I'm a member of the ICD!

As a Montreal professional organizer, I’ve worked with clients who struggle with chronic disorganization, and am very pleased to be increasing my knowledge in this area.

I have recently joined the ICD, the Institute for Challenging Disorganization.

The mission of the ICD is to “provide education, research and strategies to benefit people challenged by chronic disorganization, and the professionals who work with them.” Courses are taught by teachers, authors, medical professionals, psychologists, researchers, and experts drawn from many fields. I’m really excited!

Chronic disorganization was (and still may be) commonly referred to as hoarding. Do you recognize someone you know in this list of characteristics of chronic disorganization which include:  

-Disorganization that has been ongoing for a number of years, indicative of a chronic condition.

- People may have tried to organize themselves in numerous ways, by reading books, buying storage containers, giving away items, however the attempts were unsuccessful, leading to feelings of discouragement.

- A person’s quality of life is impacted by the level of disorganization: people are too embarrassed to invite friends over, can’t file taxes because the papers are all mixed up, can’t sleep on the bed or eat at the table because the bed and table are full of “stuff”, etc.

- There is an expectation of continued disorganization, often leading to low feelings and a lack of hope.

Chronic disorganization may be exacerbated by brain-based challenges including ADHD, anxiety, depression, dementia, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, etc.  Some people have simply never learnt how to set up their home or office in a way which makes it easy to find things and to work and live comfortably.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you would like some help to declutter, downsize, and organize. I would be happy to be of service!