Professional organizer offers tips, tricks on getting decluttered

WINTER GARDEN  Some people’s New Year’s resolutions include getting organized and decluttering. But whether you’ve already abandoned that resolution or just need some help getting started, it doesn’t have to be an intimidating task. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all method to getting and staying organized. Professional organizer and Winter Garden local Savanna Westwood said everyone is different and struggles with different things; therefore, everyone organizes differently. 

Still, she recommends starting off by asking yourself a series of questions to determine your organizational goals.

“What do they struggle with; what would they like to see done; what are they currently doing; what do they hope to achieve?” Westwood said. “For a lot of people it’s to have (more) time, to not be as stressed, to be able to find things more easily and just to make things a lot smoother in life so they’re not spending a lot of their time, which is basically what everyone wants — more time and less clutter.” 

Once you figure out what you hope to achieve, come up with a method that works for you — whether that is tackling the project yourself or calling a professional organizer. Professional organizers may offer a range of services, from basic home and office organizing to moving assistance. But, they are not there to take over.

“I always tell my clients that professional organizers are like personal trainers,” she said. “A personal trainer is going to be there to help you. I would love it if my personal trainer would burn my calories for me, but that’s not how it’s going to work. You have to put in the effort and the time. I’m just there as a resource to help you do it.”

The amount of time it takes to fully organize a room depends on its size and how much clutter is in there. However, expect to spend anywhere from four to 12 hours to finish the process. 

In addition to organizing a room, keeping your life organized can be a feat, too. Making lists and schedules is a good place to start, but long lists can be overwhelming.

“You have to be sure you’re not overwhelming yourself with things that you have to do and not make yourself feel like a failure when you don’t get everything done,” Westwood said. “Make little goals and start by checking off one thing each day. It’s all about building up.”

Chalkboards and dry-erase boards are useful tools for making lists and writing your schedule for the day. But for further ease of organizing your schedule and having it easily accessible, Westwood suggests using Google calendar.

“I’m a big advocate of Google Calendar,” she said. “You can invite people, color coordinate, set alarms, send messages and take it with you on your phone.”

Another good rule of thumb Westwood offered is, "if it takes five minutes or less, do it now." It won’t take more than a minute or two to make a call or shoot a text, or pick up a piece of clothing off the ground and put it into a laundry basket.

Contact Danielle Hendrix at [email protected].