The Organization Obsession

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A huge trend over the past few years has most notably been home organization. Millions of people nationwide tune in on a weekly basis to watch shows like TLC's "Home Made Simple," HGTV's "Mission Organization," Style Network's "Clean House," and many, MANY more. How much are you willing to shell out for an organized life?Entrepreneurs everywhere saw this boom as the opportunity to get their feet on the ground and begin careers as "Professional Home Organizers." The Premise is that they will, for a fee ranging from $50-$2000, make special visits to your home and categorize your junk. I can't imagine what my mother would have said had someone offered to clean her house for $200 an hour. Like a lot of other people, I watch these shows and wish that I could do that with my life or sit and agonize over why I wasn't chose to have my clutter organized. The truth is, I simply don't have the luck to be chosen nor the money to hire someone myself. I now understand that we've all got control over our homes, we just don't always realize it. Things pile up. We get in over our heads and pretty soon start thinking that we need professional help. Every one of those organizing shows on TV have something in common - they follow the same formula nearly every time. Bins, bins, bins. Especially for mail, otherwise I'm swimming in a sea of outdated credit card statements! What to keep, what to throw out. If you don't use it, lose it, although there are some exceptions. Don't toss Aunt Mildred's doilies and risk being disowned by the family. Another tip from my humble experience, don't leave a room you're cleaning until it is finished. Things get shoved into boxes and drawers to be organized later, "When I have more time," or "When the news is over." I can't stress this enough: "Out of sight, out of mind" isn't an acceptable method, trust me. For my own pleasure, I like to go to www.realsimple.com. They've got some excellent strategies and checklists for those of us who like to see things outlined on paper. Be sure and check out their "New Uses for Old Things" section, it's ingenius. Caviar dreams and a bologna budget?Check in on what the stars are doing to keep it together at www.organizingla.com. If anything, it'll make you more appreciative of your world as it is - free of swaravski crystal-embedded sharpies, no joke. Got any personal tips you use to keep it together? I'd love to hear them!So find your organization inspiration and start cleansweeping. Just remember, you don't need to pay someone to organize your life. Unless you can afford it, then hell, why not.