Questioning the Experts
My business partner called to remind me to watch Oprah. Although I am a fan, I do not make it a priority to watch the show everyday. This particular show, however, featured a nationally renowned professional organizer and I wanted to watch his methods and compare his techniques and philosophy to ours.
He did some really good work, but as I watched, I became concerned about what appeared to be a cavalier approach to people’s attachment to their belongings and a failure to include the clients in organizing the possessions once they had decided what to keep. I rationalized that those aspects might be due to the cutting that is necessary in programming. Then he said some things that I vehemently disagree with. Since I am not appearing this week on national television, this is my forum for airing those disagreements.
His first questionable utterance occurred when he linked being overweight with being disorganized. I have met many overweight folks who are extremely organized in both business and personal life and I have met many underweight and average weight folks who are drowning in clutter and living with disorganization. There are lots of different reasons why folks lapse into a disorganized lifestyle and I do not think obesity can be touted as either the cause or the effect. Generalization seldom serves anyone well, regardless of weight. Perhaps he meant that overweight people have not yet prioritized weight loss as a personal goal, but that is not what he said. I say “WRONG, fellow organizer,” and I hope you recant that statement in a national forum.
I also disagree with his advice for cleaning out kitchen utensils. He advised to take all the utensils out of the drawers and to place them in a box. Then retrieve them as you use them for a month. If you haven’t used them in a month, he says, you do not need them so get rid of them. As I thought about this, I wondered what utensils I might not use for a whole month. These came to mind:
The pizza cutter which usually comes out when a niece or nephew visits
The melon baller because I don’t get many fresh melons in winter
The crab hammer and pick because fresh crabs are usually a summer treat at my house
The ice pick because I won’t have another big party until St Patrick’s Day or Easter
The turkey lifter cause the big bird is a sometime thing
The whisk because that is to impress folks or for when a fork won’t do the job
Those utensils would be missed if I discarded them and expensive when I replaced them, as I eventually would.
The point is even the most esteemed guru is not always right and it is okay to disagree and question. When you hire a professional organizer remember the service must fit your needs. You have a right to systems that work for you. If you have questions about the process, ask them. If you have concerns about advice or suggestions, voice them. A good professional organizer will answer your questions and explain the rationale for the advice. A good professional organizer will want to meet your needs and design systems you can use and understand.
Beverly and Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net
He did some really good work, but as I watched, I became concerned about what appeared to be a cavalier approach to people’s attachment to their belongings and a failure to include the clients in organizing the possessions once they had decided what to keep. I rationalized that those aspects might be due to the cutting that is necessary in programming. Then he said some things that I vehemently disagree with. Since I am not appearing this week on national television, this is my forum for airing those disagreements.
His first questionable utterance occurred when he linked being overweight with being disorganized. I have met many overweight folks who are extremely organized in both business and personal life and I have met many underweight and average weight folks who are drowning in clutter and living with disorganization. There are lots of different reasons why folks lapse into a disorganized lifestyle and I do not think obesity can be touted as either the cause or the effect. Generalization seldom serves anyone well, regardless of weight. Perhaps he meant that overweight people have not yet prioritized weight loss as a personal goal, but that is not what he said. I say “WRONG, fellow organizer,” and I hope you recant that statement in a national forum.
I also disagree with his advice for cleaning out kitchen utensils. He advised to take all the utensils out of the drawers and to place them in a box. Then retrieve them as you use them for a month. If you haven’t used them in a month, he says, you do not need them so get rid of them. As I thought about this, I wondered what utensils I might not use for a whole month. These came to mind:
The pizza cutter which usually comes out when a niece or nephew visits
The melon baller because I don’t get many fresh melons in winter
The crab hammer and pick because fresh crabs are usually a summer treat at my house
The ice pick because I won’t have another big party until St Patrick’s Day or Easter
The turkey lifter cause the big bird is a sometime thing
The whisk because that is to impress folks or for when a fork won’t do the job
Those utensils would be missed if I discarded them and expensive when I replaced them, as I eventually would.
The point is even the most esteemed guru is not always right and it is okay to disagree and question. When you hire a professional organizer remember the service must fit your needs. You have a right to systems that work for you. If you have questions about the process, ask them. If you have concerns about advice or suggestions, voice them. A good professional organizer will answer your questions and explain the rationale for the advice. A good professional organizer will want to meet your needs and design systems you can use and understand.
Beverly and Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net
Labels: Clutter, Key Transitions, Organizing, Professional Organizer
posted by Key Transitions at 12:19 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home