home & garden: Being organized allows for more leisure and time with family

Rarely do we as professional organizers come into such a space that we didn’t organize ourselves.

I should explain that although the Betty Brigade mostly does professional organizing, moving coordination and event planning, we also do errands, pet care, holiday decorating — virtually anything our busy clients need done but don’t have time to do.

So, we didn’t organize the basement featured in this blog. We discovered it when we were there for pet care. So why the fuss?

We celebrate organization when we find it, because we believe it truly leads to a better life. It might sound a little woo-woo, but bear with me. Most of us value our loved ones and our time on the planet more than anything else, right? I posit that being organized enhances our relationships and gives us more time. This is a case in point.

I asked the owner if we could talk with her and take some pictures. She agreed to that, but prefers to remain anonymous. I’ll call her "Kay."

Kay’s tidiness organization grows out of a lifestyle choice, rather than a neatness compulsion. Time with her husband and 11-year-old daughter is her priority, and organization serves that end.

"I don’t want the time I have with my family to get shortened because I'm bothered by finding things or making sure things are clean and not broken," she explained.

"I wouldn’t put a broken thing away; I wouldn’t put a dirty thing away. If I have an hour to spend time with my child, I don’t want that pared down to 40 minutes because I couldn’t find the toys she wanted to play with."

Kay’s husband travels a lot, so much of the time she operates as a single parent. "I have to stay on top of things, because there’s no way to catch up if I get behind."

Most people have a point on the messiness "continuum" at which they become uncomfortable and eventually stressed out because of the clutter. Where was that point for Kay?

"The measure of my stress," she said, "is determined by my kitchen counter. When the family comes in, we usually come into the kitchen from the garage door, so the counter is the natural place for things to go — groceries, school papers, things like that."

Those things stay there until they get put where they belong. "The kitchen counter is rarely beautifully blank."

Aside from the kitchen counter, is everything in the house organized? Well, yes and no. Kay has a small section in the basement with boxes and bins that still need to be sorted through. Why not just put them away with the other stuff?

"I don't want what’s done and what's not done to get mixed together," she explained.

"What’s done" means items have been cleaned, sorted, repaired and put away. Many clients who call us for organizing help have often not defined where their things belong. How can you put anything away when it doesn’t have a place to go? It sounds simple and basic — and it is. But it's surprising how often we don't operate our households on those basic rules.

I wondered what Kay thought of households in which chaos reigns — where clutter and possessions have the upper hand because the owner has trouble letting go of items. "I don't have a personal connection to my stuff," Kay said.

She added that certain possessions do have sentimental value for her. Still, "If our house went up in flames, I’d be happy as long as my family was safe."

Overall, being organized "makes my family's life easier."

Seeing an organized space is inspiring. We Betties look for opportunities to catch someone in the act of being organized! If you or someone you know has a tidy and organized home, office or room, let me know.

How does it make you feel to be in such a place? Better yet, email a photo!