There’s a scene in the classic movie The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, where everyone has learned that invaders have landed on a small island off Massachusetts. Pandemonium ensues. With people running everywhere and cars tearing off in all directions, Fendall Hawkins (played by Paul Ford) takes to the middle of the road shouting to no one in particular, “We’ve got to get organized!”

For many people, their house feels like that scene with keys and receipts and records and bits of paper scattered around at random and the poor homeowner dashing upstairs and down in search of yet one more elusive something—until it all becomes too much. That’s when Alicia Kennedy of The Home Organizer (thehomeorganizer.com) gets a call. “I help people love their homes again,” she says, adding, “I love order.”

But how do you move disorganized people from Arrrgh! to Ah!? “First, I make it clear that the goal is not about being perfect but meeting their needs,” says Kennedy of her clients, who include many residents in Wilton and throughout Fairfield County. “So together we identify what needs organizing—a closet, a desk, a room—and we eliminate stuff that is outdated, unwanted, or just unnecessary. That’s usually the biggest task but it really makes all the difference. Then we reorganize what’s left in a way that makes sense to the person who’s going to be using the space.”
How long does all this take? “Well, it depends on the project of course and on how much the client wants me to do.” Kennedy adds, “For a lot of people it, I act sort of like a personal trainer. Some people just want me to get them started, but usually people want me to be there as they go through the process of getting organized.”

According to JoAnne Fisher, a realtor/relocation specialist in the Wilton office of William Pitt Sotheby’s, clutter does more than just complicate your life. It can depreciate the value of your home. “If you’re trying to sell your house, it’s critical to remove the extra stuff that we all accumulate. It’s hard for a potential buyer to envision how they could live in a house, if it’s filled with clutter. Removing it can make rooms look larger and more attractive.”

Kennedy also applies her organizing skills to help homeowners sell their homes. “I do staging.” Staging, or getting your house in shape to show and sell, has become more popular because of the difficult housing market. “I use my RED-C approach” she says, which is, Repair: fix what needs fixing; Edit: chuck anything a buyer might not like; Decorate to sell: use neutral colors; and Curb appeal (yes, that old Yew bush simply must go).

Kennedy is a certified senior relocation and transition specialist, as well. So when it’s time for your elderly mother to make the move from the family home of 50 years to a retirement community, Kennedy can help sort through the half-century of accumulated stuff and also put mom’s mind at ease.

Our collective clutter has spiraled so out of control, and our need for professional assistance in tackling the chaos has become so widespread, it has spawned a whole new organization (no pun intended): the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). The Connecticut Chapter, at napoct.com, is a great resource for finding a professional organizer to help you organize your closet, office, file cabinet, garage, kitchen, even your entire home.

It’s Kennedy’s observation that “the number one benefit of getting organized—whether it’s putting things in order, staging a house, or helping an elderly person downsize—is that it relieves stress. I have seen people’s physical appearance change once they have their house in order. They are so relieved to be able to find things.”
Even if the Russians aren’t coming.