Susan Johnson never meant for her home office to become a cluttered storage room.
Because the single mother and her 10-year-old son were not using the converted third bedroom of their Martinez home, they would toss in things they didn't need or want in their bedrooms.
"It was supposed to be an office, but it just collected stuff," she said. "When I do laundry, I'll take the clothes out of the dryer and (set) them on the bed in here, or I'd move stuff from other rooms to here. Nobody lives in here, so it's just a 'collect-all,' I guess -- and it collected all!"
Fed up, Ms. Johnson decided to start off the new year more organized. She enlisted the help of Angela Powell, of Augusta, a professional organizer and the founder of Systematic Organizing Solutions Augusta.
Ms. Powell, who visits homes, offices and businesses to organize rooms and work spaces, said many people start off the year doing the same thing.
"People want to be organized; they just don't have the time," said Ms. Powell, a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers.
Too many people have overscheduled their lives, and getting their home organized is less of a priority, said Deniece Schofield, a home-management expert from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and the author of several books on getting organized.
"One real problem is we don't have a lot of time or energy. By the time you get home from work, you're tired," she said in a telephone interview.
In addition to being tired, homeowners might be overwhelmed by the clutter. Cleaning up will give a psychological boost, she said.
"When it's messy, people feel overwhelmed, frustrated, embarrassed, and when it's all cleaned, they feel free, like a load has been lifted," Ms. Powell said. "And a lot of times, people will end up finding old pictures or items that make them excited or sad and you realize that clutter is due to an emotional attachment to some things. When they sort through the stuff, they deal with some of those issues."
Removing clutter also saves money and time, Mrs. Schofield said.
"If you can find your bills, you're paying them on time with no late fees," she said. "And we buy new stuff because we can't find stuff. It can cost money if you just haphazardly buy what you don't need."
She said that many people plan to get organized without assessing their situation. They then purchase storage containers that they never use, forget they've bought them already or don't have a need for them, she said.
That was the case in Ms. Johnson's home, where Ms. Powell found picture frames, an expensive vase, a metal rack, a storage bin and a wooden box -- all of which Ms. Powell made use of after they were no longer hidden by papers and other items.
"She had stuff for storage but it just wasn't being used. A lot of people have that," Ms. Powell said. "She told me she wanted to buy some shelves she thought were cute, but before I agreed, I had her go through her things to see if she really had a need for the them."
Ms. Johnson now vows to keep her office neat.
Ms. Powell said her problems were hoarding unopened mail, saving stacks of important papers without filing them and not throwing enough things away.
Ms. Powell gave her tips on how to fix her problems, and Ms. Johnson beamed when she walked into her newly organized, clutter-free home office one recent Monday night.
"Oh, look at these pictures -- they're up and they're cute! I like this picture frame ... those shelves are nice ... my desk is neat. I love it," Ms. Johnson said. "I feel neater. It energizes me to come in this room and not have stuff everywhere."
Reach C. Samantha McKevie at (706) 823-3552 or samantha.mckevie@augustachronicle.com.
GET YOUR LIFE IN ORDER
WHAT: Get Organized workshop
WHO: Deniece Schofield, a home management expert and author of several books on getting organized
WHEN: 10 a.m. to noon and 7-9 p.m. Monday and 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday
WHERE: Hampton Inn and Suites, 4081 Jimmie Dyess Parkway
COST: $25 at the door; No reservations required.
CALL: (800) 835-8463
A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING
Here are tips from Angela Powell, professional organizer and founder of Systematic Organizing Solutions Augusta, and from Deniece Schofield, a home-management expert and the author of several books on getting organized:
METHOD 1: Start by putting everything in a large container to sort through. It will look worse before it looks better. Separate according to which room things belong in.
METHOD 2: Organize a room using four boxes labeled Trash, Donate, Belongs in Another Room and Don't Know. Place everything you don't use into one of those boxes and put the don't know box in the attic or garage or other out-of-the-way place. If you don't open that box in six months or a year, get rid of it.
WITH EITHER METHOD:
- Don't let an imperfect situation be an excuse to do nothing. Learn to be happy with doing things in increments. Large blocks of time are too hard to come by.
- If you feel overwhelmed, try the tidbit method. Instead of one room at a time, tackle one drawer or one corner at a time.
- Don't stop to reminisce. Ask yourself, 'Do I need this? Will I use it?' Be brutally honest. If you know you're not going to use it, throw it away, give it away or sell it.
- Have a helper. It sometimes helps to have someone else pushing you.
- Have a system. Papers take a long time to organize. Ms. Powell recommends her F.A.S.T. system: File it, Act on it, Shred it or Throw it away.
- See clutter as money lying around your home. Things not being used could be sold. Get a large plastic bin and toss things in for a yard sale so when you decide to have a sale, you're ready.
SIMPLIFY. HERE'S HOW:
- Use drawer dividers in your kitchen, bathroom and desk, and your space will multiply. Don't forget to use containers on shelves.
- Label all containers. That way, everyone knows where things belong.
- Whenever possible, store things where they're used, even if that means duplicating some items.
- Limit toys. Toss broken toys, donate extras or place some of the toys in a box and store. Every so often rotate them back in.
- Use items for things other than their intended purposes. For example, Ms. Powell uses shoe bags in her pantry to store bags of rice and other things in the pouches.
- Arrange books and magazines by height, from tallest to shortest, so they look neater.
- Keep department store and restaurant and grocery coupons in an envelope in the car.
- Unless it's special occasion wear, get rid of clothing you have not worn in a year.
- Store infrequently used objects.
ONCE YOU'VE GOT YOUR ROOM ORGANIZED, KEEP IT THAT WAY:
- Maintenance is the key to keeping things organized. Once the room is clean, spend five minutes a day keeping it that way.
- Shred old bills and paper items with personal info before they pile up.
- Eliminate floating bits of paper by writing down everything you need to remember, including appointments and your to-do list in a daily planner. Once you've transferred the information, toss its source.
- Recycle magazines, or give them away.
- Open mail near a trash can so you can discard junk mail, solicitations and envelopes.
- Make sure all items have a designated place where they're kept and discipline yourself to return them there when not in use.
REMEMBER:
- Don't become too organized. The goal is to make home a place people want to be, where they can relax and feel welcomed.
- For more tips or information, call (706) 364-HELP (4357) or visit www.organizeaugusta.com.
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