The Ranger Online

Issue date: 9/5/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: Courtesy Photo Bonnie Wright helped turn this once-cluttered space into a neatly organized living area.

Media Credit: Courtesy Photo Bonnie Wright helped turn this once-cluttered space into a neatly organized living area.

Students juggle the tasks of school and work along with their social life every semester.

For many young adults, organizing their living area is the least important priority on their to-do list.

"I don't have any organizational skills," said hair stylist Ashley Graham. "This is my second year of living on my own, and the only organization I have is knowing where my toothbrush is in the morning, and I only know where that is because, where else would you keep it other than the bathroom," she said jokingly.

Graham tried numerous times to take control of her clutter problem. She even went as far as hiring a professional organizer.

"He offered me great advice and actually sat down with me and sorted through old boxes of photos and research papers from like the ninth grade," Graham said.

The problem Graham faced after her stint with her professional organizer was balancing her freedom from clutter with a need to keep things she would never use, like expired coupons and bank statements dating back to 2006.

Graham described her plummet back to square one as a small pile, a miniscule lump of clothing or an assortment of junk mail she intended to pick up but eventually just let accumulate.

In the early stages, it seems hardly noticeable. It developed a life of its own as it was fed more every day.

Soon there was nothing more than a small path from the door to the bed, which also was consumed by clothing and papers, only leaving a small space, just large enough to lie down in one position.

"I know I'm not the only one in this situation," Graham said. "I'm not trying to justify my bad habits, and my mother will be the first one to say, I wasn't raised like this. My laziness is something I'm going to have to break."

Graham added, she was not lazy about work, but she was lazy about her laundry.

Professional organizer Bonnie Wright helps people like Graham take control of their disorganized habits and helps them develop a system of organizing they are able to follow.

Wright, a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, works to bring a sense of structure and a certain ease to people's lives.

She represents an organizing company called Design to Order.

Wright confirms that good organizational habits should be acquired at an early age.

She added that it is important for young adults to make the transition as smooth as possible.

"My daughter is about to enter college next year. Her room is completely organized and it drives her crazy," Wright said.

Wright said her customer base consists in large part of people with obsessive-compulsive disorder and people who mainly find it hard to keep their paperwork in order.

The going rate for a professional organizer varies.

Organizing paperwork starts at $50 an hour, but her prices, are flexible. If someone wanted 15 minutes of her time to discuss methods of organization, she would only charge them a quarter of the cost.

Designing an organized space costs $75 an hour.

"In the first hour I give my clients ideas of how we can go about getting organized, Wright said. "I can show you ideas of designs, and we can decide on things like shelving, containers and labels."

Wright said that organizing paperwork starts with designing a system that works best for the client.

Whether it is alphabetical, color coding and having files on desks or in cabinets, Wright says she cannot make these decisions on her own.

The client must have a completely active role in the process of deciding what works best for them.

Wright does not give her clients a minimum amount of time to have with her. She works with them for as long as they are able and willing to work with her.

The Seven Concepts That Stick

• BE DECISIVE. For example, Everything on your desk is a decision that has not been made. Clutter is the result of putting your decisions off until later.

• GIVE EVERYTHING ITS OWN PLACE. Putting things down in the same spot will mean you always find it there. For example, keys could be placed in a dish or on a hook by the door where they can always be counted on.

• PLANNING AHEAD. A few minutes of planning in advance can save hours of time and loads of frustration. Taking 10 minutes out of every week to reassess your area will make your day-to-day life much easier.

• ASSUME LAZINESS IS NORMAL. As humans, we want to do things with the least amount of effort. "Veo" in Spanish means, "I see." Remembering the words "visual," "easy" and "obvious" will make your organization all the more easy.

• PUT THINGS DOWN WHERE YOU WILL NEED THEM. The remote usually goes by the couch or your favorite chair. Placing objects in the place where you usually need them will save you the time of rummaging through drawers and relieve stress.

• HAVE DUPLICATES WHEN IT MAKES SENSE. Having a pair of scissors for the kitchen and keeping a pair in your office will prevent objects from floating around and possibly getting lost.

• BATCH YOUR TASKS. If you have 15 minutes to spare, spend that time returning phone calls, doing a load of laundry or filing paperwork.

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