Diary of a Disorganized Home Office
O.K., so what if you missed your Spring cleaning deadline. You can still get a jump on your plans to Clear Clutter and Get Organized! I say this because if you're like me, seasonal deadlines to get organized have a tendency to roll over and over year round until you look up… and you're five years deep in chaos and clutter!
Defining Moment
Year six was the defining moment for me! I had just moved into a swanky new downtown 3 bedroom town-home, which finally meant a room for my new home office! It was a space that I'd fantasized about for years while inflicting triple duty on my bedroom as my office, storage space, and sleeping quarters.
It didn't help matters that I was juggling four different careers as an Actress, Model, Freelance Writer, TV Journalist, and oh yes…former Beauty Queen. Unfortunately for me, these are all careers which often involve lots of paperwork and self promotional materials like Headshots, Pictures, Cards, Articles, and Video Tapes.
Once I moved in my new home, I thought surely I'd be able to get my premeditated home office together like all those “Make-Over Magic” shows on TV. I diligently moved boxes of office furniture (that I'd collected over the years) up to the room that would be their new home. I dumped boxes office material and paperwork in the room. I also set up my desk, file cabinet, and a small book shelf… and thought “boy was I on my way”. I continued to move even more things that I was eventually “gonna” use in my office space like decorative clocks, books, and sorority trinkets.
Enter the stand still…The days and weeks just kept going by, and my home office continued to pile up with incoming bills, paperwork, and magazines on top of the my office furniture and boxes. Months went by, and I continued to be a disorganized mess, barely meeting my obligations and deadlines. After losing money, face, pride, and yes even sleep…I realized I had to do something!
Help Help Hooray!
I've always heard that two heads and hands are better than one when it comes to completing a difficult task. And for me, the task of constructing a functional home office had become an ever growing Monster on my to-do list. I needed a resolution, so I reflected back on my Beauty Pageantry days when my personal trainer could help me accomplish in six weeks, what I had been trying to do on my own in 6 months!
Enter Alison Caputo…owner of Clarity Consulting. After days of searching, I came across an “Organizational personal trainer” to help me with my “home office hell”. During our first consultation I immediately exhaled, and let out an even bigger sigh when I found out that I did not have to have a Celebrity wallet to afford professional help.
Finally I had someone to help me put together a logical step by step process to achieve my goal. Most importantly, I had someone to set up a realistic completion schedule, and crack the whip on my natural tendency to procrastinate.
Steps to an Organized Office Heaven
Step 1 - the Assessment…
Before I met with Alison, I made a list of all of my concerns, problems, and desires. We met for about an hour and a half assessing the office room, and discussing overall expectations and potential costs.
Step 2 - the Planning…
In our second meeting, Alison measured my office room, and sketched a design that would be both functional and attractive in terms of furniture placement. We also decided that the Elfa Shelving System would be the most beneficial in terms of fully utilizing my vertical wall space. I opted to add a dash of my personality and astrological sign by deciding to paint the shelved wall Red!
Finally we developed a project plan; including a schedule, goals & objectives, as well as a list of materials needed to complete the project.
Step 3 - the Homework…
It was now time for the fun part…purging! This was the main thing that I had obviously been procrastinating about doing over the years, but now that I was under Alison's watchful eyes and time, I had no choice but to Just Do It!
My assignment was to sort through dusty boxes of books, magazines, supplies, and paperwork… and ultimately purge and sort the contents. After I had sorted out everything that I was going to keep, I arranged the items in different piles. This included paperwork that would eventually be categorically filed in my file cabinet.
Finally the true fun part…shopping!!! I spent an entire weekend shopping for items needed like the Elfa Shelving Materials, Drawers, Curtains, Paint, etc.
Step 4 - the Implementation…
Ah…The end was finally near. After everything had been purged, grouped, and purchased, it was now time to start putting things in place. First, the shelving wall was painted red, and allowed to dry overnight. The next day, Alison and a Clarity Consulting worker installed the Elfa Shelving System on the wall. They then helped me rearrange my office furniture, hang drapery, and strategically place art work. Finally, all of my sorted items were placed in their appropriate places albeit drawers, shelves, or the filing cabinet.
Welcoming a Well Organized Work Space
In just under 2 months, I was finally able to have the efficient office of my dreams. Alison, who I affectionately call my “organizational trainer”, helped me squash a lingering item on my long term “to do list” in just a short amount of time. Now I'm no longer, missing auditions, losing important mail, searching for pictures, digging through boxes, and barely making it through each work week. I never imagined that such a simple and accessible investment would make such a huge difference in my overall quality of life. In my opinion, getting professional help with my clutter was the one of best, most selfish things that I've ever done. I now have more money, time, space, and most importantly…a lot less stress!
By: Monica Lorraine, Freelance Writer
Alison Caputo is the managing partner of Clarity Consulting, LLC. She is an Organizational Consultant, Interior Designer and Speaker. She helps individuals, families and business owners create a functional space with an emphasis on aesthetics. Visit www.claritysite.com for free tips and links about getting organized with design in mind.
