Getting Organized - Salt Lake City,UT

I have taken a few classes from Professional Organizer Laurie Reeve. She has a website www.simplyinorder.com and she teaches classes. The Jordan School District Spring 2008 catalog lists her as teaching two classes. One on March 25 and one on April 15. You pay $10.00 and go for 2 hours one night. I have really liked a lot of her ideas. She also has one on paper filing. You have to register for these classes on March 18. Email me if you need more info.

One thing Laurie Reeves teaches is to divide your house into zones and assign one zone to each day of the week to focus on.
Then give yourself a time limit. That has helped me to not be too overwhelmed.

Also, many orangizers teach that you should give yourself a morning routine and a night routine and stick to them until you do them practically in your sleep. For example, my night routine is sweep the floor, start the dishwasher, and get the mail. If I can do those three simple things each night than in the morning I find it easier to focus on my simple morning routine of unloading the dishwasher, making beds and feeding the pets.

Everyone has their "hot spots" where clutter just naturally collects. Pick one hot spot a day to de-clutter. Give yourself a time limit. Turn on some music. Then sort everything into boxes using the TRACK method:
T- Toss (garbage)
R- Relocate (goes in another room)
A-Action needed (mending, needs to be returned, etc.)
C-Charity
K-Keep

Try house organizing books like "Clutter Clutters", "The Healthy House Book," "Speed Cleaning," and "Sink Reflections," "No Time to Clean."

Hope this helps. Good luck!

SOrry this response is so late, just went back to catch up on come older ones, anyhow. I just wanted to say YOU can do it. If you are getting the Fly Lady info (which I am too) then the FREE tools are in front of you. Use your money to buy a few organizing tools instead of paying someone. It's taken me a while but I've done it and now am "almost" there. I was a BAD packrat for the longest time. But now my home in comfy and neat. Like Fly Lady says, you must break it down into smaller zones. Start with one area, maybe your kitchen since that's one that you mentioned is important to you. And spend 15min a day in it. Take everything off the counter you don't want there and see what you can get rid of. It's a process and a mind set. It won't happen the first time. My problem was getting rid of perfectly good things, just because I didn't use them. But use freecycle or donate them to a shelter to make you feel better about it. Anyway, sorry to ramble but I know you have the power in you to make it happen.

Dear M., i am a mother of three and this has been a problem for me time and time again in life, sometimes worse than others. one book that really helped me alot is called its all too much. by auther peter walsh. you could maybe even get an inexpensive copy on e bay.but it is avail in most book stores local too. it will really give you a new perspective on where to start and small, easy steps to do each day to get you in the right direction. if you need a support buddy to help you along the way. i can be here for you. get the book and let me know what you think and you will know where you want to start and we can tackle our areas together. even if we only do it for 45 min a day. it will get done. I have used many of the tools this book has and it has greatly improved my life, and i even made an extra $1200.00 from the stuff i found out that i really didnt need so much of and sold it at a yard sale last summer. stuff i didnt even know i really had or needed, it looks at ways we hoard stuff, and what is great is it teaches us to keep the truly important things in life and get rid of the stuff that weighs us down,so that we can enjoy our familys and homes so much more. let me know what you think and i will support you however i can . i am in the salt lake area, e mail me and we can exchange phone numbers if you like. blessings, D.

Hi M.,
Oh man, I feel your pain!
We had a professional organizer come speak to our mother's group last month and she does just what you are looking for!
Her name is Jamie Tabish, and her business is called Organize by Design. But I'm not sure what she charges.

Here is her contact information.
www.organizebydesign.com
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The best advice she gave us was to not buy your containers until AFTER you sort/purge and know what it is you need to contain. It seems like I always get charged up to organize my house then go out and buy a bunch of cute boxes and baskets that I never use. :)
Good Luck
K.