Chronic Disorganization

As with most states of being, there are different degrees of disorganization. One can think of a continuum from very organized to severely disorganized. Chronic disorganization, however, is considered to be a different situation altogether.

People who are chronically disorganized likely live in a state of severe disorganization. They do not typically respond to conventional organizing practicies and strategies no matter how hard they try to make them work. They have three difining features as identified by Judith Kolberg in Conquering Chronic Disorganization:

• They have been disorganized all or most of their adult life;
• Being disorganized negatively effects their quality of life in some way everyday; and
• Previous attempts to be organized have not been successful.
  

Chronically disorganized people think, learn and organize in ways that are unconventional and therefore conventional organizing strategies do not work for them. Fortunately Judith Kolberg and a number of colleagues have made it their business to understand how to help individuals with chronic disorganization. She founded the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization which now provides education to professional organizers and related individuals on working with those who suffer from chronic disorganization.

So if you think you may be chronically disorganized check out the

NSGCD website. The professional organizer directory on both Professional Organizers in Canada and National Association of Professional Organizers includes identification of those who specialize in this area.

You don't have to live with your disorganization.

Disorganized Success - At What Price?

Many of you are successful and busy professionals in either your own company or a corporate firm. Some of you are successful despite the fact your world teeters on the edge between organizational disaster and "pulled through again" as you live with your organizational struggles.

Disorganization can be very, very stressful. Living in fear that the rest of the office, business or corporation will discover how disorganized you really are is a stress that few professionals can withstand for very long. You may have tried to be more organized and failed. Perhaps you have been disorganized all your adult life. Perhaps your disorganization permeates your private life as well as your business life - but at home the world may be a little more forgiving.

What price is your disorganization costing your life? Stress? Someone else's time to find things? Rework? Redo?

Perhaps now is the time to consider getting help before the stress takes over or the balance of your life tips in the wrong direction. The National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization is a research based education organization for professional organizers and other health care providers who are interested in chronic disorganization. The group provides resources to the public and a referral program. In the United States, the National Association of Professional Organizers also has a referral program. In Canada, the Professional Organizers in Canada can help you find an organizer with special skills in chronic disorganization in your area.

Don't pay the high price of disorganization. Your life is too valuable.

Disorganization - Scarey Stuff

It doesn't happen very often but today is the day I put in a plug for the industry. On the afternoon of the scarey night and just one week before the Canadian national association for professional organizers - Professional Organizers in Canada - starts it annual conference here in Toronto, what could be a better time?

Being disorganized can be stressful and very scarey. Maybe you or someone you know consistently pays their bills late, if at all, because they either can't remember to pay them or can't find the bills. Have you ever added up the late fees incurred by those last payments?

This is just one example of the cost of disorganization and there are many more. Costs can be evaluated in money, heartache and physical or emotional stress. If you or a loved one is constantly or chronically disorganized either at home or at work, you already know how painful it can be.

The good news is that there is help. Both the Canadian association Professional Organizers in Canada , or POC, and our American affiliate the National Association of Professional Organizers, or NAPO have online directories to assist you in finding an organizer in your area. In addition, the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization, or NSGCD, has resources available on its website for the public looking for information. With NSGCD you can also look up the certificates that a professional organizer may have earned if they are pursuing education with the study group. Here is a list of the certificates that I have earned.

It may be spooky out there tonight, but living your life ought to be joyful, not frightful.