When clients reach out to us here at reSPACEd for help, it’s because they are experiencing disorganization. Back in the 1980s, pro organizer Lisa Morgenstern said that this disorganization can be divided up into 2 types: Situational Disorganization and Chronic Disorganization. This is how we at reSPACEd differentiate between the two types:
Situational Disorganization. These are people who are normally pretty organized, but some SITUATION has happened to them, which affects the level of organization in their home. This situation could be:
- A parent dies, and the adult child ends up inheriting an entire house’s worth of stuff.
- The client downsizes from a 4000 square foot home to a 1200 square foot condo.
- The client had a new baby, so the home office got turned into a nursery. Now there’s no place to store office supplies or work from home.
- Two people get married, combining two household’s worth of stuff.
With situational disorganization, Christy, Maia or I spend a few sessions at the client’s home, clearing out the excess and finding homes for the things the client wants to keep. We implement new organizing systems and storage products as needed. And then we’re done.
Chronic Disorganization. These are people who have struggled with disorganization their entire lives. They have tried many times to get organized, but the clutter always seems to come back. Furthermore, the disorganization is negatively impacting their life. They may have relationship troubles because they are having frequent arguments with their spouse/partner about the clutter. They may be getting in trouble at work because they are always coming into work late, can’t keep a tidy workspace, or are misplacing crucial tools/work supplies/documents.
With chronic disorganization, we usually are tackling organization problems in several rooms of the house. Oftentimes, we methodically work through every room of the house, meeting once a week or bi-weekly for a year or two until the entire house has been organized. Afterwards, we schedule regular maintenance sessions with the client (typically once or twice a month) on an ongoing basis in order to maintain the organization.
We enjoy working with people experiencing both types of disorganization, and we have gathered many “tools” in our “toolkits” over the years to combat both types. So if you recognize yourself in either of these descriptions, please feel free to reach out to us for help. We are happy to lend a hand!
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