Spring is right around the corner, and that means lots of spring cleaning hours! In order to make things easier for you, we caught up with Helene Segura, a certified professional organizer, and the owner and CEO of LivingOrder of San Antonio/Austin.
Q. What is the easiest way to be organized?
We all have different personalities, learning styles, and habits. We each also have different organizing challenges, so the easiest way to be organized is going to vary for each individual, depending on his or her needs.
The first step in getting organized is to define what "being organized" means. It's important to realize that there is a difference between being clean and being organized. Someone can have a beautifully kept home with not a scrap of paper in sight and not a speck of dust anywhere. But that same person might not know where to find what she needs, when she needs it. Her house is clean, but not organized.
It's also important to know that being organized is not about perfection. Perfection is an unobtainable goal, so there's no need to stress ourselves out trying to attain that. Getting organized is about simplicity, functionality, and efficiency.
Once we understand what it means to "get organized," the path to organization gets much easier.
Q. If a room is totally messy, what's the best way to begin making it nice and neat?
If guests are coming over and you need a quick-fix for a cluttered room, grab a few boxes and quickly divide your clutter into categories: papers, electronics, toys, and so on. Temporarily stash the boxes in the garage and set a reminder for yourself to deal with the boxes the day after your guests leave.
From an organizing standpoint, though, this is a band aid, and not a solution. The best way to kick your spring rejuvenation into gear and begin to declutter and get organized is to come up with a plan for what you want the room to be. What purpose do you want the room to serve?
Once you come up with your plan, it's time to purge, purge, purge. Throw away or recycle anything that is broken or stained. Donate what hasn't been used in a year or more. Clear out your space to make room for pleasant living.
With what's left in the room, you can do the slow-motion version of the quick-fix. Divide the objects into categories and decide where the best place for them in the room will be. If they don't belong in that particular room, deliver them to the appropriate area of the house.
Q. How can you prevent your home, office, or car from becoming messy?
Once a space is organized, there are two things that need to happen: prevention and maintenance. My friend Barbara Hemphill, author and creator of The Paper Tiger, says that "clutter is postponed decisions."
Think carefully about what you bring into a space because each item that enters becomes a decision that you must make. Any objects that do enter a space need to be maintained.
Unfortunately, there is no "organizing fairy" who will come in each night to wave a wand and magically put everything away, so you need to develop a habit of returning items to their homes each day or evening. Prevention and maintenance are key.
Q. What types of advantages do organized people have over those who are messy?
I just did a presentation at the Home & Garden Show about how organizing will change your life!! Here are the top five reasons to get organized:
5. Improve your health and safety
4. Help your community and the environment
3. Save time
2. Save money
1. Create a space that you enjoy
Q. What are the most common excuses you hear about why people are messy?
The most common reason why people seek my help is because they feel completely overwhelmed. They have too many activities on their calendar. They're buried in paper. They've got too much stuff and not enough space. Life is moving entirely too fast for them to be able to keep up.
Q. I know you run a professional organization business, how does it work exactly?
I coach people who want to make life changes. They're tired of the chaos. During our first appointment, my clients receive an organizing lesson, a needs assessment, and a personalized action plan based on the information they provided during the assessment. They learn the solutions to their problems right then and there. After that first appointment, they can implement the solutions on their own, or they can have me back to help them along the way.
Q. How did you get into this profession?
I was a high school teacher for eleven years. During that time, I noticed that students' grades would start off well at the beginning of the semester, and then quickly go downhill. It's not that they weren't smart; they simply had never been taught organizing skills. So, instead of trying to teach students how to write essays during the first week or two of school, I taught them how to organize their binders, backpacks, lockers, study schedules, and so on. Those lessons eventually snowballed into what I do today. I still teach, but to a varied clientele - including business owners, authors, doctors, attorneys, stay-at-home moms, and - yes - students.
Q. What are some inexpensive ways to clean up and become more organized?
What's better than an inexpensive way to organize? How about getting organized so that you can save money on everything!
If you have multiple magazine subscriptions, you can save money and get organized at the same time by cancelling all but your three favorite magazines.
If you organize your pantry, you can see your inventory and stop over-buying at the grocery store.
If you organize your paperwork, you will know where your bills are and never pay late fees again.
The savings are endless!
Q. What's the best advice you can offer when it comes to being organized?
It took time for chaos to develop, so it takes time to get things back in order. Crash dieting doesn't work. Neither does crash organizing. Baby steps will get you to your destination.
LivingOrder was founded in 2000 and is the leading team of certified professional organizers in
Central and South Texas. For more information about organizing services for homes or businesses, visit www.LivingOrderSA.com.
