I am a Professional Organizer. The earliest memory of organizing is at 12 years old. Yes, I was one of those weird kids that actually found cleaning and organizing just as fun as playing. The point is, I’ve been doing this for a long time so not only do I understand the best ways to get organized but I have become very skilled at understanding the emotions that drive clutter behavior. And I have seen that there is almost a formula that can predict if there may be future cluttering tendencies based on how a person was treated in their childhood in regards to their stuff.
Through working with my latest wave of clients, I have seen some common themes pop up. Issues with controlling parents, boundaries and trouble with decision making.
Here’s the deal with disorganization and clutter. Outside of brain disabilities like ADD/ADHD, the majority of clutter and disorganization stems from the influence a parent or parents had over a person and their stuff in their childhood. Continue reading »