Organizing firm will clear up your clutter

Professional organizers like Amanda Armstrong can be a lifesaver for people who find it hard to throw things away.

Armstrong operates Corona del Mar-based Room to Breathe, a professional organizing service for businesses and homes. She works in offices and at people’s houses throughout Orange County to set up systems that are personalized so that maintaining the area is a more realistic feat.

“We come up with systems in talking and understanding people’s lives,” Armstrong said. “I try to make it fun, but I also want [clients] to learn the process.”

When her clients understand the process of organization, maintenance becomes easier. Armstrong sits down with each of her clients, going through the organizational process with them so she can best determine what kind of system will work for them. She also gives “homework,” because active participation can also make keeping organized easier in the long run. But the homework is also a way for her clients to save money on her services.

Mission Viejo resident Dani Kristjanson recently put Armstrong and her only employee, Brittany Mayorga, to work at her town home.

Kristjanson and her husband, who have been married two years, were trying to marry their two lives, which resulted in one big storage-room mess. After Armstrong was finished, they had a home office, library and place for Kristjanson to put together photography projects, which is her hobby.

“The paperwork was crazy — trying to merge my life and my husband’s life and our life together was a daunting task,” Kristjanson said. “We wanted a home filing system we could both use — something really easy we could update and consolidate the paperwork.”

But more than the peace Armstrong said organization can bring to the home, it can be a money saver in business.

“Organizing can save you a lot of time and a lot of money…. If you’re not working efficiently, you lose money,” Armstrong said. “Searching for documents for hours is wasted time. There should be a home for everything.”

Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce President Ed Fawcett suggested that all businesspeople should stay organized in order to succeed.

“We’re so busy and overwhelmed, in some cases, by the amount of input we get,” Fawcett said. “If you’re not organized as it comes in, you’re going to miss chances, you’re going to miss opportunities, you’re going to miss deadlines and you’re going to offend.”

PROFESSIONAL POINTERS FOR PACK RATS

Professional organizer Amanda Armstrong, owner of Corona del Mar-based Room to Breathe, offers these tips for getting organized and staying organized.

Curb cupboard chaos

Create kitchen “zones.” Put all bakeware in one cupboard; same goes for cups and other kitchen items.

Sort, categorize, purge

Separate clutter and other things into piles of like items, such as books and paperwork. Then, donate, sell or throw away duplicate items or things you don’t use.

Too much Tupperware

Tupperware can create major space issues for some people. Try to keep only Tupperware that’s clear, and make sure every bottom has a top — throw out the rest.

Get a handle on the mail

Throw out junk mail before you even cross the threshold. Create a filing system for mail — each kid has one indoor “mailbox,” while mom and dad have another. If you don’t have kids, create “mailboxes” for different types of mail — one for bills, one for events, etc.

One year is the limit

If you haven’t used something in more than one year, it could very well be time to toss it — especially clothes. Closets should be cleaned out every six months to a year.