WHAT IS A PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZER?
Professional Organizers enhance the
lives of clients by implementing systems and processes, and through transferring organizing skills. Professional Organizers
also educate the public on organizing solutions and the resulting benefits. (National Association of Professional Organizers)
A
Professional Organizer is someone who provides information, products, and hands-on support to individuals, families, and
businesses large or small, assisting them in creating a simpler, more efficient work or living space. We help clients
assess their current situation and together create a plan to build a healthier environment. It may be in the form of
a closet organizer, a better filing system, or a kitchen cabinet pullout. It may be a way for clients to organize their
daily tasks better or to complete their work assignments with more efficiency. Whatever form it takes, it is up to the
professional organizer to use creativity and skill to design a better organized, simpler environment for clients.
The environment an organizer creates reflect who clients are and what's important to them; it will match their needs
and make living and working easier on a daily basis. We organizers want our clients to get on with the business of living
life instead of just surviving it. (Dawn Noble, How to Start
a Home-Based Professional Organizing Business)
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF GETTING ORGANIZED?
Getting organized contributes to a sense of well being. It increases efficiency
and productivity. It lowers stress and helps individuals find more time and energy for the things that matter most.
It makes a home or office appear more spacious and inviting.
Lack of organization is draining,
making it difficult to focus and affecting productivity. Clutter interferes with our sense of tranquility and the smooth
flow of energy in the space. This contributes to lethargy and procrastination. Disorganization can cause feelings
of frustration, anxiety and can even lead to depression. It makes a space seem small and inefficient. (Hellen
Buttigieg, We Organize U)
WHAT CAN A PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZER
DO FOR ME?
Dealing with clutter alone takes commitment, time and energy.
A Professional Organizer can kick start your commitment by helping discard what you don't need and show you ways to prevent
clutter from taking over once again. Becoming organized will affirm that you are important enough to enjoy more from
your life and have less stress. By taking control of the clutter, you take control of your life. When you take
control of your life, you are investing in yourself.
WHAT IS PURGING?
Purging is a cleansing experience by removing unnecessary or undesirable items. It's also a process to determine
what's important to you. By sorting like items together, then going through them one by one, you will find all sorts
of discoveries. They may be emotional or just technical, but in the end you will learn what to do to be happier with
your space and with yourself.
Purging is best done when first sorting your belongings
into categories such as Keep-Sell-Toss, then re-evaluating the Keep pile (as seen on Clean Sweep, TLC.) However, additional
categories may be more productive for some clients, such as Elsewhere (items you are keeping but don't belong in this
space) or Donate (instead of Sell) for those not interested in having yard sales. The Keep pile might be broken down
even further to jump start the organizing process. Not every Purge process is exactly alike. We will determine
your needs throughout the purge as we go.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE ITEMS I DON'T KEEP?
Once we determine what you are no longer keeping, you have every right to store them for a yard sale, however, you will benefit
more from letting it all go immediately. By having the fresh start in your newly organized space, you may not want the
stress of organizing a sale. Having a yard sale is also a temptation to bring back inside the items that don't sell,
therefore defeating the purpose of hiring a professional organizer. If you do have a sale, you should commit to donating
everything that doesn't sell by scheduling a "pick-up" with a local charity. Most clients will donate
their items to charities immediately after the purge. Some will simply recycle and/or toss them. Together we will
go over your options and I will help you decide what to do with them.
I'M EMBARRASSED TO HAVE YOU SEE MY CLUTTER SITUATION.
WHAT SHOULD I DO TO PREPARE FOR THE CONSULTATION OR FOR THE PURGE?
PLEASE
don't do a thing! And there is no need to be embarrassed. I am not here to judge you as a person or to judge
how clean your home is. I promise I will not be shocked or negative about what you let me see. I will not share
your situation with others. The only time I will cross confidentiality will be to ask your permission to post before
and after pictures of the project. I will be professional and compassionate with you and together we will find a solution
to help you get organized so you'll no longer be embarrassed by your surroundings and will welcome surprise visitors with
confidence and a smile.
It's important that you don't clean up or change anything before
I come. I need to see your current clutter habits to help me analyze how you live your daily life and determine what
will be the easiest solutions for your personality and different needs.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO PURGE?
The amount of time it takes to sort, purge, and containerize depends on the amount of clutter you have and how quickly you
are able to make decisions. I will help you do the physical sort in every way possible. I will keep you focused
on the big picture and encourage you in every direction.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO ORGANIZE?
Implementing your new systems will depend on several factors: the size of the area to be organized, whether or not the
project requires additional services such as construction or specialized installations, and whether or not you want to be
involved during the organizing process. It's not necessary for you to be there to organize but most clients prefer to
be involved and see the organizing process in person. I also recommend that you stay involved. It will help make
the system even better for your needs, and more personalized to you. Either way, when the organization is complete,
I will review and explain the new systems to you in a step-by-step manner until you completely understand and see the big
picture of each system and how it works.
WILL I NEED TO PURCHASE A LOT OF ORGANIZATION
PRODUCTS?
Many times, clients already own good products for organizing but are
not utilizing them properly. I will do my best to re-purpose any items you already have and make them work better for
you. However, additional products are occasionally necessary to give you the best system for your needs.
In these situations, we may shop for them together or I will shop for you. The cost of these products is additional,
but I do not mark-up the price of any purchases for your project. The only additional charge for shopping will be my
hourly rate for the time involved to do so.
HOW DO I KNOW MY SPACE WILL STAY ORGANIZED
AFTER YOU LEAVE?
You don't. But I will leave you with the tools and knowledge
to keep it organized. Unfortunately, the potential for clutter is a daily occurrance everywhere. Everyone has incoming
mail, shopping bags, and groceries. Everyone will "temporarily" lay something down where it may not belong.
Everyone creates trash, and everyone slips up now and then (including myself!) When we finish your project I will leave
you with a home for everything related to the space. If everything has a home, keeping up with the new system should
be very easy to maintain.
Just remember "Clutter is Postponed Decisions."
It will be up to you to make those decisions (where something should go) every time you bring in or use something and
lay it down. Luckily, with the right systems in place, it is much easier to maintain with very little effort.
People and families and their activities or situations will change from time to time, so you
can expect the need to tweak your systems now and then. If you discover your system needs tweaking, simply give me a
call. I'll be glad to discuss any concern with you over the phone at no additional charge. If we need to do more on-site
tweaking, we can simply schedule a follow-up visit at the normal hourly rate plus travel fees if applicable.
