Chronic disorganization (CD) is more prevalant than once thought, as is being brought to light with TV shows such as Hoarders and TLC’s Buried Alive.  But chronic disorganization doesn’t just include the extreme cases we’re shown on television.

What is chronic disorganization?  The Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) defines it as“having a past history of disorganization in which self-help efforts to change have failed, an undermining of current quality of life due to disorganization, and the expectation of future disorganization.”  Learn more about chronic disorganization on ICD’s website.

Several of our Iowa Professional Organizersare also members of ICDand are committed to learning more about and facilitating strategies for those who have chronic problems with disorganization.

I am Tracy K. Pierce, an Iowa Professional Organizer, owner of Synergy Organizing, and a certified bio energetic synchronization technique (B.E.S.T.) practitioner. Initially propelled by my own health challenges, I discovered B.E.S.T., around the same time I was starting to learn more about chronic disorganization in 2010.  After having my own amazing healing experience with B.E.S.T.,as well as traveling to seminars and speaking with other B.E.S.T. practitioners, I began to wonder if this technique could be used in conjunction with Professional Organizing services, especially relating to the chronically disorganized, to help propel our clients towards the realization of their ideal lives even more quickly than without.

I have a couple participants so far and am currently seeing very positive results with these case study participants.

Are you one of the millions who has issues with chronic disorganization and are looking for a different solution?  Consider participating on our case study!

Case Study Participant Requirements:

1.    Must be willing to work with an Iowa Professional Organizer of his/her choosing.  Must be willing to commit to working with a PO for at least nine consecutive months.  The client decides his/her budget for services and the PO sets the schedule accordingly.  Client will be responsible for any fees the PO charges.

2.    Must be willing to travel to either Iowa City or West Branch, IA to receive B.E.S.T. treatments.  If traveling from more than one hour away, B.E.S.T. practitioners will usually schedule one session in the morning, and then a second session in the afternoon.  Must be willing to commit to working with a B.E.S.T. practitioner for at least nine consecutive months.  If working with Tracy, full fees for B.E.S.T. treatment services will begin March 1, 2013 (25% off discount until then).  If working with Dr. English, fees for services are expected at the time of session from the beginning of the case study.

3.    Must have been diagnosed with either ADD, OCD, or Depression and also have chronic disorganization issues.

4.    Client real names will not be used in the final submission and any personal identifying information will be changed.  Although photos should be taken during the process of the living environment, those photos will only be used with the client’s permission.

5.    If client if working with other professionals, such as a psychotherapist, social worker, case worker, etc, we kindly request that we all be able to share our information with each other – the more we can collaborate and work together as a team for the client, the more we’ll be able to help him/her consistently move forward.

6.    Participants must be absolutely committed to making positive changes in their lives!

B.E.S.T. practitioners will include Tracy K. Pierce, Iowa City, and Dr. Tanya English, West Branch.  Choose your Professional Organizer from any of the Iowa Professional Organizers. Learn more about B.E.S.T. at the website www.SynergyWellnessIC.com.  Please contact me to learn more about participating in this case study.

~Tracy
Holistic Professional Organizer and Coach at Synergy Organizing, LLC
www.SynergyOrganizing.com

©Synergy Organizing 2012

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all the details of what you need to do…  The problem is you have to actually DO IT, you have to actually follow through for the program to work.  Many people I work with have the best intentions when it comes to getting organized, but when they look at how much there is to do, they get so overwhelmed they don’t know where to start.  This or they dive right into it, get halfway done with one area and then lose motivation.

One of the biggest roles I play as a professional organizer is “accountability buddy”.  Sometimes just having another person there to keep the declutterer on task is really all the motivation he or she needs.

Fortunately for those of you wanting to get organized, this doesn’t always have to be a professional organizer.  Do you have a friend you can invite over to help you stay focused and follow through a few hours a week or month?  Perhaps you have a friend or family member who is willing to give you a call every 15-30 minutes during a certain time period to make sure you’re still working through that clutter and haven’t gotten distracted.  Or maybe hiring a professional really is the best way to go.

There’s no one “right” way to do it.  If you’re struggling with clutter, take a moment to decide whether a professional is in your future or whether you have enough support through family and friends to push you through the times when you just want to stop.  You can always try the friends and family route first, and if that doesn’t do it for you, sometimes spending the money to hire a professional is even better motivation to follow through!

Have you tried working with an accountability buddy?  How did it work out?

~Tracy
Holistic Professional Organizer and Coach at Synergy Organizing, LLC
www.SynergyOrganizing.com

©Synergy Organizing 2012

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This particular expedition will not be nearly as intense as the Vipassana meditation course I did last September as we are allowed and encouraged to speak to others participating in the course.  It does appear that my cell phone will not work in this secluded area, and it is my intention to disengage from email and the internet with the exception of Skyping with my husband every few days.

In our go-go-go society, the thought of not answering the phone or not checking email or not posting updates in Facebook would paralyze some people.  However, disconnecting from technology is actually one of the best ways to get in touch with yourself, to figure out what it is that you really want from life.

I challenge you to take your own digital sabbaticals.  You don’t have to go all out and take days off at a time like I am, but consider turning off your cell phone for a couple hours.  Power down the computer and go outside.  I sometimes will designate one day per week that I absolutely will not turn on the computer – yes, it’s sometimes hard even for me – I do really like keeping up with my friends and knowing what going on in their lives.  Plus, as a business owner, I sometimes find myself caught in the mentality that I must return every phone call and answer every email immediately.

Disconnecting from technology doesn’t mean disconnecting from life – it about reconnecting with yourself and the power we all have within ourselves.  Have you ever taken a digital sabbatical?  How did you feel about it?

See you all in a couple weeks!

~Tracy
Holistic Professional Organizer and Coach at Synergy Organizing, LLC
www.SynergyOrganizing.com

©Synergy Organizing 2012

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Yesterday turned out to be much more challenging than I originally anticipated.  Usually this is my day off, a day I get to kick back and take it easy.  I’ve been preparing for a trip to Northern California where I’m going to be doing some more continuing education.  For this course I’m required to bring a lot more “stuff” than I usually travel with – winter boots, 10 days worth of clothes (no laundry access, usually I’d take just a few things and wash them throughout the trip), and blankets.  Since I decided to save myself 3-4 days worth of driving time and fly instead, I was bound and determined (for some reason) to not have to pay the airline fees to check baggage.  Plus, I never replaced my last suitcase which had had the life beat out of it, and I didn’t feel like spending the money to buy a new suitcase either.

Thinking I was brilliant, I decided to pack a box of all the stuff I couldn’t fit into my carry-on and ship it via UPS.  Oh yeah, not having to check a bag or deal with my luggage at the airport, arriving at my destination with my box already there and waiting for me – it all sounded great.  Plus I could schedule a return pick up!  Awesome, I thought.

So I bought and packed the largest box UPS will take at the regular per weight rate.  Online I scheduled the pick up from my house (what a great idea!  I would hardly have to deal with all this stuff!), but when I got to the “print the label” part of the process, it didn’t work.  Now I don’t know if it was a glitch in the system or an error on my part, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t figure out how to print the label.  No worries, I thought, I’ll just print my own address label.

Luckily I was home when the UPS man showed up to pick up the package, at which point he told me he couldn’t take the package without the tracking label.  He advised me to go back online and try to print again, and if I could get the package to Office Depot just up the road from me before 4:30 it would still go out today and arrive on time.

Again I went online.  Again there was no way to print the label.  I attempted to void the scheduled pickup, but it wouldn’t let me and told me to contact UPS.  So I grabbed the box and headed to Office Depot, hoping their friendly staff would be able to help me out.  We went through the same procedure again, but no shipping label would print, we could not void the shipment.

Next I headed over to the other side of our neighboring town, about 7 miles away, to see if the UPS station proper could help me.  I’m not 100% sure what was going on over there, but the woman who eventually let me in was not someone who usually helps customers.  She certainly tried to help me, as did the woman on the customer service phone line she connected me to, but no matter what we did, there seemed to be no solution to my problem.  By now I’d been trying to solve this for over an hour and was starting to feel very frustrated.

At this point I had to take a step back.  Old Tracy would have easily gone into freak-out mode and probably ended up being rude to or yelling at this person, but I’ve since learned that although that may have eventually gotten me what I thought I wanted, it was certainly not going to create a “win” situation.  Plus there was no reason for me to get upset with this person who really was trying to help me, she just wasn’t the person I needed to talk to.  So I decided that since this was getting more complicated by the moment, and that sending the box rather than checking the bag wasn’t really going to save me more than $10 at the very most (I did not know this when I started the process), that it was time to just suck it up, buy a new suitcase, pay the baggage check fee, and be done with it.

Lucky for me UPS is close to the largest mall in my area.  So I headed over there and found the exact suitcase I needed, in the color I really wanted, at a reasonable price.  Yes, I may still have to dispute the charge on my credit card for the prepaid shipping fee I paid when I get home, and yes, this was not the way I thought things would turn out, but I’m positive that this has happened for a reason and that ultimately it will end up making my life easier in some way shape or form.

So what’s this got to do with organizing, you might be thinking.  What it really comes down to is this – what serves you better – pushing, pushing, pushing against what you want in order to get it; or stopping for a moment, taking a step back and asking yourself, “Is there an easier way?”  Organizing doesn’t have to be hard.  Sometimes what I do for clients is just give them a fresh set of eyes – give them a new way of looking at things so that they can more easily move forward themselves.  They were so convinced that things needed to happen a certain way that they weren’t able to see the far-easier solution.

I challenge you to ask yourself that important question when you feel like you’re just bashing your head against the wall trying to get things done – Is there an easier way?  If you’ve ever run into an event like this where you allowed yourself to change paths instead of continuing to push against the situation I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
~Tracy
Holistic Professional Organizer and Coach at Synergy Organizing, LLC
www.SynergyOrganizing.com

©Synergy Organizing 2012

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Have you been putting off asking for help?  Maybe today’s the day.  Contact us today to learn how Synergy Organizing can help you reclaim space for what matters most.

~Tracy
Holistic Professional Organizer and Coach at Synergy Organizing, LLC
www.SynergyOrganizing.com

©Synergy Organizing 2012

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We encourage all of our clients to fill up our vehicle/s during sessions – it’s one less thing for you to worry about, and it’s no extra charge to you.  Today was a pretty light load of recycling and donations, but I’ve had many clients who take full advantage of this added benefit and have filled my vehicles to the max – and I love that!

Ready to lighten your load?  Contact us today to set up your initial consultation!

~Tracy
Holistic Professional Organizer and Coach at Synergy Organizing, LLC
www.SynergyOrganizing.com

©Synergy Organizing 2012

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I’m not sure what drew me to this site besides having recently watched a documentary about his life.  Perhaps was drew me most to him was not only his eccentricity, but his strong conviction that what he was doing was important.  He was driven, he was passionate about his work.  Plus I was intrigued by not only the detail he put into his work (sometimes going so far as to design EVERYTHING in the home right down to the napkin rings!) but also his fascination with the geometry in nature.

Imagine if in your home every single piece was chosen with intention.  Imagine if you picked the furniture to compliment the home instead of moving the same couch from apartment to apartment.  Imagine being surrounded by shapes and forms that occur in nature rather than the cookie cutter boxes so many constructions companies throw up in record speed.  Imagine coming home and admiring every single piece in your home – right down to the napkin rings!

We weren’t allowed to photograph inside the majority of the residential areas (which were amazing!), but I’ll leave you with a few more photos from the exterior (and one from the gift shop!).  You can check out the Taliesin West website for more photos and information about the home.  I’d highly recommend at least doing the short tour if you’re lucky enough to be in the area!

Have you visited any of Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings?  I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments section!

~Tracy
Holistic Professional Organizer and Coach at Synergy Organizing, LLC
www.SynergyOrganizing.com

©Synergy Organizing 2012

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Iowa City, IA– Tracy K. Pierce, the founder and owner of Synergy Organizing, LLC, earned a Certificate of Study in Chronic Disorganization from the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD). The purpose of the ICD Study Series is to provide both basic and specialized topic education on issues, concepts, and challenges presented by client work with the chronically disorganized.

The Certificate of Study in Chronic Disorganization is the foundation certificate in this Study Series Program. To earn this certificate, Pierce was required to take several classes which included boundaries, ethics, safety issues, basic chronic disorganization, working with ADD clients, working with CD clients with physical disabilities, working with visual learners, and understanding mental health conditions.

“I’m excited to be able to continue my professional development in my chosen field.  Attending these classes about chronic disorganization allows me to work more efficiently with these types of clients.  Earning this Certificate of Study in Chronic Disorganization demonstrates my commitment to that continued learning”, says Pierce.

The Institute for Challenging Disorganization is a non-profit group for professional organizers and related professionals. Its mission is to benefit people affected by chronic disorganization. The ICD explores, develops and communicates information, organizing techniques and solutions to professional organizers, related professionals and the public. For more information, please visit www.challengingdisorganization.org.

Synergy Organizing’s mission is to propel its clients towards the realization of their ideal lives by reclaiming space for what matters most.  For more information, please visit www.SynergyOrganizing.com.

©Synergy Organizing 2012

Developed and led by Tracy K. Pierce

Learn more about B.E.S.T. at the website www.SynergyWellnessIC.com.

Purpose: 

 To determine if adding a B.E.S.T. practitioner to the CD Team or Hoarding Task Force working with a person with chronic disorganization (CD) helps the client move forward from the client’s chronic disorganization challenges more quickly than without. To determine if the addition to B.E.S.T. treatments to the client’s protocol affects the occurrence of backsliding in any way. Participants must have been medically diagnosed with at least one of the following: ADD, OCD, or Depression.

Who: The two B.E.S.T. practitioners in the beginning phase of the information gathering will be limited to Tracy Pierce, Iowa City, and Dr. Tanya English, West Branch. The Professional Organizers will be limited to those members of the Iowa Professional Organizers Association (IPO). The scope of persons involved in this case study may expand after the initial phase.

B.E.S.T Treatments:

Tracy will work with the first three clients at no charge until March 1, 2013, since this is an “experimental” therapy in this field. In exchange, the client must give permission for her to use results of this study to write up and submit a case study to various associations and groups who study chronic disorganization and other related fields. Tracy will see clients at her office space in Iowa City. Dr. Tanya English will see clients in West Branch at her office for her regular rate. As Dr. English is a licensed chiropractor, clients who see her may be able to submit their treatments to their insurance for reimbursement. Clients concerned about insurance reimbursement can visit http://www.blest4today.com/insurance to learn more about what questions to ask your health insurance provider to determine coverage. At this time, the only B.E.S.T. practitioners involved will be Tracy and Dr. English.

Case Study Participant Requirements:

1. Must be willing to work with a Professional Organizer of his/her choosing. Must be willing to commit to working with a PO for at least nine consecutive months. The client decides his/her budget for services and the PO sets the schedule accordingly. Client will be responsible for any fees the PO charges.

2. Must be willing to travel to either Iowa City or West Branch, IA to receive B.E.S.T. treatments. If traveling from more than one hour away, B.E.S.T. practitioners will usually schedule one session in the morning, and then a second session in the afternoon. Must be willing to commit to working with a B.E.S.T. practitioner for at least nine consecutive months. If working with Tracy, fees for B.E.S.T. treatment services will begin March 1, 2013. If working with Dr. English, fees for services are expected at the time of session from the beginning of the case study.

3. Must have been diagnosed with either ADD, OCD, or Depression and also have chronic disorganization issues.

4. Client real names will not be used in the final submission and any personal identifying information will be changed. Although photos should be taken during the process of the living environment, those photos will only be used with the client’s permission.

5. If client if working with other professionals, such as a psychotherapist, social worker, case worker, etc, we kindly request that we all be able to share our information with each other – the more we can collaborate and work together as a team for the client, the more we’ll be able to help them consistently move forward.

6. Participants must be absolutely committed to making positive changes in their lives!

If you are interested in learning more or participating in this case study, please contact Tracy by emailing info@SynergyOrganizing.com or calling 319.400.0681.

~Tracy
Holistic Professional Organizer and Coach at Synergy Organizing, LLC
www.SynergyOrganizing.com

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“Home is about satisfying our basic animal needs:  eating, sleeping, seeking shelter.  But it is also about achieving transcendence on earth through our other needs, the ones that are the basis of our humanity:  beauty, love, and creativity.”

Xorin breaks this process down into eight different stages:  Assess, Release, Cleanse, Dream, Discover, Create, Elevate, and Celebrate.  He walks us through the how-tos each of these stages as well as giving examples from his own life as well as from several of the clients he’s worked with over the years.

A main point Balbes makes again and again is that it’s important to have items in your home that support and uplift you.  He gives numerous examples of people who were hanging onto items from the past, like wedding dresses from a failed marriage, and how these items hold us back.  When we release the old, we’re more able to step into our new, present lives.  And when we create a home environment that nourishes and supports us, we’re able to become more of who we really are.

If you’re looking for an enlightening book that isn’t just another “how to” book about organizing, check out SoulSpace.  Have you read it?  Please leave a comment below with your thoughts about the book!!

~Tracy

Holistic Professional Organizer and Coach at Synergy Organizing, LLC
www.SynergyOrganizing.com

©Synergy Organizing 2012

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