TRUE CONFESSIONS
BEING ORGANIZED MAKES LIFE EASIER

"HOW DO YOU FIND ANYTHING IN THIS MESS?" bellowed my husband from our home office in the basement. He was in a rush, trying to get out the door to catch a plane for a business trip. "I PRINTED OUT MY ITINERARY AND PUT IT ON MY DESK. NOW WHERE IS IT?" he shouted. I ran downstairs and found him furiously sorting through papers. "How should I know where your itinerary is?" I replied. He gave me "the look" and glanced toward my side of the office. There was in fact a desk underneath all of those piles of mail, clipped coupons, household bills, and children's artwork. And yes, I had let the children play in there so they busied themselves by cutting up junk mail into tiny pieces and scattering them all over. I had to admit it was impossible to find anything in there.

The next morning, while drinking coffee in front of the Today Show, Katie Couric confessed that she had a messy office. The camera panned around her small Manhattan home office with haphazard piles of papers and books everywhere. I was shocked and mesmerized to learn that America's Sweetheart is merely human, just like me. Lucky for her, the NBC producers turned her dysfunctional office into an educational service for viewers. With the help of a professional organizer, Katie's office was transformed into a magazine-perfect picture of efficiency. The piles of books and papers disappeared and were replaced by clean surfaces inviting you to be creative and energetic .all in one ten-minute segment!

That same morning, I spied a van with one of those signs on the door-"Clutter Buster" with a phone number and website. Was this a sign from above? I took it as a "yes" and raced home, looked up the website and left a message for Terri Stephens of Clutter Buster Professional Organizing.

I had "While You Were Out" fantasies of making over our home office, and therefore our entire lives, in time for my husband's return from his business trip. He would be amazed and overwhelmed with love and appreciation for me. I would become creative, efficient, and energetic--just like that cute little Katie Couric!

Terri met with me and listened patiently to my story. She helped me define the problem areas and define goals and objectives on how to address the problems. Together, we created a plan of action. Step One was to move my desk and things out of my husband's office and create my own space in our bedroom. Step Two was to set up a mail sorting center in our utility room near our kitchen. Step Three was to implement a filing system for all of our important household papers. It sounded so simple .but could we complete the project by Friday at 5 pm when my husband would return?

Unfortunately, Murphy's Law was at work. My husband was able to catch an earlier flight home and he walked right in on us, just as we were in the midst of putting his office back together. We were Clutter Busted! He looked around his office, and instead of harmonious order, he found various piles, phone cords, unplugged computer equipment, rearranged furniture, and pictures on the floor. But he did notice that my desk and papers were gone, and he now had more room to set things up the way he liked. After only a few hours to put things back together, he began to feel more at ease in his office where he could hang a "DO NOT DISTURB" sign on the door. He started to see the professional organizing light.

Over the course of several work sessions, Terri and I managed to put some order in my household. I now have a place to sort the mail and keep my children's school papers. I have neat and tidy files for all of our household papers. My husband has his very own office where he can close the door and work without interruption. My desk, set up in our bedroom, actually looks nice and gives me my own space.

There have been other little miracles too. We were planning to go out of town, and I remembered I needed to pay the bills that would be due while we were away. Instead of wasting time searching for them in a pile, I was able to locate and pay them in just a matter of minutes. And another time, when our heat didn't turn on, my husband asked for the number of the heating guy. I very efficiently replied, "Simply look under 'House Maintenance' and there is a file for our service providers." He was able to find the number, call the guy, and get the heat fixed in one afternoon!

Although I didn't magically turn into Katie Couric (you can't have everything I guess), I know I did the right thing calling a professional organizer to help me get my house in order. Thank you, Terri, for helping me turn my vision into a reality!