For those who make New Year's resolutions, organizing finances, housecleaning and rearranging a home office are right up at the top of the list with losing 10 pounds.
Whether such resolutions are observed, of course, is another matter. "They're usually too big or too vague," said Stephanie Winston, a professional organizer and the author of "Stephanie Winston's Best Organizing Tips" (Simon & Schuster, $20). Ms. Winston's overall advice is to keep resolutions precise and realistic: plan to clean up, say, the hall closet, not the whole house.
"Once you get over the fear of it, organizing is energizing, liberating and really fun," she said. But not everyone agrees with her, which is why the ranks of professional organizers are growing. They do everything from bringing order to offices and filing systems to unpacking moving boxes.
When Ms. Winston, a former book editor, started her career as an organizer in the mid-1970s, she was a pioneer. These days,the National Association of Professional Organizers, begun in 1985, lists more than 700 members in 44 states.
Ms. Winston credits the advent of the personal computer with the boomlet in her profession, since computers have increased the amount of information people receive. "People feel overwhelmed in a way they didn't before," she said.
Much of the organizers' advice is based simply on common sense. When cleaning a closet, for example, Ms. Winston suggests asking three questions when evaluating an item: Was it used in the last year? Does it have special meaning? Might it come in handy some day?
A good organizer can also teach basic skills for managing time, space and paperwork. "What an organizer does is help analyze and break down that diffused feeling into steps and problems," said Ms. Winston, who has organized everything from kitchens to corporate offices.
Clients usually call an organizer when they think their home or office is out of control. "Organizing isn't rocket science, but often people don't know where to start," said Celia Wakefield, who specializes in time and money management. "But a lot of my work is listening, talking and coming up with a consensus of what will suit the client," she said. "Some people want an empty desk. Others don't."
Ms. Wakefield considers three organizational tools vital -- a large planning book, which can also hold credit cards and business cards; an up-to-date Rolodex, and a "tickler" file, a wide accordion file for items that will be needed on a certain date, like bills and theater tickets.
Ronni Eisenberg, the author of "Organize Your Office!" (Hyperion, $7.95), is adamant about teaching organizational skills to children. Instead of saying, "Clean your room," she suggests asking for a more specific task: "Please put your laundry in the hamper and make your bed." She also advises pointing out why a task should be accomplished. "Say, 'If we put your action figures away, you'll know where to find them tomorrow,' " she said.
AT THE HOME OFFICE . . .
Here is Ronni Eisenberg's plan for organizing a home office:
* Create a good calendar system, with a daily to-do list.
* Write down all the things that need to be done so nothing is forgotten.
* Approach the most important task first.
* Break down a project into small steps that can be accomplished in a short time.
* Never pile papers. Instead, set up a simple filing system to get papers off the desk and stored.
* Always re-file whatever is removed.
* Open the mail daily so it doesn't pile up.
* Take 10 minutes to organize paperwork at the end of the day.