Why I became a Professional Organizer/ Organizing Consultant

Jul 10

Lets begin at the beginning…. I can’t give you an exact age, but I know that I really valued things being arranged in a cohesive way while not understanding the principles of how to get there. I’m pretty sure I have some form of ADD, I like “pretty” things, and distraction has often sabotaged important moments in my life. For instance, while a sophomore in high school, my gym teacher was lecturing about “something” (look, I know this sounds rude, but if her way of speaking was just a splash more engaging, I’m pretty sure I would have been paying attention. Yes…some may think “cocky”, but its my truth)… so what was I saying… ah yes, she noticed that that I wasn’t paying attention and asked me repeat what she said. I said I didn’t know. So I had a moment of humiliation.

My point is, I often zoned out into my own world and forgot that I really DO need to pay attention to the actual world that I live in. Also I focused a lot on how I looked on the outside. Therefore I didn’t understand that there is a limit to how much we look like matters as to how well we thrive and function in life!!! It wasn’t until much later in life I would realize the aesthetic value of a person or object would be limited by its functionality.

As a young person, I didn’t have my own house, so in my mind I couldn’t see the purpose of how to keep a home tidy because I didn’t think I’d need to know that until I had my own home. But realistically I did have my bedroom, which was always a mess. (Lack of proper storage was a part of the issue.) I really hated hearing the complaints from my Mother, who was trying to be patient but hated seeing a messy room right after she came home from her job as a house cleaner. (I know the feeling all too well now in my own family.) She seemed to always know how to keep things clean and tidy. But honestly she knew how to arrange things quickly, not necessarily orderly… meaning it wouldn’t be easy to find. There were no systems in place. “Just make it look tidy and move on”. I can understand that way of thinking now. Quick recap- Her mother worked 3 jobs, was a single Mom, and the only way my mother knew how to help her mother was clean the home. Her mother loved seeing a clean home after a long day of work, so my mother was rewarded and IT WORKED! She loved to clean! Awesome! However, for me, I was in the fog, didn’t know how organize, I got lectured, my Mom would organize and clean for me because she couldn’t wait for me to get around to it, then I would eventually mess everything up and the process would repeat itself. Sounds like someone you know? Bring back memories?

Feelings of frustration, guilt, hopelessness, and inadequacy.

This ongoing cycle of panic, chaos, feeling lazing, and getting out of it momentarily… constantly repeated itself until one day I looked up on YouTube “How to organize/ clean my…” Big shout out to YouTube channels Clean My Space and Alejandra.tv, circa 2010. Finally I started to learn principles on how to keep my space more orderly, not just letting everything fall to the ground. (Sidenote- YouTube videos can be helpful. However, all to often we get excited and start buying things, only to come home and not have the proper understanding of what we need to do. Then we feel stuck again. ) My journey was a slow evolution and I want to point out that important detail. I know that in social media, we get a quick and dramatic results of the space that has been organized. In real life however, the person who occupies the space may take years or even decades to develop into an “organized person” and often they need someone to help them if they want to tackle an organizing project.

I say all of this because if there is just one person out there who is struggling, I FEEL YOU!!!! And the clouds will part and you will be able to enjoy a tidy comfortable home. But this is a journey and if you feel like you can’t do it on your own, hire a professional organizer. No one even has to know. We will make you look good and you can let your friends and family think that it was all you! Seriously! Some folks are like my Mom who have developed an intuitive mind when it comes to tidiness. Some are like me, we need a breakdown, bullet points, an engaging teacher who makes us feel good and excited to get started!!!

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Naomi Calderon

For many years I had struggled leaving the house early because everything from coordinating my outfit to finding my keys was in a scattered chaos. When I learned about how to organize my life by creating functional systems, I found a profound change in my life for the better. I immediately felt relief and joy in way no words can express. If you have ever felt that way, you don’t have to struggle alone. I want you to also experience the gift that you reward yourself of organization. Let’s take that journey one project at a time!

https://www.naomiorganizing.com