Do We Really Need An Organizer?
"Do we really need an organizer?" This is a question I hear often, especially from husbands :) Most times when I put a plan on paper and discuss my ideas it seems so simple! Why in the world would anyone PAY for someone to come in and organize their home?
"Surely you can find time to do these chores on your own" says the husband to the wife. 9 times out of 10 the wife isn't in the fantasy land that her husband is in, she knows the actual work it takes to sort, purge and put back every single item in a space! Not only is it a daunting task to take on but most of my clients have children at home that need their attention.
A common misconception of organizing is that it's a quick job. I can't tell you how many people call me and say, I only need you for an hour, yet here we are 4 hours later and we've barely begun putting things back where they belong. It seems so easy when we talk about it, but it's really a time consuming task. Being pulled into every direction with your children needing help getting dressed, eating, wanting to play, getting into trouble (not my kid!) :) there is absolutely no way you can dedicate the time it would take to get the project done. This is why people need a professional organizer. Let me run this scenario to you and see if it sounds familiar...
You get home from a long day at work, you walk into the house with one kid running in demanding a snack, your baby is crying because they are tired and hungry and you're home alone. So you throw your bags down by the door, quickly pull your baby carrier over your head and get the baby calmed down while you are prepping a snack for your other child. Shortly after your knight in shining armor comes home (Swoon) and you scramble to get dinner going while he entertains the kids.
Fast forward 2 hours and everyone has a full belly, clean bottoms and is drifting off to sleep. As you start to close the door you have the brief moment of relief, you've made it! It's the end of the day, you can finally relax. As you walk into the living room to go cuddle up next to hubby, the relief fades and the overwhelming sensation of dread hits you in the face like a dodge ball.
You finally see it, all the mess! Bags and shoes are strewn about the floor, stacks of mail and old magazines are on any and EVERY surface of your home, every toy your children own are on the floor, dirty dishes are piled up high in the sink (Let's be honest, they are on the counters because you are the only one that apparently knows where the dishwasher is and the sink is like hot lava so no one puts dishes in there.) Right now your worst nightmare is a phone call from a friend or family member saying that they are in the neighborhood and want to drop by.
You don't know where to begin so you start in the kitchen getting tonight's dinner cleaned up, pushing toys together in one "neat(ish)" pile, washing bottles, making lunches. At this point it's nearing 10:00 pm even if you wanted to get the rest of the "chores" done you would be up well past midnight and starting a day with a bad nights sleep isn't solving any problems.
If this sounds slightly familiar at all you need to take a deep breath and know that you are perfectly normal and you are not alone! Society puts a lot of pressure on mothers to do it all, not considering that most moms today are working moms and that stay at home moms have their battles too! It's not like it was in the 50's or 60's. If you compare what a household contained back then, to what we have now, it's ridiculous! U.S. households today participate in consumerism like it's a game show. Who has the latest and greatest gadgets, which pantry is stocked to the gills with food and how many outfits can your child wear in a day?! (God forbid if a child has to wear an outfit more than once!) Not to mention NOTHING gets thrown out. Those OLD gadgets, are still hanging around in your junk drawer, those old clothes that none of your children will fit into again are sitting in bags at the top of your closet because MAYBE one day someone you know will need them OR you are planning on making some type of keepsake item. Lest not forget about the food items! If you dig deep enough I guarantee you'll find some duplicate items and some VERY expired items back in your pantry. This is not to shame you, this is to bring you to reality.
Becoming organized is more than bins and labels, it's a shift in your mindset and lifestyle. It will be extremely difficult to become organized if you continue this game of consumerism, you will always feel like you need a bigger space. (Which is why homes are a lot larger than they used to be in the 50's and 60's). If you're ready to begin this new lifestyle then I encourage you to contact a local professional organizer to help you get started!