Well, last week, they ran a series of articles promoting someone who bills herself a "professional organizer." Apparently, this woman makes a living by going into peoples' homes and getting them organized though something called an Organization Bootcamp. I had no idea there was such a thing. And the more I thought about it, the more it bothered me.
I don't begrudge this woman a thing. She saw a niche and she's exploiting it. Good for her. However, what kind of a society has the US become that people think they need such a profession in the first place? Have people degenerated to such a state that they need to pay someone to remind them to clean up after themselves and not be pack rats? I can already hear the rationalizations. "We're too busy nowadays!" What a load of crap.
I'll save you some trouble and you can just send me the $100 you'd pay to attend this Organization Bootcamp.
Step one: buy one of these.
Step two: use it.
If it's important, put it in this filing cabinet. If it's not important, throw it away. Ta-daaa! You're organized. Now go make your bed and do the dishes.
I didn't bother watching the video, but there is another side to this one dear Paul. I hired an organizer last year for a series of sessions. She helped me figure out a healthy balance in decluttering my kids rooms with them. She helped me face some paperwork I was behind on, and showed me a better way to set up my file system. I've got a handful of kids at three schools and little free time--she made a huge difference. I hired her again to help me declutter further for my move, and with her help I got my kitchen at the new house unpacked and functioning again in one day. She's got great local expertise too--not just what will the local dump take, where else can you recycle, but local moving companies, finding someone to help clean my house when I injured my back. Really, some of the best service money I've ever spent. Better than talking to a therapist. Did more to make my home beautiful and liveable than the interior designer who helped me arrange the furniture so much more effectively.
ReplyDeleteI know a lot of the organizing advice looks like common sense, but when it's you and you're panicking, someone with a clear vision of how to clear through the mess is a godsend.
Johnna,
ReplyDeleteHow many kids do you have? I'm asking because I'm about to grant you a dispensation to do anything you want to do. In my book, mothers and families are exempt from all rules that bind the childless. I have a sister with seven kids and a sister-in-law with nine if you can believe that. Watching these much-beloved women do what they do is the single most inspiring thing I can think of. I wouldn't bat an eye if my sister or my sister-in-law hired an organizer.
Well if you're lazy and would rather spend money having someone teach you to clean up after yourself, then maybe you deserve to be exploited. I can understand hiring local moving companies to help out during a move, but an organizer chick? I'm skeptical.
ReplyDelete