I know exactly when I started falling apart, not mentally but overloaded with commitments and deadlines I knew I could make. But then suddenly, surgery was to be performed again, on Valentine's Day.

I've never hidden fact that I'm just like you. I'm not perfect and I'm not super human just because my profession is as a professional organizer.

We all have things come into our lives, or out of, usually unexpectedly. We all have emergencies or things that come up that just have to be completed. We all have someone or something needing our attention. This is you, this is me, and this is life!

Many times clients call when their systems have broken down, if they even had systems. But many call because their world has fallen off its axis, leaving them and their world spinning out of control…out of balance.

If they completely ignore situation or don't know how to get their world back into balance - into sync - way it use to be, they will become overpowered by all stuff in their lives.

The daily errands of driving here and there for: >>Appointments >>Children >>Special events >>Meetings >>School functions >>Banking >>Food shopping >>Shopping >>Work seem to make you drive like a maniac down street, racing and rushing from one place to another. And even forgetting to stop at some places.

The daily activities one usually finds in a home of: >>Processing mail >>Answering phone >>Returning calls >>Reading email >>Replying to email >>Cooking >>Cleaning >>Playing with children or pets >>Bathing children or pets >>Watering plants >>Reading >>Being a buffer makes you just want to throw up your hands and turn and run.

And what about unexpected? >>Illness >>Visitors >>Spouse laid-off from job >>Someone moving in or out >>Computer problems >>A friend needing your ear, shoulder, and comfort >>A client or boss needing it NOW, instead of next week >>A child with special needs >>A child with needs >>Travel for your job >>Training for your job >>An accident just makes you want to SCREAM that you have no time or patience for all this!

Your world has just exploded! What can you do about it?

On Valentine's Day my world exploded when I was told I would have to endure yet another breast surgery. I was working on my book, "Secrets of a Professional Organizer and How-To Become One," and deadline was end of February. And worse yet, we get short-changed a couple of days in February! WHO did that? Who thought this up?

Just three days after surgery and between work, clients, writing, and running a home I had to prepare to leave for Florida for 13 days to work with a client and attend school at beginning of March. WHEW, makes me tired just thinking back on all this.

In Florida I stayed with a girlfriend, and had guest/storage room with some closet space, one drawer, and a small desk.

My journey into piles began. Things started living in piles: >>On floor >>On top of my suitcases >>On bed >>On dresser >>On chair and desk.

I had all my toilettes sitting out around sink, carefully placed (but crowded together) so I wouldn't break anything or, God forbid, something fall into toilet!

While in Florida I was so busy I really didn't get to work on any of my "normal" to-dos. I had so many new to-dos' there!

It is believed there’s something mysterious about naming a baby and that name can determine future of child. That’s why some parents try to find out meaning of names before choosing one. Often a baby is named after great person – King or President, Olympic champion or movie star.

In Russia there’s a tradition to name first-born son after his grandfather. This makes naming process somewhat easier if family follows this tradition.

Pavel Medvedev, an engineer from St.Petersburg, Russia, and a father of three sons tells this story.

“My name is Pavel. I was named after my grandfather according to our family tradition to call a first-born son after his grandfather. Now, my father’s name is Mikhail and I thought I would call my son after him – Mikhail.

“The problem was that my wife asked me to name our son after HER father, i.e. my father-in-law. Well, I had to yield (after all it was her who borne our baby, so she deserved to name him) and we called our son Vitaly – after my father-in-law.