Help for the Disorganized

Cluttered rooms, closets stuffed to the gills and piles of papers can drive a person to distraction--not to mention diminish productivity at home and in the office. If you're at the point where you're so overwhelmed by stuff that you don't know where to start, you might want to contact a professional organizer. These pros are people like Mary Pankiewicz, a member of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers), who actually think that organizing and dreaming up storage solutions is fun.

"Bringing in someone who doesn't know you and your house can provide a very good perspective on the problem and the solution," says Pankiewicz. "My job isn't to tell a family what to do or how to store their things but rather to ask questions so they come to the right conclusions, given their living space. I help come up with the process that will work."

Here are some of her tips for getting organized:

• Start with what's bothering you the most, whether it's toys on the floor, messy kitchen cabinets or the need for a bulletin or message board.
• Put prime items in prime space. Have handy what you frequently use; pack away (or put in out-of-the-way places) the things you don't use often. This applies to seasonal clothing, sports equipment and kitchen supplies.
• Tackle one small area at a time. Work that corner of the room or that drawer for just five minutes each day.
• Ask a friend or relative to help. "You always do better if you have someone looking over your shoulder," she says. It's harder to throw everything into a junk drawer while someone is watching.
• When you're storing boxes on a shelf, write an identifying label on all four sides.
• When you've stored items, write in two places where you put them. Pankiewicz uses the back pages of the phone book and her datebook.