You need a professional organizer if you have repeatedly tried to organize a space but still ended up in a situation where everything was all over the place or maybe even in worse shape that when you started.  You need a professional organizer if you would rather spend your weekend skiing, playing with the kids, or rooting for the Mariners or the Kraken.  You need a professional organizer if you don't find joy in editing your possessions and designing systems.  You need a professional organizer if  you want to give minimal input but still come home to an organized space.  In short,  you need a professional organizer to come in and get your systems in place,  and probably one who comes back quarterly to help you fine-tune and reset.

We are professionals and expect spaces we go in to be disorganized and messy. It doesn't matter where you are starting from.  Everyone's been there; we don't judge.  With our help, you're going to end up having a functional and beautiful system customized for you and your family.

No, organizing products are purchased separately from the service.  Most projects are going to require a project budget.  It will really depend upon how fast you want the project completed and how you want it to look.  I will be honest in admitting the most successful and efficient projects do require some well-thought out product purchases.

 No, you will not have to get rid of most of your things.  However, you will have to get rid of some of your things! This potential challenge might be the most important question you can ask yourself honestly.  Are you ready to part with things that no longer serve you?  We always tell people you can have beautiful, organized spaces, or you can have lots of things.  Practically speaking, it is not possible to have both.  Will we make you get rid of the collection of vintage cameras or books that you have collected over the years and would save in a fire.  Absolutely not! However, we will absolutely question you on the dingy mismatched kitchen towels that you just never thought to upgrade because they don't have that many stains?! The key is to live with what you love and honor!

​Have you ever decided that this was finally the weekend you were going to tackle your closet? On Saturday morning you pulled out everything and spent the rest of the weekend grappling with the task only to end up sleeping on your sofa on Sunday night because your bed was covered in clothes, purses and shoes? Grand overhauls rarely work without a strong support team. Embrace the concept of progress over perfection to keep from becoming overwhelmed. Moving slowly and methodically through your closet can instead lead to lasting habits that stand the test of time.  

​The true key to getting and staying organized is planning and making ongoing organization so simple it’s really a no-brainer. When you structure your environment in advance, organizing becomes much easier to maintain. Simple organizing solutions such as labeled containers, a calendar for scheduling, drawer dividers, and designated trays for sorting smaller objects make it easier to maintain a highly organized space on a day-to-day basis.

​In his excellent book Atomic Habits, James Clear introduces the idea of “habit stacking.” Habit stacking is the method of anchoring a new habit to an existing routine. For example, if you add the small task of recycling unwanted mail to your everyday routine of putting away your shoes and keys upon returning from work, this new “stacked” habit quickly becomes a natural part of your daily routine. Before you know it, those unsorted stacks of mail are a thing of the past. 

My final tip is to make it beautiful. The easiest trick to keeping a zone organized is to make it aesthetically pleasing. Once you have seen and gotten used to a well-organized drawer or a beautiful closet, you easily recognize when gets out of control. Just a few minutes of maintenance will restore it to its ooh-and-ahh status. 

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I could go on all day about the millions of things that Google Calendar can do. Aside from all of the usual calendar features, Google Calendar is an organizer’s dream, allowing for color coding, sharing and integration of calendars with others, and event categorization. For a deep dive into Google Calendar check out my favorite source for current tech info, Steve Dotto: ​Google Calendar Skills You Need to Know

No, this post isn’t an ad for Google, but to my mind Gmail is the be-all-and-end-all of email systems. Gmail is not only incredibly easy to navigate, but its search ability is downright amazing. Using the filters and labels functions can help you sort email coming into your system and help you achieve a clutter-free inbox.  Of course, organization is key to any successful email system. Because I’m always striving for new ways to deal with email, I’m currently experimenting with the “Stack Method”. I’ll definitely follow up with a future post on how that’s working out. In the meantime, you can read more about the system here:  Stack Method

“Scannable” is a free app for IOS only that allows you to use your phone to scan and digitize all types of documents.  Think receipts, business cards, signed documents that need to be sent.  With a camera click you can capture a multitude of documents and share them via email, text and more.  Going paperless has never been easier. I’ve also heard great things about Microsoft Lens for Android users, but I can’t personally vouch for it. 
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Scannable 

Microsoft Lens

You know the expression “Can’t see the forest for the trees”? Well, bringing in a fresh set of eyes can help you see what is valuable and what is not. We recently worked with an artist whose supplies were overwhelming her studio. As a creative, the artist was always experimenting with new tools and media. The problem was that when she found some of those items were not right for her, she never let them go. We worked with her to recognize that these tried-but-set-aside tools were not serving her with their lingering presence. In fact, they were literally blocking her from creating since they had encroached upon her workspace. Helping her see that even though she had originally spent good money on these tools did not mean that she had to be indebted to them forever.

​Do you have a bag or box of donations waiting to leave your space? An item that needs to be taken for repair? Does that art need to be taken to the framers? One of the biggest blocks we see for clients is taking the next step to discard or fix items. Professional Organizers often offer donation drops and concierge level services such as coordinating with vendors to keep projects moving.

Organizing with a professional is a very personalized experience. Organizers work closely with you to understand your daily life and infuse their expertise to create systems and spaces that really work for you and your family. Having worked with so many different clients allow professional organizers to narrow in on just the right solution for you with systems that work. As a container expert, an organizer can save you hours and hours of time at The Container Store or on Amazon.
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Home organizing is my specialty.  As a professional organizer I can help you organize your space in the most cost effective and efficient manner.