It’s no wonder we as a nation feel disorganized.

There are dozens of places to buy stuff. Everyday, a mailbox will be filled with paper of every description – but mostly it can be referred to as junk. It doesn’t take long to be overwhelmed with stuff and junk.

But there is help. In 1985, when the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) was formed, there were well under 1,000 members. Today, there are nearly 4,500 members. And the organizing profession is a growing industry, falling in the top 25 percent of up and coming industries to watch.

So what’s with all this fervor to get organized?

“There is a real need for professional organizers,” says Donna Smallin, author of seven books on organizing and uncluttering.

“Houses are bigger – they are more than double the size of homes in 1950, and we are filling up all the space we have with stuff,” Smallin says. “It’s time we kick the disorganized habit.”

Smallin said some people are naturally organized (she says she is one of those), but everyone can learn to be organized.

There are common sense approaches to getting organized. Smallin suggests things like living by the “one in, one out” rule. Before you bring a new thing home, you have to get rid of an old one. That maintains the balance.

You can also delay your gratification when you go shopping.

“The number one pastime in America is shopping,” says Smallin. “If you go shopping a lot, maybe instead of buying something, you make a decision to wait 24 hours to see if you still want the item. You may wake up the next day and realize you don’t want it after all.”

There also are organizations you can contact to eliminate unwanted mail. Sending a postcard or letter to Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, PO Box 643, Carmel, NY 15012-0643 is said to stop up to 75 percent of all national mailings. Include your complete name, address, zip code and a request to "activate the preference service." This will stop mail from all member organizations from which you have not specifically ordered products. The service is effective for up to five years.

“Getting off even some of these lists can dramatically reduce the amount of mail you get,” Smallin says.

You also can ask creditors to not sell your name to others, request online bills and pay bills online whenever possible. Smallin says lots of people believe they either have to save paid bills or they don’t know whether they need to keep them, so they end up taking up plenty of space.

“Most bills don’t have to be saved, unless it has a direct effect on your taxes,” Smallin says. “After you pay most bills, you can throw them away. If you have a compulsion to keep them, save them for a year, then get rid of them.”

She stresses that mail with personal identifying information should be shredded.

There are any number of sources for excess stuff, Smallin says.

“You get mail, you take the newspaper, you go shopping, you hang on to old things, you acquire new things. It’s a pretty big cycle, but there really is hope,” she says.

Smallin says there are numerous ways to get organized, and not everyone can use the same method.

“You want to keep it simple to fit you,” she said.