I love personal organizers. Really, they are among the kindest people you will ever invite into your home. No other guest will leave you loving yourself or your digs like a personal organizer.
Today I walked the N.A.P.O. convention hall as an outsider looking in. In a way, I was a rare guest into the home of America's Personal Organizers. While inside, I learned a bit about what motivates,who educates and the things that titillate those at N.A.P.O. I am sure it is not what you were thinking.
It surprised me that one of the favorite client types to work with is the young mother of children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. I learned that what motivates this client to enlist the help of an organizer is to better help her children,not herself. It appears that an uncluttered environment aids a cluttered mind. Now here is the shocker, many mothers of children with A.D.D. also have A.D.D. So when an organizer is called in to help organize for the child, they are there to organize the children,mother and father. Many times a personal organizer comes in to a home to organize an individual and winds up organizing a whole family. (Talk about value for your dollar!)
Speaking of A.D.D., there are several other mental disorders that can keep a person from being organized. Two more of which are Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Hoarding. We have all seen the shows on hoarding and compulsive shopping. What I have wondered is how personal organizers know how to help these people. This is where the Institute for Challenging Disorganization comes in. The I.C.D. is a non-profit organization that explores,develops and communicates information,organizing techniques and solutions to professional organizers,related professionals and the public. This group can work with a mental health team to bring a client into a mindset and surrounding.
www.challengingdisorganization.org
To become a Certified Personal Organizer, One must complete a comprehensive training for certification, as well as adhere to N.A.P.O.'s standards and code of ethics. To view more on N.A.P.O. education processes go to..
http://www.napo.net/our_profession/certified.aspx
Now the fun part, what titillates an organizer. This part really is obvious, its fun,functional,and beautiful organizational items. Here is a list of a few of the gems I found in the convention hall.
For fun storage Space Bags are a huge hit. They have been around for some time now an remain a favorite. Yes, Space Bags are fun. Have you ever taken the air out of a giant teddy bear? Yep, that is fun and organizational.
For function there are a few favorites. For piles of junk there is 1-800-GOT-JUNK. This company is your dumpster,hauler,lifter and sweeper. One call equals a done deal.
For the garage there is a favorite system called Gladiator Garage Works. This company has fire proof floor tiles,wall systems and hooks. Since this is a Whirlpool company, they make an awesome garage fridge too. For paperwork there is Freedom Filer that will be the one paper system you will need for life. For those kitchen cabinets that needs more space there is ShelfGenie. And of course there is our old standby,Closetmaid.
Now for beauty there were two that stood out. Both of which started out as filling the inventors personal needs (which just happens to reflect the needs of many). The first is the need of a bigger closet. Many fashionistas will drool at the thought of an endless closet with luggage free travel service worldwide. This is the specialty of the people at Garde Robe. The second need was the convenience of a file box with the elegance of a stylish handbag. Enters Jamie Raquel with her LifeSTYLE File Tote keeping papers organized on the go.
The feel good group that stood out on the convention floor was Soles4souls. This group takes donated shoes to those in need.
http://www.soles4souls.org/
http://www.jamieraquel.com/
http://www.garderobeonline.com/
http://www2.closetmaid.com/
http://www.shelfgenie.com/
http://www.freedomfiler.com/
http://www.gladiatorgarageworks.com/
http://www.1800gotjunk.com/
https://www.spacebag.com/
