Organization TV shows

[mightymoo]

I've been recording some organization TV shows like Mission: Organization and I was thinking heck yeah I could organize any room if I had three solid days of doing nothing else and no kids and all my friends to help!

[streuselmama]

I SO agree - not only do they have three days to completely focus, they also often have a professional helping them!

The moral of this story: there's a lot we could do - we're just understaffed

[Amys1st]

I like clean sweep.

[sincitymama]

I used to love watching clean sweep too, and always had similar thoughts. Several days of focusing on NOTHING else, professional organizers, decorators, plus a team to build any furniture? Hell, I could re-do a whole HOUSE in a week with that kind of support!

I also notice how they'll say how it 'only' cost $856. or something Sure it's cheap when you aren't paying for all that professional labor!

Good for ideas though. I was getting cluttered again then watched a few of those shows while visiting family that has cable and it was motivating.

[mightymoo]

Originally Posted by sincitymama

I also notice how they'll say how it 'only' cost $856. or something Sure it's cheap when you aren't paying for all that professional labor!

yeah, and I could probably manage to build the furniture they build (maybe) IF I had all that expensive equipment and room to use it!

I bet though if you were good at decorating and organizing and your hsuband was a carpenter / tradesman, you could create a business like that - basically we do what the TV shows do (3 days, everyone works together), etc.

[nova22]

I bet they also don't count the paintbrushes, rollers, trays, sanding equipment, tools.....

I don't think I've seen Mission: Organization. I've seen Clean Sweep a few times and it can be interesting, depending on what room they're doing. I only like watching the ones I can relate to so I can get some good storage advice.

I recorded Resolutionaries (the one about organizing obviously) on the Tivo at the beginning of the year. That was really fun to watch. It followed three people who had a lot of clutter issues. Each of them had a professional organizer helping them. If nothing else it was inspiring, because they did everything in a week rather than a day, and some of their messes were REALLY bad.

[mightymoo]

Originally Posted by nova22

I bet they also don't count the paintbrushes, rollers, trays, sanding equipment, tools.....

Yeah, I see them say paint.. $20. Well, I've painted rooms. It takes several coats, and several gallons of paint and one gallon is usually more than $20!

I recorded Resolutionaries (the one about organizing obviously) on the Tivo at the beginning of the year. That was really fun to watch. It followed three people who had a lot of clutter issues. Each of them had a professional organizer helping them. If nothing else it was inspiring, because they did everything in a week rather than a day, and some of their messes were REALLY bad.

Sounds interesting.

[tm2840]

Hello,

I'm a Professional Organizer and I have never watched these shows. (I don't do TV).

They seem to me to diminish the aspects of "getting organized" that really matter. Those being a desire to set a plan in place, designing it for you personality and organizational style and working on "follow through" to make sure the new habits stick.

The shows "sound" great, but yeah, give me enough money and I could do someone's house proud in three days. Come back in three months and without education they're right back where they were. Great for us to watch, (I assume) but not so helpful to the individual.

UNLESS they were paid enough money to work with a PO (or a therapist if their issues required it) after the "TV people" decluttered their home. Decluttering is time consuming and can be painful, but the discipline comes in when you implement the strategies YOU need to STAY organizes for the long term.

Off soap box!

[mightymoo]

Originally Posted by tm2840

UNLESS they were paid enough money to work with a PO (or a therapist if their issues required it) after the "TV people" decluttered their home. Decluttering is time consuming and can be painful, but the discipline comes in when you implement the strategies YOU need to STAY organizes for the long term.

Off soap box!

Well, on mission organization they do hire a professional organizer. At least, they call them a professional organizer and the person is different every time (the host is the same, but she just shows up at the begining and the end) I don't know whether it helps them for the long term, but I don't think its actors doing it.

[mightymoo]

Originally Posted by tm2840

Hello,

I'm a Professional Organizer and I have never watched these shows. (I don't do TV).

Oh and welcome to the forum! Feel free to impart your wisdom upon us lowly amateurs! (now that you've outed yourself)

[Mom4tot]

Originally Posted by Amys1st

I like clean sweep.

I love Clean Sweep too. I shudder to think of what I would get rid of for Peter

[kewb]

Sometime I enjoy watching those shows but I do always have the same thoughts as everyone else here. I could be plenty organized if I did nothing else for a week and had all those people helping.

[mightymoo]

Originally Posted by Mom4tot

I love Clean Sweep too. I shudder to think of what I would get rid of for Peter

I really like how clean sweep does the sorting and then when you have to decide what to put back, they have a rack the size of your closet (for example) and you can easily see really how much you can keep.

[Malva]

I have mixed feelings about these shows.

I can just imagine that one month after the show took place, the homes are probably on their way to becoming the same way they were before. If the owners were packrats or compulsive shoppers (like most of them seem to be), I don't think a weekend of cleaning would change their ways.

[TudoBem]

This is what we have found to be the most helpful. We record Clean Sweep and then basically fast forward to the part where Tava leaves after the first sort and Peter comes in. At that point he gets to the bottom of their attachments to their stuff and helps them to let it go. Psychological barriers tend to be the greatest obstacle to decluttering, IME. Sure, if you had 3k and a week you could decorate and go all out, but just getting rid of stuff (throwing or donating) can be done, even if you have kids and are busy. Even if it's a little at a time.
We have a very high needs son and have been decluttering for the last 3 months. We probably have about 6 more months to go. We do a bit at a time. It's a process for us, too, because we have to be ready to let things go which can take time.
We've cleared out almost 50% of our super cluttered garage and are making a lot of progress in the house, too. We calculated we've made almost $1500 on Craigslist and I'm sure donated a heck of a lot more than that.
It feels good but it's hard, too. Understanding why it's hard and figuring out how to let go really helps.

[ekblad9]

I like clean sweep too. Problem is that i usually only watch TV when I'm sick or after I've had a baby. Then I'm all motivated but can't do anything about it. Anyway - I do feel motivated and like their ideas. It would be awesome to have three days/no kids/money to do those things. Until then I just say to myself "Rome wasn't built in a day".

[antannie]

What I take from these shows which I watched for a while was the inspiration to do something and great tips on letting go of stuff. Also seeing some of the homes made me realize I wasn't the worst out there! I got what I needed from them and don't watch them any more. I am trying the Flylady challenge this month (look for thread cuz I don't know how to move a link here!) and I am finding it helpful. In fact I was pleased to discover that since we have been decluttering slowly but surely for a year that in some rooms I can find very few things to get rid of. Well ok ....the bathrooms are decluttered and the kitchen almost!

[hopefulfaith]

Originally Posted by Mom4tot

I love Clean Sweep too. I shudder to think of what I would get rid of for Peter

Uh huh....!!! Me too.

Seriously, though, I do love Clean Sweep. I feel so motivated by it.

[D&S Mom]

I like the show "Neat". It's on HGTV Canada and Life network sometimes I think. She really addresses the emotions behind clutter.

[MamaKalena]

My favorite is Freestyle! They redecorate and declutter a room in your house using what you have and without spending any $$$.