, read, etc. Notice how you feel now. I’m betting it won’t be an adverse emotional state.

The lesson is: You treat the room well, and it treats you nicely. You treat it bad, and you feel bad in it. So, if you want to lift your spirits, try making your space happy.

My space loves me and I love it. And, we’re living happily ever after.

By Cyndi Seidler

Jurassic Fridge – The Lost Food World

A visit with good friends is such a pleasant social event, especially when they invite you over for dinner. I love that; I’m always hungry for a good dinner.

The thing is, if I were to just stick with being a guest and stay out of the kitchen, I wouldn’t be witness to some of the things that would make the meal questionable. That’s a lesson I learned when I went to Gary and Monica’s house for dinner one night.

Now, Monica and Gary are a tidy couple. They seem to be organized and their decor is quite charming. It’s one of those places that, when you visit, you feel right at home.

You can learn a lot about someone by the way they live actually. A stressed out person may be disorganized and their home shows it. While a more calm person is able to present a more harmonious atmosphere in their home. I resolved that Monica and Gary were calm people.

Now, let me get to the point here. I was standing in the kitchen with Monica and I offered to help. The way I was raised, that’s just good manners. So, she obliged my request and asked me to get the garlic spread from the refrigerator and butter the bread. I thought, great task, and appreciated the opportunity to contribute to preparing the meal.

I opened the refrigerator and stood there in shock at the sight in front of me. I could hear the theme music for Jaws in my head as I looked upon the contents inside. There, right in front of me, sat a composite of packed in, age-old food.

I could swear that some of the clear food containers had been taken over with some green things living inside; could be “Dyno DNA” for all I knew. And, although I couldn’t see many of the things behind the items in the front row, I would take an unscientifically absurd guess that they had been lost since the ice age.

I must have been standing there a long time because Monica stepped in behind me and said, “Can’t find it? It’s right here,” and pulled out the garlic spread.

Her sudden appearance woke me up from my horror fantasy. Was she thinking I stood there too long and would cause the food to go bad by having the door open over such an extended time? Probably so.

I admit, time had lapsed for an unknown period. I quickly tried to gather my senses and stepped over to the counter to start buttering the bread with the spread. But again, the music in my head came on. It was the part of the tune where the shark was ready to get the girl; an edge-of-the-seat moment.

I looked at the garlic spread in the container and saw green things. Was this supposed to be part of the ingredients of the spread? I wondered. I had to ask. “Are these green things part of the spread?” I blurted out in supposed curiosity.

Monica gave a quick glance and said, “Oh yes, there are herbs mixed in there.”

Feeling relieved but ridiculous for asking, I proceeded with my task. All the while, I couldn’t help but fear for my life.

We all hear about people getting food poisoning, and often times it is from eating food that should have been thrown away years before it was eaten. We get expiration dates on a lot of foods, but how often do people label their leftovers?

One of the tips I learned from other professional organizer colleagues, is that you label your left-over food containers with a date. What a wonderful concept, but who does this?

I have my own method. I stack my clear food containers in such a way that I can see everything. If something is behind the other, it is still visibly there. And, once a week I carry out a quick toss-a-thon of food.

Organizing your refrigerator is as important as organizing anything. There needs to be order and you need to easily see what’s there. Grouping like-items together on a shelf applies the same principles we use in organizing a cabinet, closet, or cupboard. And, using plastic storage containers or drawers is also useful in a refrigerator for certain things.

The music in my mind stopped when Monica walked over to my bread station and removed some of the buttered bread to put in the broiler. I was thankful to take my mind off the subject of lurking creatures in the her refrigerator, but refrained in offering any more help in the event she would send me to the refrigerator again.

That was okay because, as it turned out, meal time was just minutes away.

I thought, if I die tomorrow from this meal, at least I will be enjoying good company. I did a silent prayer to live and we toasted to friendship.

As you probably guessed, I lived to write this.

By Cyndi Seidler

Home, Sweet Organized Home

I was invited for dinner one evening at a neighbor’s home as a “get to know the new neighbor” social event. Right away, I knew a lot about my neighbor Linda when I struggled to step inside her living room. With an embarrassed smile, Linda apologized for the mess, and strained to move the box that had blocked the front door from opening all the way.

There, among all the paraphernalia and debris that scattered across the living room and into the next, I noticed a sign on the wall: Home Sweet Home. I thought, if this is the “sweet” taste she prefers, I wonder what she’s serving for dinner?

This wasn’t the first time I witnessed clutter and over-stuffed rooms. But, it was the first time I was invited to a home without being asked to fix it. You see, as a professional organizer, this is what I’m asked to do.

We then made our way to the kitchen area, which was not unlike the other room I just observed, and Linda gave the meal in a pot a quick last stir. I noticed a small space on the countertop that didn’t have anything on it and wondered if this had purpose. It did. She removed the pot from the stove and placed it on that empty counter space.

Well, she may not know how to tidy up for a guest, but she knew how to cook, I’ll give her that. Now, if only her home reflected the pride and good flavor of her cooking.

Should I say anything? Do I dare comment on her dysfunctional, cluttered rooms? Is there a nice way to offer my help without offending her? Does she even know she has a problem in her “home sweet home?”

Dinner proceeded with friendly conversation and neighborhood gossip, and then she said it. “I’m so embarrassed about having people over here because I just can’t seem to get a grip on all this stuff.”

It turns out a lot of the “stuff” was unpacked boxes after Linda moved in, research documents, and items she collected to sell on eBay. She’s a writer, so she also had mounds of paper, magazines, newspapers, books, and archive boxes contributing to her other collection of stuff.

When stuff gets out of hand, clutter propagates until it becomes an overwhelming, uncontrollable, unbearable mess. Often times, a person doesn’t even see it anymore, in an effort to survive in their living surroundings.

I surmised that Linda could at least still see it. And, it did bother her. And, she wanted to do something about it.

It was the perfect time to inform her that my profession was organizing homes and businesses. You should have seen the look on her face. If she was embarrassed before, I’m guessing she was mortified now.

You’ll be pleased to know that it wasn’t the end of our relationship. It was the beginning.

After doing a thorough assessment of Linda’s damaged rooms, I drew up a plan to tackle the clutter, along with recommended purchases to help organize the things that would be kept.

On the appointed “organize” day, I brought in numerous sorting baskets and one of several very large trash cans set aside for the “home sweet home” project. It was time to give Linda’s home a flavor of good organization.

We sorted for days until the living room was cleared of everything except bare furniture. It was at that moment that Linda looked at the room as if seeing it for the first time, like the time when she first saw the home with her realtor and deciding that she wanted it. I knew this had a rehabilitating effect.

We were half way through the battle of clutter. Next, was putting things away in prospective “homes.” The object, of course, was a place for everything and everything in its place: the ultimate goal of organization.

Papers were organized in folders and within archive boxes; books were placed on new, additional bookshelves; magazines and newspapers that were kept were placed in special baskets; and all the eBay items were catalogued and photographed and placed in a special area of her garage. We set up storage shelving, paper flow systems, areas for this and areas for that.

When the project was at its completion, we took a picture of her newly organized living room with Linda standing in front of her “Home Sweet Home” sign. You should have seen that smile on her face!

By Cyndi Seidler