BLESS THIS MESS
August 1, 2005
Manhattan's Premium on Space Doesn't Mean Home, Office Have to Be Pigsties
By Peter Simunovich
Are you tired of looking at your cluttered desk at the office? Maybe your apartment is closing in on you. The
Rollerblades, sneakers and sweatsuits are mixed up with magazines and takeout containers and everything seems a mess.
Yes, it's true, a cluttered work area or apartment can be frustrating and stressful, particularly in New York City,
where space is at a premium. While the first choice to straighten out your office or home ideally would be Mary Poppins,
she has long since retired. Fortunately, Amy Brenna, a professional organizer, founder and owner of Brenna Consulting,
who works out of her home office near Union Square, is around to help.
For about 10 years, Brenna worked as a marketing and advertising executive for Fortune 500 companies where she managed
multimillion-dollar accounts and helped make complex projects manageable. Five years ago, she began her new business:
making space for average New Yorkers.
When Brenna arrives at a new assignment, her basic work tools are a pen, a pad and a tape measure. For the first two
hours, she and her client talk through what needs to be done. "We work together and come to an agreement. We both have
to be comfortable with each other. They have ideas, and I respect that," she says.
Next, Brenna rolls up her sleeves and goes to work. The job isn't just rearranging furniture, neatly stacking
newspapers and magazines, filing papers and documents or hanging up clothes. There is an art to this.
"This is just the sweetest job as you watch things go from total chaos to clarity," says Sheila Green, of Greenbean
Corporate Organizing Solutions, based in Jacksonville, Fla. "The satisfaction you get from this is just amazing," she
says. "People want to make a change, but they do not want to let go. Change is scary."
A couple of years ago, Brenna worked with a music composer who lived in a spacious studio for 25 years with a grand
piano, office space, filing cabinets and books. "He was creative and a little absentminded," she recalls. She found
socks and laundry on the piano, an exercise tape on his piano and filing cabinets full of scores of music. It took 10
visits before the project was complete.
On other assignments, Brenna has found mail in the bathroom, used coffee filters on a desk and $2,500 in cash in a book
about Gandhi. "You never see it all," she says.
Brenna has two easy-to-follow tips to organize a studio: "One, set aside defined areas for specific activities. In a
studio, it's easy to have your desk overflow into your kitchen, which can overflow into your living-room area. This is a
recipe for chaos. Decide where you want specific activities to occur, and then make sure they stay within the defined
area.
"Two, use your walls. Most New Yorkers don't take advantage of this large part of their real estate. Shelves,
storage, even desks and dishes can be placed on your walls.
Green, who worked in public relations and marketing before starting her own business about 15 years ago, also has two
simple rules: "Any mail and paper that comes to you, scan it, act on it and file it. If you don't need it, then toss it.
I call it the two-minute rule. When people buy into the program, they see how it makes life better."
So who needs Mary Poppins?
To contact us, you can email us at Amy@BrennaConsulting.com or call us at (212) 387-8536.
