Getting organized can be key to stress-free holiday

Posted November 19, 2003

Are you dreading the holidays because your house (and pretty much your life) is an unorganized mess?

Well, there is help for people like you (and me) from professional organizer Debby Brauer of Palatine.

Brauer, 37, treasurer of the Chicago chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers, said the key to staying organized during and after the holidays is to start before the holidays hit.

"Before the holidays, go through children's toys, books and clothes and pull out anything that is outgrown (either physically or intellectually), anything the child doesn't use anymore or anything in poor condition," Brauer said.

Then throw or give those things away. When presents are received, you'll have room to accommodate them.

Also, consider giving presents that don't take up space, such as tickets to a special show or sporting event.

If getting your house ready for entertaining company leaves you stressed, try making a schedule ahead of time and breaking things down into small, manageable tasks, Brauer said.

Perhaps you need more one-on-one help getting your house in order. Then you might want to consider hiring a professional organizer.

Ten years ago, most people had never heard of a professional organizer. But, with cable television shows such as "Clean Sweep" and "Mission Organization" gaining popularity, more and more people are becoming familiar with the profession.

Besides the publicity professional organizers have received in recent years, Brauer thinks the profession is flourishing because it fills a need.

"First of all, Americans, in particular, own so much more stuff than ever before, and we're busier than ever, so we don't have/take the time to deal properly with that stuff and it gets out of control. So many families have two working parents, so they want to spend their free time with their kids, leaving little time to manage the home," Brauer said.

"Even in families with a parent at home, that at-home parent is usually volunteering at school, transporting children to enrichment activities, etc. And, of course, the adults in single-parent families are wearing all the hats at once."

Also, since the Sept. 11 tragedy, more people are nesting in their homes and they want to make their space comfortable and peaceful, she added.

Brauer, who has lived in Palatine for about six years with her husband, Tom, and their two children, offers space organization for residences, home offices and businesses.

She can help with paper control, time-use management, goal setting, procedure streamlining and collection and memorabilia preservation.

For details, visit her Web site orderlyconduct.com or call (847) 409-7151.

© 2003 Daily Herald, Paddock Publications, Inc.