My clients are diverse and so are their needs. They include busy professionals, stay-at-home parents, active retirees, artists, entrepreneurs, college students and more. Many have ADHD. Some are already fairly well organized and others struggle with compulsive hoarding and cluttering. Although their lives may be very different, their challenges can be broken down into two major categories: Situational Disorganization or Chronic Disorganization, which includes the subcategory of hoarding.
Situational Disorganization
These clients were satisfied with their level of organization
until they experienced
major life
events that overwhelmed them. Once they lost control, their busy,
hectic lives didn't allow them to get caught up.
Common causes of situational disorganization:
- new addition to the family or combining households
- new job
- relocation
- divorce
- death or illness in the family
- change in health status
- downsizing
- a growing family with constantly changing needs
- returning to school
Effects:
For individuals who are usually organized, the feeling of
being out of control is quite
stressful. They are not used to disorder and they tell me that they
just can't stand it anymore, but they feel too overwhelmed to know how
to fix it. Often the situation that caused the disorganization
is still present, making it even harder to devote time and energy to
regaining control.
How I can help: My experience as an RN gives me an understanding of the impact of major life transitions, as well as knowledge of the typical stages people go through as they respond to life events. As an organizer, I bring relief from the overwhelm by helping clients to break projects down into manageable chunks and providing direction and hands-on support.
For many of these clients, especially if their situations have stabilized, order is regained fairly quickly. In many cases, we just need a few sessions to get them back on track, and then they can finish their projects on their own. On the other hand, sometimes they're so busy or exhausted by the events in their lives, that they prefer to have ongoing support in order to stay organized.
Chronic Disorganization
These clients have struggled
with
organizational issues for most of their lives. Organizing doesn't come
naturally to them or they never had an opportunity to learn the
skills. They may try to use organizational tools, but end up feeling
perplexed by the whole process.
Like any other group of people, chronically disorganized (CD) individuals have their own unique personalities, but many share some of the following characteristics:
- creative
- wide variety of interests
- difficulty keeping track of time
- easily distracted
- difficulty transitioning between activities
- sentimental
- form strong attachments
- spontaneous
- difficulty categorizing
- difficulty seeing the big picture
- difficulty attending to small details
Effects: CD individuals often find creative ways to compensate for not being organized. Since they have never known anything different, they may not realize how much time and energy they spend on those compensations. Eventually, life catches up with them, and their ability to function effectively starts to suffer.
Once CD individuals recognize that they might benefit from better organization, they often purchase many organizing books and storage bins, yet they find they aren't able to use them successfully. This leads to feelings of failure and embarrassment, while in the meantime, the state of disorganization gets worse and becomes overwhelming.
How I can Help: Most conventional organizing strategies are not helpful for CD individuals, but there are lots of unconventional strategies that do help. As a Certified Professional Organizer specializing in Chronic Disorganization (CPO-CD), I have extensive training and experience in applying these unconventional strategies. I also have a thorough understanding of the complex factors that are involved with chronic disorganization, and I can anticipate needs and provide the additional support and resources that many CD clients require.
CD clients can learn to manage their possessions, space and time more effectively, but it requires a commitment to making some lifestyle changes. Ambivalence about making these changes is normal, and I support and guide clients through the process as they learn new skills and habits.
Hoarding
is an extreme form of chronic
disorganization in which individuals have a compulsion to acquire and
save possessions that others may think are
useless. These compulsions seriously affect quality of life. Living
spaces are often inaccessible or unusable for their
intended purpose, such as the dining room in this photo (provided
courtesy of childrenofhoarders.com).
Hoarding is a complex issue, often accompanied by other disorders such as depression, ADHD or anxiety. It requires skilled and compassionate intervention. There are no "quick fixes," but it is possible to learn to manage hoarding behaviors and greatly improve quality of life.
I stay abreast of the latest research on hoarding and its treatment, and utilize that information when working with clients who hoard. If I feel the complexity of the situation warrants more expertise than I can offer, I will provide referrals to other qualified professionals.
Do you think you fit into one of the categories above? Contact me and I'd be happy to talk with you about the causes of disorganization in your life.
650-219-8753 | Contact
