Last year at this time Marie Kondo and the KonMari Method were enjoying their moment in the spotlight. For those who don’t remember, Ms Kondo is a Professional Organizer who wrote the best selling book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. She says that she read many magazine articles as a child; was inspired by the book, Throw Out Skill; and started her home organizing business at the age of 19.

There are many parts to the KonMari Method, including a folding technique that applies to shirts, pants, socks, and jackets, but the core of it all comes down to two points. First, tidying up begins with downsizing. Not only do you have too much stuff, but you have more than you know. The way to downsize is to gather all of one type of thing, like clothing, from wherever it is hiding and put it in one place. Then you can truly see how much you have, compared to what you actually use. Secondly, we should not look at our stuff thinking about what to throw away, instead we should think about what to keep. Specifically, we should only keep those things that bring us joy. Unused items with emotional ties only chain us to the past, when we should be living in the present.

There are many good cleaning and decluttering books, and they have millions of fans worldwide. There are plenty of people who use these self help manuals and enjoy success, but they can not help everyone. People with Hoarding Disorder may be unable even to start, and people with very cluttered homes are likely to become frustrated and exhausted long before finishing the job. These people may need an alternative method, a more relaxed approach, or just someone to keep them on track. They need a Professional Organizer.

There are people who simply refuse to accept the premise of “too much stuff”, and there are skeptics who become converts. If you are dissatisfied with your life or your personal environment, then it is time for a change. It can be a long process to make a change and develop new habits, but as we are told, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. With or without a self help book in hand, start your journey today.