One of my readers asked me the following: “I just wanted to find out from you if you were organized from the beginning? Do you believe that some people are just born organized?” In response to the first question, I’ll start with an excerpt from a speech my sister Kathy made at a party in my honour.
After working as a secretary and a career counselor, she became what our dad would say she was destined to become. A professional organizer. Why would he say this was her destiny?
Well, how many children do you know who carefully arrange their green beans in tidy rows – on their high-chair trays – before eating them, and who, years after they’ve grown to maturity, still line up french fries on their plates, in order from shortest to longest? Perhaps I exaggerate. But our dad did ask Janet recently, “Have you ever enjoyed a hot meal?”
I wasn’t aware of this tendency until I was in my 20′s, but this was still long before I considered organizing as a career. I do remember visiting a friend in her university dorm room, and she had all her shelves labelled as to what belonged on each shelf, and I thought that was pretty neat (no pun intended). In the 1980′s, I bought Bonnie McCullough’s book, Totally Organized and found it very helpful for getting my house in order, and when I went to re-read it some time later, I was pleasantly surprised to realize I had already incorporated most of the ideas into my life. I continued to read and enjoy organizing books for several years after that.
While working as a career counselor, I learned about personality type and discovered that I am a “Judging” type. In True Colors or Personality Dimensions, I’m considered a “Gold.” What this basically means is that I was born organized, and I prefer things to be orderly and scheduled. (For a more detailed explanation, I suggest you read my e-book, Organizing Your Life, Your Way!)
My short answer would therefore be “yes” some people are born organized, and I am one of those people.
However, this does not mean that if you’re not born organized that you can’t acquire the skills. In fact, I remember a very enjoyable discussion at a POC Conference about “born organizers” and “born again organizers.” A “born again organizer” is someone who has learned to become organized and now helps others to do the same.
I had the pleasure of working with a woman who lived with chronic disorganization as a result of multiple sclerosis, and she used her experience to assist others in similar situations. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to continue with her business as her MS symptoms worsened, but she was a shining example of how someone who wasn’t born organized can become a professional organizer. Since that time, I’ve come to know many other organizing consultants who are successful because, having walked in their clients’ shoes, they have a thorough understanding of what it’s like to struggle with organizational challenges, and have developed specialized strategies for overcoming those challenges.
What about you? Are you a born organizer, or a born again organizer?
I have to say that I am a ‘born-again’ organizer. I was never particularly organized as a child or teen but it started to turn when I was in college. I’ve been organizing professionally for 4-5 years and must say that my teaching & psychology degrees combined with this organizing gene that suddenly sparked into existence has made it work. I think anyone can learn to be organized – it’s just harder for some people – but a lot of it is simply a state of mind. It’s being mindful of yourself and your surroundings and what works for you.
Good post!
Liz Jenkins´s last blog ..tiny bathroom :: storage needed
Sometimes people who are born organized have trouble relating to those people who have never been organized and those who are “born-again” do a better job because they have been on both sides and know how to get out of the chaos.
You can’t judge who is better because they both come from different places.
Jacki Hollywood Brown´s last blog ..End of the School Year
I was definitely born organized (my Barbie doll’s closet was organized better than most people’s real-life closets!). However, I never could have helped other people get better organized and launched a successful career as a Professional Organizer until I overcame my own struggles with perfectionism.
I’ve learned that different people have different levels of what they consider “organized enough,” and at no point does it have anything to do with perfection. Organization is something that everyone can learn, regardless of what tendencies they were born with. I truly enjoy helping others reach their own state of personal organization.
Liz, I appreciate your comments, especially as a “born again” organizer. You’ve hit the nail on the head by emphasizing “what works for you” because of course everyone is different.
Jacki, I agree that one is not better than the other. We need organizers with different backgrounds and approaches in order to meet the unique needs of various clients!
Debbie, congratulations on overcoming your struggles with perfectionism! I think that’s a common challenge for those of us who are “born organized” because it comes so naturally to us that it takes time to recognize that people who are less organized aren’t sloppy or lazy, they just see the world through a different lens than we do.
Janet Barclay´s last blog ..Were You Born Organized?
I was absolutely born organized. It’s alive and well on my father’s side of the family. We organize our kitchen cabinets, our closets, our garages, our coin collections. I would say it’s a real benefit to have that organization gene when becoming a professional organizer. Of course, skills can be learned, however, having that intuitive nature that just oozes when I see a space needing my rescue is a rush that is not learned. There is research that should be done on why people are chronically disorganized and how to deal with those clients. Along with empathy and knowing how to truly be customer oriented..Very important.
Bonnie, I didn’t think too much about my parents’ influence on my organizing until my dad sold the house after mom passed away and I went to see his new place – he sure didn’t need any help from me!
There are some excellent free fact sheets on chronic disorganization (CD) available from NSGCD, as well as teleclasses and certification for professional organizers and others working with individuals affected by CD. There’s even a yearly conference being held in LA this October!
Janet Barclay´s last blog ..Were You Born Organized?
I’m coming to this conversation a bit late, because I just found it. So, I’m one of those “born organizied” ones, and sometimes too organized to the point of not being able to be spontaneous.
As a Professional Organizer, I’ve learned a great deal from my clients, especially the right-brained ones. It’s a wonderful profession that allows me to help others while satisfying me need to organize.
And on the NSGCD topic, I’ve taken numerous courses from them, and they’re extremely good. I’d recommend them to anyone who is in the organizing field.
Moreen Torpy´s last blog ..Musings about electronic clutter
Moreen, one of the best things about a blog is that it’s never too late to join the discussion!
Until I learned about personality type, I didn’t understand why organization and time management was so challenging for some people, and having my eyes opened to that fact was one of the things that drew me to this profession.
Janet Barclay´s last blog ..2009 Harold Taylor Nominees