January Is “GO Month”; Here’s Advice For 2021

(NAPSI)—During 2020, for many Americans, home and work lives saw a major shift as people turned living space into workspace—and classrooms, and workout areas and even quarantine zones—resulting in a call for help to organize, downsize and streamline to professional organizers and productivity consultants. 

Expert Opinions

In response, for January, GO (Get Organized and Be Productive) Month, the yearly celebration of all things organized and productive, the National Organization of Productivity & Organizing Professionals (NAPO) reached out to its more than 3,000 members to find out what their 2020 was like and what they anticipate for the new—and hopefully better—year. The survey shows a majority of members say their clients have a new or increased focus on being organized, because of the pandemic.

“Our members saw a busy 2020, as families struggled to adjust to a new normal,” observed NAPO President-Elect Amy Tokos, CPO who said more than 64 percent of survey respondents saw an increased focus on organizational and productivity needs due to a new COVID-driven norm. “Whether it was about recreating a home environment that worked for every family member’s new needs to turning a temporary work area into a permanent one or maximizing their digital capabilities and, in some cases, actually moving to a brand-new home, 2020 was all about looking at our environments with fresh eyes as our needs changed.”

Surprising Suggestions

The survey also found that NAPO members, who routinely handle a wide range of client requests, were asked to take on some very unusual tasks in 2020, including:

•Organizing one client’s 387 pairs of shoes

•Overseeing the sale of a large collection of mounted animal heads and stuffed animal bodies

•Arranging the sale of 400 Steiff teddy bears

•Staging a tree house for a client putting their home on the market

•Packing up a client’s husband’s ashes to dispose of

•Organizing a closet packed with hundreds of paper and plastic bags

Future Tasks

Looking ahead to 2021, it’s already showing promise to be as busy as 2020, NAPO professionals predict that the most requested services will be: decluttering and downsizing (35%); productivity coaching for an in-home work environment (17%); packing/unpacking for a move (16%); and creating a new space for work, home or hobby (13%).

“While we are all optimistic that the pandemic will come to an end this coming year, we are all still adapting to the lifestyle changes and new work-from-home norms,” said Tokos. “Hiring a NAPO professional to help with changes you want to make in life is the same as hiring a personal trainer or financial advisor. We abide by a strict code of ethics and discretion. We don’t judge—we help. Who wouldn’t want judgment-free support during this challenging time?”

Learn More

If you’ve resolved to get more organized and productive in the new year www.napo.net offers a directory to find professional organizers or productivity consultants locally or virtually.

 “Hiring a member of NAPO (The National Organization of Productivity & Organizing Professional) is like hiring a personal trainer or financial advisor. They abide by a strict code of ethics and discretion, says NAPO President-Elect Amy Tokos, CPO.http://bit.ly/3izWBWD“