Spring Brings National Clutter Awareness Week National Association of Professional Organizers gets geared up to help clear out chaos!

Spring has become synonymous with the urge to purge, prompting the National Association of Professional Organizers to declare March 24 -31 National Clutter Awareness Week. National Clutter Awareness Week is a time for professional organizers to educate the public about benefits of getting organized, as well as lending support to those who suffer from chronic hoarding and other diagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorders.

Spring Brings National Clutter Awareness Week
National Association of Professional Organizers get geared up to help us clear out!

Spring has become synonymous with the urge to purge, prompting the National Association of Professional Organizers to declare March 24 -31 National Clutter Awareness Week.

Professional organizers throughout the Chicago area - and the entire U.S. - are inundated with requests for help with determining what should stay and what should go. During National Clutter Awareness Week, organizers focus on the big picture, teaching clients where to begin in their home or office and how to avoid becoming overwhelmed by spring cleaning.

"Spring definitely is one of our busiest times of the year," Fran Piekarski, professional organizer and spokeswoman for N.A.P.O.'s Chicago chapter said. "People are just in the mood to simplify and organize.

"We help them set goals for themselves to get organized; realistic, attainable short- and long-term goals," she said. "The idea is to make the process manageable while still making significant progress on decreasing clutter."
N.A.P.O. - Chicago offers five easy tips anyone can use to start reducing clutter immediately: 1. Identify an area of the home or office that needs attention; 2. Define an attainable goal for the week related to that area, and post it in a visible location; 3. When tackling the cluttered space, don't add, just subtract; 4. Be realistic and honest about which items to keep; and, 5. Donate all useable items from the de-cluttering to a local charity within the week.

"Taking the cleaning process one step at a time has a tendency to make it less overwhelming," Piekarski said. "It is also more rewarding when you can see your progress as you move through the home or office."

National Clutter Awareness Week is a time for professional organizers to educate the public about benefits of getting organized, as well as lending support to those who suffer from chronic hoarding and other diagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorders.

"When you consider that a moderately disorganized person spends about six weeks a year looking for things in his or her home or office, taking advantage of the chance to get better at being organized is not a bad idea," Piekarski said.
The National Association of Professional Organizers was founded in 1985 and is a non-profit, professional association whose 1500-plus members include organizing consultants, speakers, trainers, authors and manufacturers of organizing products. N.A.P.O. has established chapters in cities throughout the U.S.

To find a professional organizer in the Chicago area, visit www.napo-chicago.org or call N.A.P.O. - Chicago directly at (312) 409-5523. For more information about National Clutter Awareness Week or the National Association of Professional Organizers - Chicago Chapter, call N.A.P.O.- Chicago media relations at (630) 587-0773.

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