Brea, Calif. - Which of life's joyous events is also the most stressful? According to a recent survey of men and women by Greenfield Online and Avery Dennison Office Products Company, purchasing a home is more stressful than getting married. Once they become homeowners, more than half of respondents admit misplacing their keys! Not coincidentally, when faced with making a home purchase, respondents report they would most appreciate having a professional organizer by their side.

The survey further reveals that although juggling career and family elevated blood pressure the most, given the choice, the second largest majority of respondents would most like to bring in a professional organizer when entering the 'retirement' stage of life.

To give consumers some guidance and help them regain what they claim is lost due to these life events: free time (24 percent), a greater sense of control (20 percent) and more money (17 percent), Avery today is launching the Life Stages Organization campaign to help consumers get more organized during critical periods in their lives.

For most people, particularly women, life progresses in a natural flow: growing a career, getting married, having kids and balancing a family with work. At each of these Life Stages, the more organized a woman is, the better she will be able to handle obstacles associated with each stage. At the heart of the campaign, Avery provides solutions tailored to each Life Stage that consumers can find challenging.

Organization expert Jill Pollack puts the goal into a manageable perspective for people at any Life Stage. "Organization is progress, not perfection," she says. "Some folks get so overwhelmed with the idea of organizing when they really need to approach it one step at a time. They don't need to do it all at once," she counsels.

Pollack, whose expertise dazzled viewers on television shows like Bridezilla, The Style Network and The Mom Show, shares her advice that also keeps Desperate Housewives' stars, Felicity Huffman and Marcia Cross, in control as we watch them balance the Family/Work stage. "It's not about being perfect; it's just about making a little progress here and there to give you that greater sense of control," says Pollack.

What Else Do Consumers Say About Organization During Life's Stages?
- Marriage Jitters - Respondents in the 55+ age group were most likely to consider getting married as the most stressful life event. The same findings appeared among those in the $100K+ income bracket as compared to any other income bracket. And yes, more men than women consider getting married to be the most stressful life event.
- Wedding Organization Challenges - Women were more likely to feel overwhelmedduring the wedding planning process. Over 50 percent of respondents considered staying in budget the most difficult thing to organize for a wedding.
- Hardest Mommy-to-Be Endeavor: Figuring out what to buy for the baby was considered the most difficult thing to keep track of, beating out doctor appointments, maintaining the proper diet, tracking information from books and online research, and baby proofing your home.
- Juggling Work/Family - Respondents older than 45 were more likely to select juggling work and family balance as the most stressful life event, with consumers in the Midwest leading the pack.
- The To-Do List at Work - Respondents in every age group report they would most like to have a professional organizer get their files and folders in order; followed by organizing their entire desk/office.
- Being Forgetful; You're Not Alone - In addition to losing their keys (52 percent), more than a third (35 percent) report having missed an important appointment (doctor's appointment, teacher conference), almost as many (34 percent) have forgotten a family member's birthday and men (15 percent) are twice as likely than women (8 percent) to have forgotten their anniversary.
- Benefit of Making the Effort - Two thirds (66.7 percent) of respondents considers themselves to be organized. The number one benefit reported for being organized is experiencing less stress.

Help for Those Who Want to be More Organized
"Many consumers are finding themselves feeling disorganized when they face Life Stages like getting married, getting ready for a baby or balancing family and work - and we want to provide the organization tools to help them get where they need to be," said Peta-Gaye Latibeaudiere, Group Product Manager for Avery Dennison Office Products. "Our new Life Stages campaign focuses on providing easy tips, products and templates - small ways to make a big impact when consumers want to get more organized for each Life Stage."

Avery offers a full range of products to help consumers with Life Stages Organization. Avery Easy Peel Clear Address Labels along with free Avery Wizard software offer an easy way to organize mailings for parties or greeting cards while giving it a custom-printed look. Avery Identification Labels are perfect for labeling bins, containers and more. Avery Shipping Labels with TrueBlock(TM) Technology help keep boxes organized - whether it's for re-using a box for shipping or labeling a box to organize a work area or the garage. New Avery NoteTabs(TM) let you organize your work your way. With durable tabs that turn pages like a divider and a writeable and highlightable transparent surface, Avery NoteTabs allow consumers to flag and scribble notes in day planners, cookbooks and textbooks without damaging pages underneath. Additionally, new Avery Label Pads, labels which come in a small pad format, puts organization in the palm of your hands - just write, peel and stick whenever the need for a quick label arises. Available in fully adhesive removable labels or permanent labels in a variety of sizes and colors, Avery Label Pads are great for almost any quick, convenient labeling need to help consumers stay on top of tasks in each Life Stage.