Organzier

My mom watches some of those shows with the professional organizers. I'll end up seeing them now and again and there are times I wonder what on earth they were thinking! You bring them in and pay them money to make it easier to get to the things you use, not make it more convoluted then before they came.
I would call that lady and ask her to find your now lost long johns. Seriously!

oh no, I've sort of had this dream that all i needed was an organizer and my life would be fantastic. sounds like not so much the case. bummer :(

I hired an organizer who misplaced something of mine . . . during our organizing session! Sometimes I think they get so focused on getting a job done that they're not really *listening* to what you actually need.

So, I can empathize. I guess they're not all created equal. I did have another person who was absolutely fabulous. She spent alot more time with our family, though, and really got to know what worked for us. I still miss her (she moved).

I think it's a balance between giving enough info (and the organizer seeking it), and being willing to change the habits that got you into the disorganized state to begin with. Some organizers just take over and do things their own way, but some clients just want an organizer to clean up the mess and not institute changes in old, destructive patterns.

I agree you should ask her where the long johns are, and I question the cookbooks in the attic unless you never really used them very much. (Keeping 3 books sitting out just because each has 1 recipe you love, for example, makes no sense.)

She created an entire closet for your husband, but he doesn't use it? Why not? I think the key is your comment that he puts stuff where you "said it should have been." So it doesn't sound like you really wanted or needed an organizer - either she wasn't good, or you are determined to do things your own way. Maybe your way IS better - but then why did you need the organizer? Or, maybe your husband and you are unwilling to change? Did one of you give the organizer the info that your husband's stuff is mixed up with yours, and she took that to mean you should have separate storage solutions so you can be responsible for your own things and not have them co-mingled?

Remember that there are no licensing requirements for an organizer, so pretty much anyone can hang up a shingle and bill themselves as a professional. However, you ask an interesting question about whether or not you thrive on the chaos. Only you can answer that.

So I'd check with the organizer to see if she kept any records or remembers where she put your winter clothes. You might discuss with her your problems and see if she has a recommendation to help you follow the system you set up. It does take a minimum of 21 days to develop a new habit, they say. So it might make sense to try the new system in earnest.

You might also benefit from a new organizer - ask friends and colleagues who they used. Make sure it's someone who takes in a lot of info before setting up systems. But also investigate your own motives and bad habits, to see if you and your husband can make some improvements. Otherwise you will have the same issues no matter whom you hire.

We've just started working with an organizer. She spent the entire first session taking a tour of the house and asking us about where we used what, and how often. What we thought to go into less accessible storage and what could go into storage but needed to be accessed easily, or seasonally, or whatever. I think the trick might be finding someone who will really listen to you and what you need for your lifestyle, rather than go with what would work for them. I really feel like she is trying very hard to help us figure out what we need and where.

No experience with hiring an organizer...our house is total chaos, but I know where everything is :) I am SLOWLY working to declutter and organize, but I would fear a total stranger doing what happened to you. My husband is patient enough to leave my "stuff" alone.