Why can't an organizer keep her own house in perfect order?

I saw a note once from someone saying that he had fired his professional organizer because he saw that her own house was not an oasis of organized bliss.

While it is certainly ideal if a professional organizer can set a good example and model how "easy" it is to keep one's house looking its best, the fact is that there are several reasons why she (or he) might not have everything looking like a Pottery Barn catalog at all times. Here are just a few of them:

1. We've probably all heard the old adage, "The Cobbler's children have no shoes!" The Cobbler is so busy making shoes for the townspeople that he hasn't had a moment to make shoes for his own children. So it goes with many professions! Professional organizers are just as busy as everyone else. Many have 2 jobs. Many have families. Although you will probably find that a professional organizer can straighten her house fairly quickly and easily, it still takes some time to accomplish. And unfortunately, professional organizers are busy, just like you. Organization takes maintenance, and requires at least a little bit of time. (In fact, if I weren't writing this blog right now, I would be taking out the garbage, which is currently waiting by the back door!)

As a professional organizer, I do try to keep my house and my car straight so that my clients see that it is possible to accomplish organization in their lives, and that I am capable of helping them to achieve this goal. However, it would be unrealistic if I were to pretend that my life is without a single chaotic moment and my house in perfect order all the time. It would be equally unrealistic for me to indicate to my clients that once we are finished they will never have a pile of mail on the counter or dishes in the sink. An organizer's goal is to make things simpler, easier, quicker, and more fulfilling, but these things still require regular maintenance, even with the best system in place!

2. If you have a family, then you know that sometimes you have to "pick your battles". You may hate that your children leave their clothes on the floor and that your husband cannot put his tools back on the shelf that you clearly labeled "Tools". But you probably hate fighting with them even more. Your professional organizer has the same issues with her family. She probably has figured out quite a few ways to organize her house and her life so that it is easy for everyone to follow the same routines. But there are almost certainly areas in her life or home where she has decided that instead of fighting with this member or that, she will just "let it go". She has probably realized that it is more important to preserve the relationship than to insist on having her way.

In my family, for example, we all have different ideas about how things ought to be stored and used in the basement. It does bother me when I am stepping on kids' craft projects on my way to the washing machine or when I find batteries on the shelf instead of in the battery caddy sitting beside them. But I have decided not to worry too much about the basement. I have come to the conclusion that it is better for all of us if I take one full day every 6 months to thoroughly clean the basement rather than spending a day or two per week scolding various family members about keeping it straight. If a client came and saw my basement shortly before my semi-annual cleaning, he or she would almost certainly fire me. But this system works for me, it keeps the basement "neat enough", and most importantly, it preserves the relationships that are vital for my and my family's happiness.

3. The goal of organizing is to simplify your life so that you can spend time and energy doing the things that bring you peace, happiness, and fulfillment. What you need in order to accomplish this might be very different from what your professional organizer needs to live his or her life to the fullest. For example, I like to have my coats and shoes by the front door so that leaving in the morning (or any other time, for that matter!) is quick and easy. However, I can certainly imagine someone feeling that this makes an entry-way into a mud room, rather than a warm place to receive visitors. In this case, the system that works for me would not work at all for someone else. That person might even feel that my entry-way looks messy. For me, it works. It helps me to get out quickly, which helps me feel less panicked in the morning. Therefore, it brings me peace. To someone else, it brings clutter and unrest. Everyone has different needs when it comes to organizing.

You might wonder why I bother to write this post. Why is it important that you understand the reasons that an organizer's house looks messy sometimes? Why is it important to know that your professional organizer deals with the same issues that you do? Because if you are on a mission to get organized, it is important that you realize that no matter how organized you get your life, there will be times when things aren't perfect. There are times when a system that used to work "perfectly" no longer fits your lifestyle. There will be times when you must shift your priorities around and the laundry or the yard work will not get done on time. There will be times when you decide that your marriage is more important than whether or not the tools are put back on the shelf after a project is complete. And there will be times when you realize that the system that works best for you - the system that allows you to do all that you want to do, and meets your needs perfectly - is not the most attractive or the most sensible to someone else.

Your house and life may or may not look like a magazine photo at all times, but if your organization system works for you, then it works, period! (Okay, exclamation point!) It does not need to be perfect at all times, it does not need to be the same system that someone else would choose, and you have not failed if things sometimes get a little chaotic or messy.

If you can keep this in mind, you will be well on your way to a balanced life - one that works for you, and one that allows YOU to live YOUR life fully.

Nora

Balance your life!