Chaos Pros, like many Professional Organizers, recommends working in three- or four-hour increments when you hire us. If you follow us here or on social media, you will see tips instructing you to set a timer for 15, 20, or 30 minutes to tackle some of your clutter. "But wait a minute!" you may say. "Three or four hours for the professionals but only 15 minutes for me? Please explain!"

There are a few factors that explain the time recommendations and why they are different:

1. When you are faced with an overwhelming amount of clutter to tackle on your own, it is recommended that you set a timer for 15 or 20 minutes to focus on a portion of the clutter regularly, either each day or week, whatever is going to work for you. The smaller amount of time is recommended so that the task doesn't seem so daunting. If it was recommended that you schedule four hours per week to catch up on filing paperwork or clearing out the master closet, you may decide (and possibly already have) to keep living with the clutter longer instead.
2. When you invest in a Professional Organizer, you're not only investing in their time, but you’re also investing in their expertise and skill. There is preparation time put into each appointment. It's a better investment in their time if you have their help for a "chunk" versus one or two hours. It's also a better use of their time for them to prepare for a four-hour job than for two separate two-hour jobs. It also saves on their fuel costs and time spent traveling to your location.
3. By selecting a Professional Organizer who specializes in your organization challenge, i.e. garages or paperwork, the value of those three- or four-hour sessions increases exponentially as they are able to do so much more in less time.
4. A byproduct of investing in a Professional Organizer is that you also acquire organization skills through the process.

Of course, no matter how much time you devote to getting organized, it's better than none at all. As our motto says, "Progress not Perfection."

So, if that kitchen counter is driving you crazy because it's covered in clutter, set a timer now for 20 minutes and do what you can. Or, if you're ready to not only get the clutter off of your counter but also get your kitchen organized to avoid the clutter in the future, call us. As always, we look forward to organizing your chaos!