When people feel uncertainty and concern with the quality of their life, they are naturally drawn to conversations about organizing. When they realize they are spending too much time looking for their keys or gathering the kids in the morning, they tend to seek out solutions to simplify their lives. Ironically, people believe the mainstream organizing solutions will work for them, but really they only apply to 25 percent of the population. Every organizing situation is completely different, just as each person trying to get organized is different.

Organizing has become such a fad that it's hard to find your way in the process. We see the covers of "Real Simple" magazine or Martha Stewart's book on organizing, or the TV shows, "Clean Sweep" or "Mission Organization," which paint a picture of effortlessness when you are trying to create your "hotel lobby" home. Wrong! Organizing approaches take on different forms, it's not a "one-size-fits-all" package. Listen to your heart and find your own organizing style.

Let me give you an example. I recently worked for a woman at the Silverado Resort. Her home office was on the second floor in the farthest room from the stairs. It became a room that she never used and was now doubling as her guestroom. She preferred to do her paperwork and check e-mail in the kitchen where she could be more actively involved with her family. Because she felt guilty for making her large kitchen a part-time office, she never created a conscious space for that, and therefore, her mail landed somewhere on the dining room table, or all over the kitchen island.

My solution was to give her permission to allocate a couple drawers to her office supplies. (Since her kitchen was large there was no real problem with this.) We created a filing drawer, where all her active papers could be stored. We then created a rolling cart for her supplies that would be stored in the supply closet so she could easily take it out and have her office right in front of her.

This approach may not be acceptable to the authors of "Real Simple," but it worked for her. Get it? It doesn't matter what should be done or what's seen as perfect. It's about making your space work for you and your brain type.

We all want to make our lives easier. We want to have a simpler way to get things done that requires less effort and time. Your life is not about getting organized 24/7, it's about creating systems that "containerize" most of your activities.

I've noticed that when people tackle their areas of disorganization, they tend to go off the deep end; they're seldom satisfied with their own attempts and strategies. You know you've beaten clutter when you can find the item you need -- it really doesn't matter how your system looks. Onwards and upwards to your new life that is free of clutter, free of a neurotic insecurity at keeping your house in a way that requires too much maintenance and doesn't give you enough free time.

If you have any questions, or need any help, I'll be happy to give you advice or point you in the right direction with any organizing concerns you may have.

Lanna Nakone has been teaching people how to gain mastery over their physical environment since 1998. She is the author of "Organizing for Your Brain Type" and soon to be released book, "Every Child Has a Thinking Style." She can be reached at www.organizedworld.com or (707) 524-9896.