Clearing out the clutter
Local organizers simplify back-to-school by Jessica Schrader

Do you have visions of homework assignments, wardrobe needs, school supplies, lunches to pack, permission slips, sport practices and report cards, all dancing in your head? You may want to consider how a professional organizer can bring order to you and your children’s life as a new school year begins.
Professional organizers, self-employed specialists, go into the homes or offices of the very busy and/or very disorganized, and offer realistic solutions on how to “unburden” the burdened and make the home front a more organized and thereby a more comfortable place to be.
Children and parents today live with exhausting schedules and organization can be the key to a smooth transition back to school.
“ Children need a system and a plan just like adults do,” said Barry Izsak, president of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and owner of Arranging It All in Austin, Tex. “They need a regiment.”
Everything — from where your child sets his backpack after school to when he loads it again each day — needs to be done on a schedule, he said, and the same goes for parents, who can make things easier on themselves by having lunches ready the night before.
Consistency, as with all things parenting, is essential. “Parents need to get the schedule and the rules started right away and maintain them,” Izsak said.
The professional organizing industry has been around since 1985 — that’s when the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) was formed with five founding members. The organization grew to 1,000 members in 1998; to 2,000 in 2003; to 3,000 in 2004; and it now has 3,300 members.
“ We help people get organized beyond the physical aspects, by helping them create a system that’s going to work for them long after we’re gone,” said Izsak, who authored Organize Your Garage in No Time. “We analyze their habits, preferences, lifestyle and help create the system that will be compatible.”
Don’t feel bad if you’re less than organized this year. Organization skills don’t come naturally, Izsak said.
“People think being organized is an inherited trait, but it’s truly a learned behavior. The problem is many people were never taught,” Izsak said. That’s why organizers transfer skills to their clients and help them get the organization they want in their lives.
At back-to-school time, a professional organizer can organize a child’s room, designate and design study areas and work with the family’s schedule and time management.

Simply organized life
Carolyn Anderson-Fermann, 33, of Chelsea, runs her own professional organizing business called Simply Organized Life. Anderson-Fermann, who received her masters of business administration from Michigan State University, said she’s been an “organizer” her whole life.
“ I was the little kid who made my own planner to write my homework assignments in. Kids who I grew up with joke about how my little trapper keeper was very tidy,” she laughed.
Anderson-Fermann said parents should evaluate what they need before shopping for school supplies and clothes.
“ We live in a consumer society and sometimes people get overwhelmed when they have too many things in their homes,” she said. “I recommend taking a look at what you have first before you buy anything. It not only eliminates clutter but it also saves money for your family.”
In some cases, organizers help their clients learn to let go of things.
“ We’re often working with parents on eliminating clutter or distractions. It’s good for kids to learn how to let go of things and donate them to people less fortunate. They can still have the things they love and treasure. We try to teach our clients that maybe having the few things that you treasure can be better than having a lot of things that bog you down,” she said.

Planning a place for children to work on homework is essential. “ Kids need a quiet, well-lighted, clear space to do schoolwork, where supplies are close at hand,” Anderson-Fermann said. “Junior high and high school kids may need a file cabinet or a small box with hanging file folders
to use as their work becomes more complex. Ideally, the study area will have all of the school supplies, including the computer, if possible, in one location.”
If only one study area is available and there is more than one child in the household, the need for a study schedule becomes even more pertinent.
“ Kids really like structure and usual routines. A family calendar is a great thing for many people. It could be on Outlook Express or it could be a regular calendar with big squares to write in,” said Anderson-Fermann, suggesting a “landing pad” area for families where the calendar would be located, in addition to a standard place for children to put permission slips and other papers.
“ Families are so busy nowadays. Kids have so many activities and they all need to be written down in the same place,” she said.
Carolyn Anderson-Fermann’s organizing business can be found at www.simplyorganizedlife.com.

Ann Arbor resident Lauren Blitz, 27, works as a registered nurse at Glacier Hills in addition to running her professional organizing business “Organizing Blitz.” She started organizing professionally about seven years ago when she was in college and worked with many small, Ann Arbor college houses.
Blitz, the mother of a son, 2, specializes in children and families, and said that back to school doesn’t have to be hectic if you’re organized.
Her best advice?
“Keep it simple,” she said.