De-clutter your space, de-stress your life, de-great idea!
by Michelle Minnoch

Before and after pictures of an office, desperately in need of some professional organization. submitted photos

Whether a room in your house, or your space at the office, keeping an organized area is not always easy. Some may say it's an art form. There are two organizing companies in Innisfil, both members of Professional Organizers in Canada, which are available to help you de-clutter your life and start fresh.

Karen Main, of Neat Transitions, helps people to organize and individualize their lives and their spaces. A certified practitioner of holistic nutrition and armed with a Business/Administration/ Marketing diploma from Ryerson, she said she is pulling all her skills together to find the best possible outcome for her clients.

"A lot of people in my generation are burnt out," Main said. "They are trying to keep pace with life, but things keep piling up, it becomes worse and worse, and they don't know where to start."

She said people experience the most disorder in their lives when they are in a transitional period, and they call her up to help makes sense of their space.

Main says she enjoys the creative portion of her work, customizing areas to be both organized and pleasing to the eye. "I like to use clients' existing pieces when possible, and add a little finesse. It doesn't have to be expensive."

Main said the key is to become less attached to our stuff and focus more on simplifying our lives and surroundings. "Ultimately, with less stuff to maintain and keep track of, we free up time to do the things in life that bring us joy."

She says studies have proven to show that when people are surrounded by clutter, their stress levels often rise. Karen enjoys seeing the look on her clients' faces as they find that special "lost" something, and regain peace of mind in their personal space.

"I'm not there just to get you organized, I'm there to keep you organized."

Margaret Harlos of Living Organized shares the same philosophy as fellow organizer Karen. After working 20 years in the social service field, Harlos decided to start up her own organizing business, something she has been doing since she was a child.

"It's not only de-cluttering peoples' lives, but also helping them to dispose what they don't need," she said. Harlos says people have homes full of history, and when they want to get rid of it, Harlos tracks down a museum or organization that might find some value to it. Items can also be donated to the Goodwill, local charity, etc. Nothing is ever disposed of without the home-owners permission.

"My slogan is 'Let's make room in your life,", said Harlos. "Once you get rid of clutter, you can organize your home and get stuff done." She said she assesses her individual clients' needs, and once the job is done, follows up with a phone call, to ensure they are still on the right path.

"It's amazing how happier people feel after their area is de-cluttered," Harlos said, adding, "especially the task of doing it themselves. That is the hard part." She said part of the problem most people find is that they don't know where to start.

Neat Transitions and Living Organized are fully insured and both belong to Professional Organizers in Canada (POC). Neat Transitions provides a free consultation, and Living Organized takes the consultation fee off of the final bill. The organizers will meet with you at your home or office, assess the situation, and can give you a price based on what they see needs to be done.

If you need to de-clutter a space in your home or office, call Margaret Harlos, Living Organized at (705) 431-7774 or Karen Main, Neat Transitions at (705) 770-2144.