Economy, Lifestyle Changes Driving Demand for Professional Organizers

By George Berkheimer, STAFF WRITER

Everybody could use a little help getting organized, and frequently it's a job for a real professional. That realization has led to a small business niche industry aimed at the chronically disorganized, the overwhelmed and the nation's aging population.
The idea of selling organization is hardly a new fad. In fact, the 4,000-member-strong National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. But professional organizers have been enjoying enhanced visibility lately, as lifestyle changes and economic woes prompt more people to think more seriously about productivity both on and off the job.
"People can always be more organized, but they don't always have the time to do it themselves," said Beth Bracaglia, owner of Ellicott City-based Simply Organized, which focuses on both home and office organization.
The calls for help tend to come from people who are feeling overwhelmed, she observed.
Some need help getting rid of things they have accumulated or inherited. Others aren't aware of retention guidelines for tax paperwork or other important documents and keep everything. And when it comes to offices, the only thing many of them have in common is way too many distractions.
"I can help with things such as time management, reorganization and filing systems, but I don't do a lot with specific design," Bracaglia said. Like many professional organizers, she keeps a tight focus on her own services.

Seniors and Stuff
Cheryl Larson, owner of Cheryl's Organizing Concepts in Clarksburg, specializes in all aspects of home and office organization, but also offers a confidential Senior Move Management service that includes planning, decluttering, home staging and help with packing/unpacking and settling in.
"We hear a lot more about the elderly downsizing these days," Larson said, but the nation's more mobile society has meant that many seniors no longer have relatives living nearby who can help with a move.
Consequently, the increasing lifespan of the American population is one of the factors driving a demand for professional organizers.
"About 50% of my clients are elderly," Larson noted, and many of them need help with more mundane tasks such as opening mail, paying bills and opening medicine bottles.
"Organization becomes even more essential when somebody has arthritis or has trouble reaching things or remembering things," she said.
According to Kathy Trezise, owner of Cockeysville-based Absolutely Organized and president-elect of the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD), another driver is the increasing complexity of everyday life.
"It is a fact that we have so many more things and more paperwork than we used to," she said, adding that the complexity isn't just limited to adults. "Some of my clients are children."
Statistics provided by the NAPO web site indicate that the top services provided to school-aged children by NAPO members include organization of their rooms, study areas and closets, as well as advice on time management to help balance home obligations with the demands of extracurricular school programs.

Expectations and Emotions
Television has helped generate visibility for professional organizers, Trezise said, but it has also helped create an unrealistic idea of what is involved, especially in cases of extreme clutter.
"What happens in a half-hour on TV can stretch for days and weeks and even years in real life," she said, particularly when dealing with clients diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder or clinical hoarding.
"It is definitely helpful to have an understanding of psychology and physical ailments," she acknowledged. "There are so many things about the human condition that can affect the ability to organize, but we have to be careful. We can't cross the line and represent ourselves as something we're not."
According to Kate Brown, a former Annapolis resident and now of Sarasota, Fla., who chairs NAPO's Marketing Committee, many professional organizers specialize in helping people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. "Emotional challenges such as depression, anxiety, loss and grief all impair the ability to classify," she added.
To help its members increase their skills and professionalism, NAPO offers education and training through its Professional Organizer Curriculum. The Board of Certification for Professional Organizers also offers a Certified Professional Organizer exam, and an Annual Conference and Organizing Exposition sponsored by NAPO that draws professional organizers from around the world. (The next conference is scheduled for April 21-24 in Columbus, Ohio.)
The NSGCD also offers teleclasses and varying levels of certification, as well as a Clutter-Hoarding Scale that is increasingly becoming a standard as an assessment measurement tool for hoarders. The organization's 2010 conference will be held Sept. 23-25 in Austin, Texas.

Benefit of Focus
When it comes to organizing, "every situation is unique," said Bracaglia.
People tend to think of organizing in terms of universal solutions, but what works for one person might not work for another, and the tipping points are as varied as the people who reach them.
Being disorganized wastes both time and money, added Brown.
"My experience is that because of economic pressures ... people feel they [need] to be more efficient these days," she said. "Companies are cutting [jobs], other workers get added responsibilities and their skill sets need to be improved, but they've never been taught how to prioritize."
And multitasking is not the answer, Brown admonished.
"Multitasking is an illusion," she said. "Human brain studies ... show that performance degrades when workers perform rapid task switching."
One of the biggest unexpected results of properly organizing tasks, time, paperwork, supplies and tools is the benefit of focus, Brown continued. "When they eliminate the tension units, people tell me they are amazed at how much they can accomplish and how much time they have available for more important things."