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Mental Health Current Topics in Mental Health

Learning how to Bring Order Out of Chaos

Summary & Participants

The first step in taming chronic disorganization is clearing out the clutter.

Medically Reviewed On: August 11, 2008

Webcast Transcript

ANNOUNCER: Professional organizer Patricia Diesel is helping Cora clear out the clutter. It’s the first step towards putting an end to chronic disorganization.

PATRICIA DIESEL, PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZER: You cannot begin to get organized until we start to de-clutter, depending upon the level of our disorganization. How could you make order out of chaos, until we start to release some of our stuff?

ANNOUNCER: Like many people who are chronically disorganized, Cora has a tough time letting go.

CORA, CHRONICALLY DISORGANIZED: I was very sensitive, very sensitive to my things. To my children saying, "oh, mom, you have too much of this, too much of that, get rid of this."

PATRICIA DIESEL, PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZER: One of the other aspects of her clutter is paper. And so we've been working on letting go of paperwork that really is not serving any purpose and that can be anywhere from coupons that have been expired to newspaper articles that were never read.

ANNOUNCER: Untamed paperwork is a common problem. More than 20 percent of adults say they pay bills late because they lose them, according to research by Harris Interactive.

PATRICIA DIESEL, PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZER: Now you’re ready for an introduction to some tools that are going to help you with your paper. This will help you with your bills.

ANNOUNCER: Learning new skills and finding the proper tools can help bring order out of chaos.

PATRICIA DIESEL, PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZER: It's really about learning something again and how to start something and see it all the way through to completion

CORA, CHRONICALLY DISORGANIZED: Little things have helped me to the road of de-cluttering and being organized. Or peaceful.

ANNOUNCER: Thanks for joining us on today’s Once Daily.