LA Organizer Keeps Clutter at Bay

“I’ve always been a bit of a neat freak,” said professional organizer and Palisadian Nancy Drobnis of The LA Organizer.

And as somebody who turned her tidy tendencies into a one-woman business six years ago, Drobnis knows a thing or two about how to clear up the clutter and make the most of a space.

Drobnis of The LA Organizer specializes in home and office organizing, senior downsizing and document management, to name a few of her fortes.

Her services range from helping those with hoarding tendencies organize their entire home (and providing them with weekly maintenance visits), to meeting with a client one time to help pack for a cruise – without over-packing, of course.

Most of her clientele is in Pacific Palisades where she lives with her sons David, a senior at Palisades High School, and Benjamin, an eighth-grader at Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences.

“A lot of people are just busy,” Drobnis said of how clutter can pile up so quickly. “I don’t judge them. I’m there to help them. So bring it on.”

Drobnis works with clients to organize their items in a way that will make sense to them.

In the past she has helped clients set up auto-pay and transition from paper filing to digital, others to organize their garages, some to work through compulsive shopping habits and others to deal with the psychology behind their reluctance to get rid of things.

“So many people have a very hard time letting things go,” Drobnis said, saying she faces this often when helping somebody go through the items of a deceased loved one or when a senior citizen is transitioning from a house to assisted living. “I push them to a point and then I stop, because it’s their stuff and it’s ultimately up to them… They just have to get to the place where they’re ready.”

As far as what people can do daily to help keep clutter at bay, Drobnis suggested, “You never leave a room empty-handed.” She added when she sees something in her own home where it doesn’t belong, she’ll return it then and there. She also noted the importance of staying on top of mail.

“People have years of unopened mail – sometimes 20 years,” she said.

Drobnis, who often donates gift certificates to school auctions and churches, provided a gift certificate for a free consultation as one of the prizes in the Post’s first annual Creep Your Crypt contest. Who knows,  maybe she’ll help the winner figure out how to organize all of their Halloween decorations.