THE 10-MINUTE INTERVIEW
Conquer clutter, keep what you love
February 26, 2010
Barbara Turnbull
LIVING REPORTER
Hellen Buttigieg is an Oakville, Ont.-based professional organizer, life coach and TV host, whose book Organizing Outside the Box: Conquer Your Clutter Using Your Natural Learning Style, just received an award in Los Angeles.
The Star caught up with her for a 10-minute interview. Here's an edited version.
Q: Where are you right now and what's around you?
A: I'm in my home office and I'm surrounded by my most inspiring paintings on my walls and a great view of a grey sky.
Q: How organized is your office?
A: On a scale of one to 10, today it's an 8. I'm just back from L.A. and I'm getting ready to leave for a business trip to Florida. I find that's always my least organized time, when I'm packing from one trip to the next.
Q: How did you become a clutter queen?
A: I've always been organized, even as a little girl. Everything in my house had this common thread of being organized. I was a stay-at-home mom for 13 years and when it was time to go back to work I decided I'll do some organizing for a while, to raise the funds to do the training of a life coach. The organizing paid out and I did my training. The two really work together to help people improve their lives.
Q: Your book states that everyone needs a little organizing. Do you?
A: Sometimes, yes. Organizing isn't something you do, and then you're done. Kind of like getting in shape: you always have to keep working on it.
Q: Your book identifies three learning styles. Can you give one tip that applies to all types?
A: My favourite organizing tip is the "One In, One Out" rule. For every item you bring into your home, be willing to take out one similar item.
Q: Is your husband a neat freak? What about your two daughters?
A: Yes, my husband is very organized. My daughters, who both are on their own in university, are super organized. However when they lived at home, one was organized and one was always working on getting organized.
Q: How does someone motivate messy children?
A: Start at a young age, introduce tidy up time and do it with your child. With teenagers, sometimes you have to pick your battles and close the door. However, I think if they see you picking up after yourself, they start to model that behaviour when they have their own place. There are certain times in children's lives that they need to be surrounded by chaos for their own growth. Be willing to accept that their idea of tidying up isn't your idea of organizing.
Q: What would you say is the biggest cluttering mistake people make?
A: Putting off decisions. When you pick up a piece of paper, you ask: `Is it something I need to file? Or shred? Or I can't really decide, I'll just put it here for now.' These papers have a tendency to breed like bunnies and before you know it, it becomes so overwhelming that the decision is harder to make.
Q: What's the worst clutter you've seen?
A: The worst clutter I've seen is a hoarder, where it's hard to get in the front door. I don't work with hoarders in my company, because it's a very specialized area. We were successful in getting her organized, (but) it's incredibly demanding work. My focus is on people that are motivated and ready to do it.
Q: Do you ever watch Hoarders?
A: Yes all the time. I think it's a fabulous show, because it gets in people's minds and gets to the root of the issue. Whether you're a hoarder or not, you're not keeping that prom dress because it's a prom dress, you're keeping it because of the memories attached to it.
Q: Then we should find a balance of what we keep for memories?
A: What I'm saying is, get rid of the things that are not important, so that you can give the things that are important a prominent place in your home. It's about feeling good in your space and surrounding yourself with things you love.
bturnbull@thestar.ca
Toronto Star