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What is Hoarding?

Have you known someone whom you might have categorized as a hoarder?  Well, before you can identify a hoarder, you first have to truly understand what makes a hoarder.

Hoarding is classified as a psychological disorder distinguished by a person who has trouble throwing items away without feeling a strong emotional or sentimental attachment to them. This could include a very wide variety of items such as trash, new products still in the packaging, clothing, animals, collectibles, etc. Hoarding behaviors have also been tied to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and some of the common methods of treating OCD can also be applied to treating the behaviors of hoarding.

  Symptoms of Hoarding

There are believed to be over 750,000 cases of hoarding in North America alone. It is far more common than most would think. It is becoming far too easy to acquire possessions nowadays at a pace that exceeds the space we have to store them. This is a problem that didn’t exist so much 100 years ago. In earlier times, peoples living spaces were normally larger and the consumer market wasn’t anywhere near as large as it is today.

The symptoms of hoarding are usually obvious. If you have a hard time closing cabinets or drawers because the amount of “stuff” in them makes it nearly impossible, that would be a beginning sign. If you commonly think about throw an item away and find you talk yourself out of it only to never pick that object up again, that would be another sign. If you are having trouble just walking through your living or working spaces without injuring yourself on the piles of clutter surrounding you, it would be highly recommended to seek out a professional organizers help in getting organized.

  Effects of Hoarding

There are numerous negative effects of hoarding behaviors. These effects can negatively have an impact on your personal and professional life, your physical health, and most importantly your children’s future.

It’s is no mystery how your personal life can be affected by hoarding. Hoarders commonly refuse to let stranger or even close family members enter their home. This is caused by the embarrassment of their living conditions and the fear of being judged by others.

Physical health can easily be compromised by living in hoarding type conditions. Mold and dangerous insects tend to collect in cluttered areas in homes. Another huge concern is the fire hazards caused by hoarding conditions. More on the fire hazards of clutter can be found here.

Children’s lives can be hugely affected by their parents hoarding habits. It is common for children of hoarders to take on similar behaviors since they are raised to believe it is a normal and acceptable way to live. It only becomes apparent to them later in childhood that other families don’t live in such disarray when perhaps they sleepover at friends homes or even worse, they invite a friend over to sleep at their home. Raising a child to be disorganized will surely and undoubtedly affect their chances of achieving success in life.

  Solutions for Hoarders

Ready to eliminate those hoarding habits for good and finally bring clarity to your home? Here are five steps to a new clutter-free you:

1. Only Handle It Once (OHIO)

This is one of my personal favorites and I feel the most important as it is a huge time saver and there is nothing more valuable to us than time. Quit wasting your time continuously moving objects from one place to another. Define a home for an object once and make sure the object is always in its “home place” if you are not using it.

2. Keep it Simple

Much time is also wasted when people over-think things before deciding what to do with an item. Trash it or keep it? Sentimental or not? Worth money or not? Make a quick decision and be done with it. The more time you waste debating with yourself the less time you have. How much is your time worth to you?

3. Minimal vs More

One of the best examples I have for this tip involves USB cables. It is very common for people to have a box with 10 or more USB cables in a tangled mess. This is simply because most electronic devices come with a usb cable whether you need it or not. It seems like a valuable item that could always come in handy so you keep it and throw it in the pile. Next thing you know, you have a drawer thats practically exploding with usb cables that you will never use. Make habit of keeping 1-2 duplicate items MAX.

4. Daily Discipline

Ever wonder why most individuals that were or still are in the military stay very organized? Discipline is the answer. The military purposely trains enlistees to remain very self-disciplined. Make a habit of having 20 minute daily de-cluttering sessions. This small amount of time will greatly improve your efficiency and greatly reduce your stress levels.

5. Holler for Help

It is of course very common for hoarders to be embarrassed of their habits and living situations. Many times this embarrassment will stop them from reaching out for help in a time of need. It is easy for hoarding habits to get so far out of control that before the person knows it, they can barely move in their own home! At this point, it all becomes so overwhelming that they have no idea where to even start organizing and de-cluttering. Professional Organizers are trained to identify the items that should stay in the home and the items that should go. Professional Organizers also usually have additional resources for hoarders such as therapists specializing in hoarding or OCD behaviors.

Do you think you might show symptoms of hoarding behaviors?

Click Here to take the hoarding severity test at Oprah.com

This is a continuation of “Help Your Kids Get Organized by Learning to Give”

Here are some ways to make gift giving fun for kids:

  1.   Take some toys to a shelter

Many shelters for homeless or abused women are open to accepting used toys.  This can also be a great “eye-opener” for kids to see those who are less fortunate and to give them the ability to help someone.

  2.   Donate to a hospital

Children that are fighting illness are always in need of something positive.  Be sure to check with the hospital first to see whether they accept used toys.

  3.   Check for children’s homes

Children’s homes (orphanages’) will often accept used toys.  Help bring joy to these children in tough times.  The holidays can be especially difficult for them.

  4.   Organize a toy swap

Although this method doesn’t exactly free up space in your child room by removing toys, it does prevent you from buying new toys that will add to the clutter.  It is also a fun and creative way to teach your kids to share and socialize with other kids at the same time.   Arrange a day with another parent and agree on a specific number of toys in a set range of estimated value.  Have your child select from a number of toys that they would like to trade for “new” toys.  This works best between two children to prevent kids from fighting over the toys they would rather have.

  5.   Local Charities

Although this method of giving may not be as exciting for the child, you can still make it fun by offering a reward of some sort for giving and also by explaining how the toys will help those in need.  A simple reward such as going to get ice cream or stopping at the park will go a long way with a child.  There are of course the additional tax benefits of donating to charities as well.

These are just some of the ways you can teach your kids the power of getting organized and gift giving all at the same time.  With such a bad economy and so many in need, there is really no excuse for keeping that 60-80% of clutter in your home whether it be your children’s or yours.  Free up space in your life by filling the space in someone’s heart.

  They Will Thank You for it Later

With prime gift-giving times being right around the corner, some common questions come to the minds of millions of parents across the world.  When my kids open these presents, where will they possibly be able to put them?  What happened to all of the toys we bought them last year?  Do they even play with any of them??

As a professional organizer, I often see the frustration parents have when it comes to their children’s bedrooms and the toys that consume them.  It is not uncommon nowadays for families to devote an entire room to the overwhelming amount of toys their kids have but rarely ever touch.  It is not only a terrible waste of space, but also a way for your children to start developing the hoarding habits that could negatively affect their lives in so many ways.

Every parent wants their kids to be happy and have the toys they desire.  There is however a point when having too many toys not only becomes stressful for the child but also becomes a safety or even a fire hazard.  I recently wrote an article about the Fire Hazards of Clutter and a child’s room full of toys, electrical sockets/cords, and often food or drinks really is the “perfect storm” for disasters.

  A Professional Organizers Solution to your Kiddie Clutter…

It’s no secret that children thrive on fun and rewarding situations.  What better way to influence positive organizing habits in life than to teach them early about the 80/20 rule?  That is that out of the 100% of things we have, only 20% of it we actually use.  The other 80% just takes up space and creates headaches and hazards.  There will of course have to be some flexibility with these numbers when kids are involved, however, if you can make the process of giving fun for the child, they will be much more open to the idea.

Continue to Part 2 for Organizers Solutions…

  Organizing Products At Extreme Discounts!

   Here is your Chance to Save Big On Organizing Products…

A Professional Organizer is always on the lookout for ways to save on organizing products.  I have recently come across the clearance section at ShopGetOrganized and found it to be the perfect way to save big time moolah while getting organized.  They are reputable company and I have been satisfied by their products and fast shipping.

Getting Organized is becoming more important by the day.  With so much “stuff” in our homes and lives nowadays, useful and creative organizing products and services have become a necessity.  Without these products or services, it is all to easy to be consumed by clutter.  Clutter and disorganization are classic “slippery slopes” in life.  The further you fall into disorganization, the more work it takes to get back to being organized and efficient!

    Save 90% on Organizing Products Today CLICK HERE

PS.  I really like the “Slim Cell Wallet” they have on sale right now.  You have to act fast on these clearance organizing products because they sell out quickly!

  Eliminate Clutter To Prevent a Fire

As a Professional Organizer, I frequently work with families one-on-one to develop the organizing systems and methods that enable them to clear the clutter in their homes.  During this planning, I usually ask whether the family has any emergency plans or measures in place.  Take a Fire Extinguisher for example.  Its relatively small and inexpensive, yet so commonly overlooked and I think you would agree that clutter is a fire hazard!

   Some Eye-Opening Fire Statistics:

• An estimated 374,900 residential building fires are reported to U.S. fire departments each year and cause an estimated 2,630 deaths, 13,075 injuries, and $7.6 billion in property loss.
• Residential building fire incidence is higher in the cooler months, peaking in January at 11 percent.
• Smoke alarms were not present in 21 percent of the larger, non-confined fires in occupied residential buildings.
• Cooking is the leading cause of residential building fires (44 percent).  Nearly all residential building cooking fires are small, confined fires (94 percent).

(Source: U.S. Fire Administration Website)   What does this have to do with organizing, you ask?  Simple answer.  The more clutter in your home, the more susceptible to fire you are.  Also, if your were to get your home organized, you could have specific places for safety related items, notify the family of where they are, and even write an emergency response plan to follow.  There is an important factor in Living Better and that is Staying Alive! There are a couple important factorsto consider when choosing a fire extinguisher. First, there are different classes of fire extinguishers that determine what type of fire they with work on.  It is recommended to have extinguishers that are rated A:B:C for your home since these will work on mostly all fires.  Next to consider, is whether the extinguisher is rechargeable or not.  A rechargeable unit will cost more initially however, extinguishers do have a shelf life and deplete over time.  The cost of recharging is actually less than the cost to purchase another non-rechargeable unit.  Also, don’t purchase a large industrial size extinguisher since they are very heavy and awkward to use.

   Where to Store an Extinguisher?

This is a common question I get while Organizing for Safety.  You should at least have one extinguisher per floor and you are better off with more.  I would recommend one in or near the kitchen, one in the garage and if possible, one in an accessible hallway closet upstairs.  An Extinguisher Cabinet is a great option since it allows easy access and will prevent your extinguisher from being consumed by closet clutter or moved somewhere to gain floor space.  Keep in mind that you should get in the habit of checking the gauges on the extinguisher so you know when to recharge it.   Don’t leave you or your families health and safety in jeopardy.  Please take heed to the statistics above.  Eliminate the clutter and protect yourself from fires.

   PS. This is part one of a two-part series.  Next up,

   Smoke/C.M. Detectors and Fire Insurance…

I am sure most of us can relate to this image of a cluttered computer desktop.  It is all too common in this digital era.  It is simply too easy to download a file or picture straight to your desktop, look at it once, and there it remains for months on end.  This is a vicious cycle and a slippery slope that can lead to digital chaos and so much wasted time when you have to search for something that you know is on your computer or phone but can’t remember exactly where.

Here are a few ways to prevent this from happening or to regain control of your digital domain:

1.  Create an alternate path for saved files.  Rather than save a temporary file to your desktop, have a specific folder to place your downloads.  It can be named “TempDL” or something similar.  Make it a regular habit to go through and purge the electronic clutter you will most likely never need.  This will keep the desktop real estate open and organized which will allow you to actually see the beautiful image(s) you have set for the background!

2.  Don’t save a file if you don’t have to.  The easiest way to prevent computer clutter, is to never have the clutter in the first place.  When you click on a link to an image, document or any other file on the internet, you are usually asked if you would like to simply open the file from the location on the web, or if you would rather save the file to your computer and view it from there.  This is where you really have to ask yourself, “Am I really every going to open this file again?”  If the answer is no, just choose to “open” the file rather than “save.”

3.  Utilize “Cloud Services.”  Whether it be Netflix for movies, Pandora for music, or Google Docs for documents,  These are all examples of using a “cloud service” in which the files you are accessing for whatever reason are stored elsewhere rather than on your hard drive.  This really helps to simplify things and keep files of all sorts from ever existing on your computer in the first place.  A perfect example of these “clouds” being the future of digital clutter management is apparent in the latest Mac OS, Lion.  Their primary feature in Lion is the cloud service capabilities.  This is also becoming the standard for web hosting as it provides great redundancy.

Minimalism is all the rage nowadays and for good reason.  Without a certain degree of minimalism or clutter management, it is nearly impossible to be the productive and efficient individuals we are capable of.  We are increasingly surrounded by technology and that will continue, I guarantee it.  Regain control of your computer clutter today!

Utilizing a daily planner is a must if you want to stay organized.  Very few people have the ability to store and remember all day-to-day events, appointments and tasks.  Consequently, we forget the important “to-dos”, and that is where the daily planner comes in.  To act as our reminder.  The bottom line is that everyone can benefit from a daily planner.

Pros

•    Recording your appointments help to prevent you from forgetting about them or being late.

•    Recording bill due dates helps to prevent late or forgotten payments.

•    Use your planner to schedule exercise or “me” time.

•    Recording birthdays and special events will help you to never forget those occasions.

•    Keep track of tasks and daily to do’s that are so easy to forget if not written down.

Cons

•    If you don’t utilize a daily planner you will be disorganized!

•    If you don’t utilize a daily planner you will manage your time poorly.

•    Late fees and poor credit rating associated with losing track of due dates.

•    Troubled friendships/relationships as a result of being late to meetings/dates.

•    Higher level of stress associated with trying to remember everything without something to reference.

Here’s a great place to purchase a daily planner

The Container Store is a definite favorite of any Professional Organizer!  They have such a variety of unique and creative items to help get organized and stay organized.

They are currently offering a discount of 15% Savings for teachers!  This is great considering teachers are constantly looking for ways to reduce chaos, stay organized, and save money in doing so.  With the higher student-per-classroom ratio of today, they are finding it increasingly difficult to manage the clutter.

Simply complete their Online Signup Form and they’ll send you an email with a 15% Savings Card!  Offer ends 12/31/2011