In the Land of the Happy Labelmakers

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Are Professional Organizers happy people?

It's a good question, but you should judge that for yourself by reading this article.  This past week, a few Los Angeles-area organizing colleagues (including John Trosko) were featured in the LA Weekly, a widely read alternative weekly newspaper in Los Angeles.

Chris McKenry Los Angeles Professional Organizer Weekly staff writer Gendy Alimurung presents In the Land of the Happy Labelmakers: True-Life Tales of Professional Organizers for your reading pleasure. The full-page article hints that as business owners, we're more than just heart, we're full of humor and a passion for zen.

Our colleagues Chris McKenry (pictured right, of Get Together LA!), Erin Haas, Susan Eleftherakis (Spacial Clarity), along with M by Staples, Pendaflex, Brother P-Touch and The National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization were include in the profile.

"[John] Trosko got flak from friends for compulsively making a last-minute list of things he had to bring tonight [to the meeting], which included masking tape, a NAPO banner, double-stick tape (for the banner), eyeglass cleaner, wristwatch, scissors. Lists, he believes, are excellent for “mind dumps,” defined as “putting everything down on paper so you free your mind of the mundane tasks and reminders, and encourage your head for creative freedom.”

Gendy also mentioned John's February accident which Chris promptly turned into a joke:

"Gazing with pleasure at the pantry, where the client’s “mung whole polished” beans are in a separate labeled container from her “arborio rice” and “dried cranberries,” [Chris] McKenry recites the organizers’ mantra: “We sort. We purge. We contain. Then maintain.” [Chris] gets that distant, meditative expression that comes with finding everything in its place, a place for everything. “John [Trosko] broke his foot and I took him to the hospital and we were joking that instead of signing his cast, we’d use a label maker and label it,” he says of current NAPO president Trosko. “Let me tell you. He was in pain, but he half wanted to do it.”

The LA Weekly is owned by Village Voice Media, the parent company of other major weeklies around the United States such as the New York City's Village Voice, San Francisco's SF Weekly, and the OC Weekly of Orange County, California. LA Weekly has won more awards from the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies than any other paper in the country, and in 2007 was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for criticism by food writer Jonathan Gold.

Read the article online:

LA Weekly: In The Land of the Happy Label Makers

Links:

What is the LA Weekly?

Related Posts:

4th Annual Los Angeles Organizing Expo Wrap-up

Announcing the 2008 Los Angeles Organizing Expo

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Comments

7 responses to “In the Land of the Happy Labelmakers”

  1. Aby Avatar

    What a fun article, John!

  2. Hazel Avatar

    Great article, Chris… and John!
    I’m suprised that one of you didn’t have a label maker on you when John got his cast!

  3. Eva Wallace Avatar

    Lists (mind dumps – I love it!) give me such peace of mind!!! I totally understand. 🙂
    Cute post!

  4. Cynthia Friedlob, The Thoughtful Consumer Avatar

    Enjoyed the article! Great publicity for both of you.
    As you know, I’m not a pro organizer, but I am a vocal advocate and teacher of the value of uncluttering. I figure the less stuff you have, the less you have to organize.
    While I have not yet achieved personal organizing nirvana and wonder if I ever will, even if I do get there, it’s unlikely I’ll alphabetize my spices! And yet, I admire anyone who can pull that off without driving everyone he knows crazy.
    Maybe there’s hope for me yet.

  5. Jim Deitzel Avatar

    Thanks for the light-hearted post this morning. A good way to start the week.
    I’m also a list fan. I use Yahoo Widgets to keep lists which are accessible from multiple computers. I couldn’t live without them.

  6. Ann Gambrell Avatar
    Ann Gambrell

    Great article. Chris…lists rule!!

  7. Evonne Avatar
    Evonne

    John,
    I thoroughly enjoyed the article while having a great chuckle at the end! I also wholeheartedly agree that lists “free the mind”… that way, my brain can play with other things.
    Take care and may you dream of P-Touch Labelmakers every night! 🙂

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