Calling in the PRO FESSIONALS

From building a better back-to-school routine to decluttering for a move, professional home organizers are ready to assist.

Boxes of sharpened pencils, crisp new folders and colorful crayons signal the start of a new school year and for many families, there will be resolutions: This year will be the one where they keep themselves organized. It doesn’t have to be as daunting as it seems. For professional organizer Beth Stricklin, the key is about taking little steps to make life easier and more organized every day.

“I am of the thought that it’s the little things you can do to keep organized, like keeping the Sharpies next to the lunch bags [and] making lunches the evening before. All of these little things really do add up,” Stricklin said.

While some may struggle with staying organized, this writer included, Stricklin admits she’s always loved organizing her home and helping others. In 2022, the St. Charles resident followed her passion and launched her business Happy Hive Organizing to share her joy of organizing and helping others.

On her business website she writes a blog with tips and ideas for home organization, whether it’s managing children and schoolwork, toys or helping adults keep their collections and items in place.

“It only takes 28 days to build a habit. Then it becomes second nature. It builds into your day and becomes part of a routine,” Stricklin said.

For school children, that routine can include having a designated place to keep backpacks, empty lunchboxes and a folder of takehome papers. Stricklin said even young children can adapt to routines by hanging up their backpack or putting their folder on a desk for parents to review.

“I’m raising adults, not kids, and it’s never too early to teach them,” Stricklin said. “You just have to do it.”

And young children are more likely to bring home artwork, from precious handprints to first poems, as they learn to read and write. Stricklin said she keeps a file folder box for each child’s saved work. She asks herself, “Is this something I would pull out to display when they graduate high school or college?” as she determines if something is worth keeping for the long term.

Another fun option is creating a space to showcase artwork, like a display wall or a changeable frame, said Michelle Frediani, owner of Precisely Practical. Her business mission is, “Organizing to connect the pieces of your life,” and the mother of five, who is now a grandmother, said home organization isn’t about perfection, but building on a series of small habits.

“We’re just trying to do better than before and build on that,” Frediani said.

Many of Frediani’s clients seek her assistance when it comes to packing up for a move and downsizing. Packing up a home for a move can seem overwhelming, in part, due to the emotional attachment people have to their possessions. She recognizes that sometimes her role is helping someone understand it’s ok to part ways with that lamp gathering dust in the basement or boxes of clothes that no longer fit.

“It can be like a counseling session,” Frediani said. “I acknowledge their feelings while helping decide what they want to keep. I have never forced anyone to get rid of anything.”

She has a network of local contacts to help her clients donate or pass along items they no longer need.

“I had a client with crocheting and art supplies, and we donated it to the Batavia Apartments,” Frediani said. “It helps the clients to know someone else will get use out of it and they will get back the space.”

Before organizing, Frediani and Stricklin agree it’s best to declutter first and shop for bins and containers second.

“Buy the bins last because you need to decide what kind of shelves and space and sizes of items you need bins for once the decluttering is done,” Frediani said.

Frediani and Stricklin are members of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals, which they said is a great resource to stay on top of trends and share ideas with fellow professionals in addition to the collaboration with fellow professional organizers in Kane County.

They often hear their clients say the hardest step was asking for help. Frediani and Stricklin said that shouldn’t be the case. They aren’t there to judge.

“I look at a space and all I see is potential,” Stricklin said. “I don’t get overwhelmed. These are your things, and I don’t have an emotional attachment.”

She added, “You should come home and feel relaxed and happy.”

Protect

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• older, heirloom or vintage furs

It’s not too late to ensure your furs and outerwear look spectacular for next season, and many years, even decades ahead.

Midwesterners generally understand certain things better than our fellow Americans in other parts of the country. That may be a bit parochial. But I’d be willing to bet the opinion checks out.

Consider summer. Few other groups of Americans know how to squeeze the last drop out of the fleeting period of long, warm, sunny days between the final snow melt and the first falling leaves like the hardy folk who live in the country’s midsection, north of the Mason-Dixon line.

Backyard barbecue parties, community festivals, picnics in the park, days at the lake, or even lounging on the patio and dining al fresco – those of us who call the Midwest home have honed the art of cramming outdoor frivolity into our midyear calendars, if for no other reason than to hold onto the memories to remind us why we live here sometime around the middle of February.