Share
PrintWoman to Woman: Clearing Clutter
Which is it? Your closet? Home office? Perhaps it’s the guest room? Chances are you've got a room in your house that’s off-limits to visitors because your too embarrassed to have anyone see what's inside. Tonight... we've got some tips on how to clear the clutter... we're talking Woman To Woman.
(WSVN) -- Meet Laurie. She has a lovely home... a clutterless kitchen... A mess-free master bedroom...But "this tour" takes a turn?!!
"Tell me about this room," asks Beatriz. "Is this just primarily your office?"
"Yes," answers Laurie.
An office that's anything but functional... Piles and piles of papers littering the desk -- two years worth -- Laurie calls it "the Pit."
"You have stuff that's yours, your husbands and you even have stuff from your daughter who's already in college, but she's managed to store stuff here?" asks Beatriz.
"Yes..." answers Laurie.
A mission impossible when it comes to finding something.
Beatriz says, "Laurie, we are hopefully going to change your life today, and here's the woman who’s going to make it all happen. Diane Hatcher, meet Laurie."
Diane's a professional organizer -- on a mission.
Her motto: "files not piles."
Her plan of attack:
She calls it the "raft" system: Read it.. Act on it.. File it or....
Toss... Toss...Toss it.
"Hopefully that's where a lot of her papers are going to end up," says ???.
Diane and Laurie launching their attack...
"First thing we're gonna do is look for things that don't belong on the desk," says Diane.
"Here's a penny, here's a pill," points out Diane.
Boxes built for storage... then--- one by one-- the tedious task of looking at every item on the desk...Using this label maker -- a filing system is set up.
"I'm going to just hand you things, just one at a time, and you tell me if it's garbage or you don't know what it is, or you know you need to keep it," explains Diane.
Laurie forced to make decisions... not always easy, and neither is keeping Laurie focused.
"Remember, right now we're not doing papers; we're looking for things that don't belong on desk," says Diane.
"Try not to leave the room too much, Laurie," she says.
"N
o, let's not do the drawer right now because we keep avoiding these papers," instructs Diane."Try not to leave the room, Laurie," she repeats.
Laurie eventually quits leaving the room -- and the pay-off is big.
Three and a half hours later.. Voila...
"While the desk looks fabulous, that's not, not necessarily perfect, yet," says Beatriz. "What's this that's left over?
"Well, this is all her daughter's research," says Diane.
Diane calls it homework.. Laurie’s daughter will sort through her stuff... Laurie's husband through his .. but the truly tough task is done.
"It actually was fun," says Laurie, "Oh, good!!"
Diane says, "That's what keeps me going. I love the fact they're happy, so I'm happy. It's a win-win situation."
Here's another helpful hint when it comes to your desk at work… Dianne says you should always clear it before you leave... That way you start out fresh the next day... It makes for a more productive work day.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Diane A. Hatcher/Professional Organizer
954-252-7511