5 Things Every Professional Organizer Wants You To Know

I used to think that if I did it myself, I’d save so much money. That’s probably true …but then again, maybe not. As life’s gotten busier between running a business as a professional organizer, managing a house, and being a mom, time is a truer currency for me than money. Some things are just plain fun to DIY when you know what you’re doing. But at some point, you might start thinking, “I’d pay somebody to deal with my problem for me.”

Here’s a real life situation that happened to my husband and me last year. We love our house, but the landscaping is, uh …not so pretty. But we had no idea how to fix it. Coming up with landscaping ideas is completely beyond both of us. My husband finally had enough and hired a landscape architect to deal with it for us.

Even though we haven’t started any work on yard, we have so much peace of mind knowing exactly where we’re headed and what the end goal is. We just needed someone to show us the way.

And that’s why people are in the business of service. They have a knack for doing something, and they can help people like you and me get where they want to go.

I have a new appreciation for all this now that I’ve been on the side of service provider for a while. I’m here to make your life easier!

There are 5 things that you get when you work with a professional organizer, aside from an organized space.

01. Accountability

One night at dinner I was arranging babysitting with my sister-in-law so I could do a client session, when my dad started his surprise that so many people are interested in hiring a professional organizer when they could do it themselves.

Well, that’s true. But why do people hire personal trainers at the gym? Or hire house cleaner? Or have Instacart or GrubHub deliver food to their doors? It makes it easier on them and they know the job is going to get done.

For example, one client told me that she knew all the boxes she had stored up in her garage from her move back in July (it was now December) would get unpacked because I was there. Sounds a lot like my husband needing the personal trainer. If the trainer is there, Matthew will show up and work out.

That accountability factor is no joke. Plus, having someone to coach you through it and cheer you on is a big plus.

02. Permission

It’s so strange how we feel like we need permission to do things. I get asked during sessions all the time, “Can I get rid of this?” I think my clients know the answer in their hearts but having permission makes them feel better.

Yes, I’ll give you permission to let go of things. It’s incredible how freeing it is to realize you can do that. I’m training my clients to be able to do it without needing permission but hearing it from a stranger does wonders.

03. Empathy

One of my first jobs as a professional organizer was helping a client go through about 12 boxes of her kids school work, art, and memories. I learned that when it comes to sentimental items, my job is much more about listening than anything else.

Sometimes we come across something that sparks a memory. Having someone there ready and willing to listen really helps with the letting go process.

I really love this part of the job. My favorite thing is getting to know my clients, and hearing some of their memories is a really cool way of getting to know them. Nobody thinks they’re very interesting, but the stories they tell beg to differ.

04. Time

You’d probably be surprised how much you could accomplish with me in a two hour session. I recently organized an office and a craft closet in two hours. I also did a garage in about an hour. You’d be surprised how much you can accomplish on your own if I handed you a step-by-step plan.

I took on a new client to test drive my new Home Organizing Action Plans, and she’s been getting through her plan as though I was standing next to her! The day I handed over her plan, she had the family dump zone cleared off in 10 minutes! The step-by-step plan gave her confidence and motivation to get it done super quickly.

I’m so proud of her.

05. Sustainable Systems

Going back to my same client, I wasn’t going to just let her off the hook, hoping her family might magically stop stacking piles in the dump zone every day. Not gonna happen. So I gave her a suggestion of a simple evening clean-up routine to try out. And guess what —it worked!

Pro organizers don’t just help you organize your space then tell you, “Good luck!” No! We want you to be able to keep it organized! We’ll help you experiment with systems and routines until we find one that will work for you.

BONUS: I’ll help you find ways to organize when you don’t have a big budget.

You’re talking to the most frugal organized person ever. Most of my drawers and cabinets have shoeboxes keeping things organized. And I like finding baskets and organizers for just a few dollars a pop. It’s very rare that I’ll buy something more pricey unless I’ve planned things out really well.

So, I do the same for my clients. If they don’t have a big budget, I find ways to repurpose what they already have or recommend budget products. I’m actually really creative when it comes to repurposing.

It’d be nice to blow a big budget at the Container Store, but that’s not completely necessary.

As a professional organizer, these are the five things I want you to know: I’m your accountability partner, I help you let go of things, I’m an active listener to your memories, I save you time, and, as a bonus when you work with me, I save you money.

Still feeling nervous about hiring a professional organizer? Are you worried about what we’ll think or what we’ll make you do? Here’s a post about “Everything You Need to Know About Hiring an Organizing Specialist.”