Spring Cleaning Refresher Course

Spring is a time of renewal. The warming temps and budding crocuses make us want to throw open windows, sweep away the winter detritus and embrace a new season. For most of us that means a healthy dose of spring cleaning — the perfect time to get organized.

“I think of spring as a time to rejuvenate our spaces and bring some freshness into them,” says Saundra Wright, founder and owner of Organized Wright LLC in Canton.

Wright has always had a knack for organizing, but when she returned to college as a nontraditional student in the early 2000s, she wasn’t sure what career to pursue. She had been working full time in the administrative and clerical field, helping others organize their schedules for years. A penchant for HGTV got her caught up in the series “Clean Sweep,” and she began to realize it might be possible to make money helping people get and stay organized in their homes.

A thoughtful academic adviser steered Wright toward a degree in organized communication, a course of study focused on how to communicate with all types of people in myriad situations. For a senior capstone project, she created a business plan and researched the field, only to find that most organizers worked independently, not for large corporations. Her husband said, “I don’t think you want to work for a professional organizer; you want to be a professional organizer.” So she launched her own business.

That was in 2008, and she’s been steadily building a clientele since.

“I help people with downsizing when they’re preparing for a move or unpacking when they move into a house,” says Wright, who is also membership director of the National Association of Professional Organizers local chapter.

A lot of times, Wright notices that people are embarrassed to have to ask for help getting their home or office organized. “They feel that organization is something that should just come easily to people, and a lot of times it doesn’t,” she says. “Sometimes there are factors like ADHD or OCD, or maybe they’re chronically disorganized or they have a physical handicap that keeps them from being able to keep themselves organized.”

Wright thinks of her services as simply another way of outsourcing to the person with the best knowledge and skill set for the job. “It’s no different than having someone clean your house or a landscaper mow your yard,” she says. “Maybe you hire a professional to come in periodically because it’s not something you enjoy doing or that you do well.”

Because of the stigma some perceive, Wright works alone with her clients, rather than hiring an assistant. “It’s a hard thing to call someone in, so you don’t attack them with a team,” she says. “If you have that one-on-one, personal relationship with that person and you feel your personalities match, you’ll have a much more successful experience with an organizer.”

It’s a fairly intimate experience to have an organizer going through your drawers and cupboards and closets, so Wright makes a point of establishing trust and assuring clients their privacy will be respected. “I don’t air other people’s dirty laundry,” she says. “And I work with all different people of all different social statuses.” Clutter, it seems, affects us all. So Wright shares advice to help us all get organized.

Getting Started

We often get really used to the clutter that accumulates over time, so tackling the mess can feel overwhelming. Wright sympathizes but remains bluntly pragmatic. “I tell people there’s just not a magic pill that you can instantly become organized.”

To achieve long-term organization, Wright uses the analogy of trying to lose weight — another very personal and often embarrassing way many herald the spring. Just like a new exercise plan, Wright counsels starting small.

“To get started, maybe make a list of the areas in your home that you feel need to be organized.”

Take Out The Trash

Often, the first question a new client poses is what should I buy? Wright’s answer is … nothing.

“I always tell people to purge before you splurge,” she says. Running to the Container Store to purchase shelves and bins may seem like the right way to get organized, but most people end up with the wrong sizes or not enough to accommodate everything.

“I really don’t want you to buy anything first,” she advises. “Most of the time, people just have too much stuff. If you purge everything you don’t want first and see what you have left, you’ll know how many things to buy and have a much more successful trip to the store.”

Commit to the Process

For this newfound organization to go long-term, Wright suggests making a deal with yourself to chip away at it over time — and develop the habit of keeping it going. “I would challenge a person to commit to maybe doing one area once a week, or maybe a few evenings during the week.”

Clearing out one drawer or cupboard every Tuesday is a lot more manageable than tackling the entire laundry room in an afternoon. “A small success can set you up for larger success in the long run,” Wright says, noting that one or two cleaned and organized spaces may encourage you to keep going.

Make it Enjoyable

Wright is not the kind of monster that would expect you to sacrifice all your downtime after work in pursuit of an organized house. “Do it while you’re watching TV in the evening,” she advises. “You can still enjoy that TV time, and you’re being productive.”

Or click on your favorite Pandora station, listen to a book on tape or light a scented candle to make the environment you’re working in more pleasant. “Set a timer, and only commit to 30 minutes,” she suggests. Manageable parameters will keep you progressing without feeling overwhelmed.

Be Prepared for a Change

“I always tell people, bear in mind it’ll probably get uglier before it gets prettier,” Wright says. Moving items from their “drop zone” — that random spot where everyone in the house drops their backpack, purse or keys upon entering at the end of the day — to their more logical storage area will require a period of upheaval.

Don’t get sidetracked by running misplaced items to a different room while you’re committed to organizing one space. “Deliver those around to the other parts of the house after we’re done,” Wright says. In other words, stay on task and focus on your cumulative progress.

Make Organization a Habit

Once you’ve purged and organized, it’s easy to slip back into old habits of buying too much stuff or dropping things wherever it’s convenient. Wright again invokes the weight-loss analogy. “If you slide off that diet over a week or so, the weight’s going to creep back on. It’s the same thing with our stuff: Clutter is going to creep back in.”

Wright’s solution is to carve out a time — a few minutes each day, a half-hour twice a week, an hour every Saturday — when you can tidy up and get things back in order. “The way to be successful is to maintain your spaces.” But don’t beat yourself up over a misstep, or if you need ongoing help. “I help some clients on a weekly basis,” Wright says. Just as one piece of cake won’t wreck an otherwise healthy plan of diet and exercise, one sloppy day shouldn’t derail your entire plan.

“Organization is a process of strategies and creating new lifestyle habits,” Wright says.“If you just take that time, you will be very happy in the long run.”