Too Organized to Hire a Professional?
Introducing one of new guest bloggers, name here! She is going to explain why professional organizers are must-haves for all your organizing needs!
Introducing one of new guest bloggers, Amber Windham! Like us, and probably most of you, she has a passion for all things organization but she also needs help sometimes! She is going to explain why professional organizers are must-haves for all your organizing needs!
There was a time when it was hard to see as an organized person how I would ever need to spend money on a professional organizer. Majority of shows, blogs, and Instagram posts are aimed at helping people who feel overwhelmed with being unorganized. I am sure that is the first thing that comes to the minds of writers and television producers but the funny thing is, I imagine the majority of the people who follow these posts are people who love everything about organization and are actually quite good at doing it. In fact, they likely believe hiring a professional organizer to help them is unnecessary. Many people believe they should just be able to “get a handle on things”.
Since they know what to do, why is their situation so overwhelming?
Perhaps we should think of a professional organizer like a personal trainer. Most of us know what we need to do to get into shape or to lose weight. So why are we still paying for these services if we know what to do? The answer is quite simple. Sometimes even knowing what to do isn’t the key to being able to do it.
Over the next few weeks we will discuss how you can benefit from the help of a professional organizer, even if you consider yourself to be an organized person.
* * *
Let’s say you love all things to do with organizing. Perhaps no one in the world loves a good before and after more than you do. You read blogs, posts, and watch shows having to do with organizing. You insist your family vacations at Disney World because it is the vacation that requires the most organization. You are the person whose friends give you the massive eye roll when you tell them you have some unorganized room or area to tackle.
Organization is a fabulous skill and if you are organized you are viewed as having it all together. However, the truth is no one has it all together all the time.
Life happens.
Unfortunately, we feel a real sense of failure when we can’t get certain aspects of our lives organized and this can cause anxiety. I understand these feelings. I grew up in a house where the spices were in alphabetical order and everything had a place. In fact, my own home is run precisely the same way.
Shamefully I admit, to this day when I visit my parent’s home, I get a bit excited if I notice a dust bunny or a spice turned backwards because it validates that even my mother, my organization, cleaning idol, doesn’t have it together 100% percent of the time. In fact, I know of two areas where my Mom could really use some help…if only she would allow it.
You see, it doesn’t matter if you are a person who feels like you have life organized 90% of the time or the person that feels that way 5% of the time. Everyone can benefit from the help of a professional organizer at certain times.
We are going to tackle a few of these times and hotspot areas where you may find yourself situationally unorganized.
Stay tuned over the next few weeks as we go through many different organization techniques!
Do you already know that you need a professional organizer in Baton Rouge? If so, drop us a line!
Summertime and the Weather's Fine!
Summertime and the weather’s fine!
I believe that’s the saying but I could be very wrong. LOL! In fact, when it comes to popular sayings I quite often butcher them! At any rate, I love the lazy days of summer when flip flops, swimsuits, and beach towels clutter the floor of my laundry room.
Summertime and the weather’s fine!
I believe that’s the saying but I could be very wrong. LOL! In fact, when it comes to popular sayings I quite often butcher them! At any rate, I love the lazy days of summer when flip flops, swimsuits, and beach towels clutter the floor of my laundry room.
I’m sure many parents are screaming, lazy days of summer??!!! Who are you kidding? Between swim team practices, summer camps, vacations, and the onslaught of sleepover parties one could argue summer is not a lazy time!
Whether you believe summertime brings a level of chaos or calm it cannot be debated that the longer daylight hours allow us more time to enjoy the outdoors and this is a welcome reprieve from other seasons.
As organizers, we encounter many of the same items in a countless number of the homes we organize. The garage, for instance, is one area in particular where we organize much of the same stuff. We have come to refer to this specific collection of items typically stored in the garage as “Southern Staples”.
Southern Staples are items used frequently and are oftentimes used outside of your home. They are essential for backyard BBQ’s, crawfish boils, and fish fry’s, festivals, parades, and tailgates; therefore, they must be easy to pack and unpack from your vehicle as well as readily available to haul around your home for casual get togethers.
Our list of Southern Staples includes:
Ice Chests
Tables and Chairs (stadium seats, camp chairs, beach chairs, folding chairs)
Tents
Sunscreen and Insect Repellant
Creating a place in your home for these Southern Staples will make that packing and unpacking job less demanding.
You might even get your family involved in the process making attending and hosting events facile!
HAPPY SUMMER!
The College Kids are Coming Home for Summer Break
The college kids are coming home for summer break! Did I forget to mention, they are coming back with all of their stuff. Now what?
The college kids are coming home for summer break! Did I forget to mention, they are coming back with all of their stuff. Now what?
Sending your kids off to college is the topic of many discussions. There are check lists complete with enough items to furnish a small home. We painstakingly shop for the perfect comforter and sheet set complete with matching accessories. We purchase mattress toppers that once out of their original packing barely fit in a midsize sedan. We research how to hang pictures that leave no marks on dorm walls. We worry about food sending a dorm fridge, microwave oven, and coffee maker. Our children insist on bringing ALL of their clothes to school then throughout the year they add sorority and fraternity t-shirts and formal attire to this clothing collection as well as game day attire.
Yes, all of this is coming back home and if you have several kids in college you can multiply this scenario. (By the way, this is why so many parents quickly agree to the off-campus apartment or house!)
The question is where do you store these items until the next semester. I must admit, one summer I rented a small storage unit. This particular year, my oldest daughter graduated from her undergraduate program in May and had plans to work as a sorority house director during her first year of grad school. She basically needed the same items she needed when moving into her freshman dorm room. My son lived on campus at the university he was attending and my youngest daughter was feverishly collecting items for her first college dorm room. It quickly became apparent that we had a problem as the items collected in our formal dining room.
I used plastic bins labeled for each kid to store their college items. I placed linens in one or two bins, coffee pots, mugs, etc. in a bin, accessories and décor in yet another. Then I took everything to an off-site storage unit. The storage unit might seem extreme but you can rent these by the month. They typically cost around $100 a month for a climate-controlled unit. The sense of calm we all receive from the two hundred dollars spent was well worth it in my book!!
If you have the space, you can store these bins in your kid’s closet, bedroom, or even in the garage. It is important to have your kids go through the stuff they bring home, sort items, and label everything. A lot of unwanted things get packed away in the mass exit after exams, like half eaten pop tarts, dirty coffee mugs, etc. Don’t judge. You know you raised these kids well but when the stress of exam week falls so do the cleaning standards!
HAPPY SUMMER! Enjoy these days as they pass way too quickly.
What's In Your Closet?
Welcome to our newest guest blogger, Ann Marie Stewart, who is all about minimalism! She’s been gracious enough to share some of her tips on how to clear that closet clutter!
Welcome to our newest guest blogger, Ann Marie Stewart, who is all about minimalism! She’s been gracious enough to share some of her tips on how to clear that closet clutter!
"I had more clothes than I had closets, more cars than garage space, but no money." -Sammy Davis Jr.
When I was a kid, my closet was the place for all the things I had to dump in a hurry so that my room looked clean. I HATED it when my parents would force me to clean my closet. n cleaning, I would usually find that I didn't need all the things that were in there in the first place.
When I became an adult (which I've found didn't really happen until my mid-30s) I decided once and for all that my closet was for clothes, period. Still, if I wasn't careful, other things that I needed to clean up would find their way into the sacred space.
This month, I've put together three posts (one old, two new) about closet spaces along with a list of what I specifically fill those spaces with.
Spring Newsletter
Happy 6th birthday to Chaos Organizing! Read our Spring Newsletter for the latest and greatest from Chaos Organizing.
Spring Newsletter
Have you Spring cleaned your pantry and other areas in your home?
Make sure to check out our Spring cleaning guide.
What Our Customers are Saying
"The team made the process fun, fast and easy --not the way I'd describe organizing on my own."
"This is worth EVERY PENNY!!!Not only is my house organized but I had a BLAST doing it because of their GREAT personalities!!! They couldn't be more professional and they never waste a second! They even take everything AWAY for you. I never wanted our time to be over, I was even sad because we were done. My husband thinks they have a true gift!! He was thrilled with what they did with our mess! My life so much lighter and happier! Now I WANT friends to open my closets and drawers! In fact I show them because I am so proud. Call Chaos...you will be sooooo happy you did!"
Give your mom a treat she will truly appreciate!
Chaos Organizing
Baton Rouge
Happy 6th birthday to Chaos Organizing!
In April, The Baton Rouge Chaos Organizing team celebrated with a luncheon and team training along with champagne and Sweet Carib cupcakes for dessert! We discussed The Chaos Method of organizing and reviewed all the fine details that make us Baton Rouge's premier professional home organizers.
I'm incredibly proud of the integrity of our team and the quality of our work. Try us, we won't disappoint!
Are y'all loving this Spring weather We have been busy with lots of Spring cleaning projects which means A LOT of donations! If you are also Spring cleaning right now and want to help our community, see the following list of just a few places that will take your donations. I hope you find this list helpful.
Electronics:
CACRC: http://www.cacrc.com
Housewares and Furniture:
The Purple Cow: http://thepurplecow.net
The ReStore of Greater Baton Rouge-Habitat for Humanity: https://habitatbrla.org
Inner Wheel Club of Baton Rouge-Attic Trash and Treasure Sale:
Email: caitlyn@habitatbrla.org
Society of St. Vincent de Paul Baton Rouge: https://svdpbr.org
Medicine:
https://www.endtheepidemicla.org
Hazardous Materials
https://www.brla.gov/893/Household-Hazardous-Materials
Car seat trade-in event
Target stores from 4/22-5/4
Thank you for being part of our organizing adventure.
Chaos Organizing
Houston
Chaos Organizing of Texas is proud to be a new part of the Chaos Organizing family as well as the Houston community. Houstonians truly believe charity starts at home. The sheer number of organizations set up throughout our city serve as evidence of Houstonians history of philanthropy.
At Chaos Organizing, we encourage our clients to use the de-clutter and downsizing process as an opportunity to make donations to the charity that speaks to them. Houston has no shortage of organizations collecting items to help those in need. Below are just a few of the charities available to receive donations within our community. Most of these charities offer multiple drop off locations.
Goodwill – www.goodwillhouston.org
Star of Hope – www. sohmission.org
Salvation Army – www.salvationarmyhouston.org
Charities of Houston – www.thecharitiesofhouston.org
Helping Hands Charity Inc. - www.houstonhelpinghands.com
Baker Ripley – www.bakerripley.org
Car seat trade-in event- Target stores from 4/22-5/4
For those that need a little extra help or feel overwhelmed with getting organized, give us a call.
Thank you for trusting us with your home organizing projects.
As part of our services, our Chaos Organizers will take your donated items off site to the selected donation venue and give you a donation receipt for tax purposes. Chaos Organizing is focused on providing high-quality service and customer satisfaction. We strive to do everything we can to exceed your expectations. With a variety of organizing sessions and services to choose from we’re sure you will be happy working with us.
www.chaosorganizing.com
Check Out Our Latest Project
Spring signifies fresh, new things so why not give your closet a a good spring cleaning? That's just what we did for this lucky client!
It may look AWESOME now, but it wasn't always that way.
Most people think their closet won’t ever be this organized. Look at the before pictures and you be the judge!
Chaos Kids
Summer is coming!
Make a summer bucket list with your children.
Don't forget to plan Dr. and dentist appointments
Plan summer camps
Plan sports camps
Buy summer reading books
Plan vacations or staycations
Plan quality time
Refer a Friend, Get a Discount!
Like us? Don't be stingy! Share us with a friend. When they book their organizing session, you get $50 off of yours!