To quote the humor of Joy Behar, “So what, who cares?” rings so true in many cases. For you, spring cleaning may be one of them.
What the heck is spring cleaning anyway?
When I was a kid, spring cleaning had a meaning to me. It was that time of year when finally the weather warmed up and my mom would shake the carpets and throw all the bedding outside. It usually started on a bright sunny day when all the windows could be opened. But here, it lost its meaning. The weather is pretty consistent in South Florida and the only time we open our windows is usually in the winter for a day or two. With little delineation among seasons other than a date on the calendar, there isn’t much environmental change bringing awareness to this time of year.
I’ve actually learned from my clients who hale from up north that they used to have a need to change out their wardrobes from closet to closet between winter and spring.
So what is Spring Cleaning? Well, it is going to be cleaning the things that are not usually cleaned like the inside of the fridge, or under the bed. But mostly it is that nagging clutter in your home or office. All the little things in the house that we keep pushing off. All the things that haven’t been done like; time to declutter your closet. And “there’s no time like the present” as my mom used to say. Time for procrastination and denial is over.
Studies prove that clutter is de-energizing, distracting, depressing, causes extra work moving it around, trying to clean around it (or not cleaning at all in some cases), costs money in hiring someone to help declutter (like me), and costs you time to experience all the above. Your time is valuable. Some use that as their excuse to avoid decluttering.
Of course much of this negative impact is subliminal and therefore easy to ignore or deny. But, take my word for it, with ten years of experience in the organizing business, ignoring the clutter will eventually catch up to you. The longer you let it go, the worse it is.
It appears that one day, for whatever reason, my clients wake up and suddenly realize the vastness of their clutter issue.
Not being able to sleep on your bed, not wanting to have company come into your house, not being able to get into your closet, not knowing what you have or where to find what you have, all these are serious clues it is time to stop ignoring the clutter. Ignore the signs no longer.
Feeling guilty that you “should be able to do this on your own” won’t motivate you to get it done. I think I “should” be able to change the oil in my car, but why? Isn’t it more productive for me to have an expert do that? Of course. It’s the same with organizing. Hire a professional, get it done better and faster. You’ll learn something along the way with the “tools” an organizer will teach you to help contain the organized areas and maintain in the future.
So spring is here, put organizing on your list and tackle a little at a time.
Happy Organizing!
Sophie Bent is a Professional Organizer, in South Florida member of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizing) and can be reached at 561-404-7181 or www.bentonorganizing.com.
What the heck is spring cleaning anyway?
When I was a kid, spring cleaning had a meaning to me. It was that time of year when finally the weather warmed up and my mom would shake the carpets and throw all the bedding outside. It usually started on a bright sunny day when all the windows could be opened. But here, it lost its meaning. The weather is pretty consistent in South Florida and the only time we open our windows is usually in the winter for a day or two. With little delineation among seasons other than a date on the calendar, there isn’t much environmental change bringing awareness to this time of year.
I’ve actually learned from my clients who hale from up north that they used to have a need to change out their wardrobes from closet to closet between winter and spring.
So what is Spring Cleaning? Well, it is going to be cleaning the things that are not usually cleaned like the inside of the fridge, or under the bed. But mostly it is that nagging clutter in your home or office. All the little things in the house that we keep pushing off. All the things that haven’t been done like; time to declutter your closet. And “there’s no time like the present” as my mom used to say. Time for procrastination and denial is over.
Studies prove that clutter is de-energizing, distracting, depressing, causes extra work moving it around, trying to clean around it (or not cleaning at all in some cases), costs money in hiring someone to help declutter (like me), and costs you time to experience all the above. Your time is valuable. Some use that as their excuse to avoid decluttering.
Of course much of this negative impact is subliminal and therefore easy to ignore or deny. But, take my word for it, with ten years of experience in the organizing business, ignoring the clutter will eventually catch up to you. The longer you let it go, the worse it is.
It appears that one day, for whatever reason, my clients wake up and suddenly realize the vastness of their clutter issue.
Not being able to sleep on your bed, not wanting to have company come into your house, not being able to get into your closet, not knowing what you have or where to find what you have, all these are serious clues it is time to stop ignoring the clutter. Ignore the signs no longer.
Feeling guilty that you “should be able to do this on your own” won’t motivate you to get it done. I think I “should” be able to change the oil in my car, but why? Isn’t it more productive for me to have an expert do that? Of course. It’s the same with organizing. Hire a professional, get it done better and faster. You’ll learn something along the way with the “tools” an organizer will teach you to help contain the organized areas and maintain in the future.
So spring is here, put organizing on your list and tackle a little at a time.
Happy Organizing!
Sophie Bent is a Professional Organizer, in South Florida member of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizing) and can be reached at 561-404-7181 or www.bentonorganizing.com.
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