10 Things a Professional Organizer Will Never Say
Blog post by Deborah Zechini, Professional Organizer and Owner of Order in the House
Have you ever heard of someone who feels the need to clean his or her home before the cleaning lady arrives? I often find folks thinking similarly when they’ve hired a professional organizer—wanting to get things squared away, cleaned and organized before I arrive to help them with…well, the squaring away, cleaning and organizing!
But honestly, that’s the last thing I want you to do. You’re hiring me to help you, which means you don’t have to work on organizing anything before I arrive. So in the spirit of releasing you from this and other misplaced or preconceived ideas regarding working with a professional organizer, here are 10 things you’ll never hear me say, either before I get there, while we’re working together, or after we’re finished.
1. “This is the worst mess I’ve ever seen.”
First, trust me, I’ve likely have seen worse. More importantly, nothing about your space or your disorganization will prevent me from accomplishing what I’ve come to do—help you achieve order and harmony out of chaos and disorganization.
2. “Clean your house before I come.”
In fact, quite the opposite is true. Believe it or not, viewing your space as it normally is allows me to assess what organizational challenges you typically face, and what roadblocks always seem to end up in your path. This information assists me in forming a game plan that will offer you the greatest organizational victories.
3. “Just purchase a book.”
Are books about organization helpful? Sure, they can be. But most folks find more organizational success when someone is sitting and organizing right by their side, in their specific space, and according to their particular needs.
4. “I’ve never seen so much paper.”
I promise, you are not the only one with paper piles. In fact, 85% of the clients I work with are challenged by papers—what to do with the mail when it arrives, where to put papers they need to take action on, where to keep papers that need to be kept, how long to keep significant papers, etc. So don’t worry; we’ll find homes for all of them, and when the next batch arrives, you’ll know just what to do with those too.
5. “You probably have ADD.”
I’m not a therapist, doctor, nurse, or any other member of the medical community (and I don’t even play one on TV!), therefore I’m not trained to diagnosis such things. But what I can tell you is that the organizing methods I sometimes utilize for the unique thinking and processing patterns of those diagnosed with ADHD often work for the non-ADD as well. So it really doesn’t matter because either way, we’ll incorporate a system that helps you come out on top.
6. “Buy random containers before I come.”
Not necessary because as our work together progresses, the systems we’ll put in place for you will most likely evolve as our work together continues, and we’ll use what works best for your personal system. Additionally, I often find that we can successfully repurpose what you’re already using and thus, we may have no need of additional containers.
7. “I can do this without you.”
I really can’t. As an organizer, I don’t know what is okay to throw away, what you need to keep, or what items you treasure. So I’ll need you with me during the purging and re-purposing process. Just as important, working side by side allows me to discern how you process information and organization so I’ll know what kind of system best meets your needs and processing style.
8. “There’s no rest for the weary.”
Not true. I actually want you to be well rested before I come because organizing involves making many decisions, and that can be mentally exhausting. So since we’ve got an important task ahead of us, it will help if you are well rested, energized, and focused so we can make timely progress and efficient decisions.
9. “I’ve got one system that works for every one.”
Except I don’t because it wouldn’t. Everyone is different—personalities, living styles, processing styles, physical space, etc.—so we’ll establish an organizing system that offers you the most personal success.
10. “Let’s keep everything.”
Now you know I’m not going to say that, right? In fact, that’s probably one of the reasons you contacted me, because we need to find workable homes for the things you need and want to keep, and part ways with the things you shouldn’t. And since progress is the name of our organizing game, it will include letting non-essentials go to make space for what really matters.
What You Will Hear:
The bottom line is that whatever it is you might think I’ll say about your current state of disorganization, I won’t. In fact, when I walk into a messy space, I don’t see the chaos—I see the possibilities. I see the puzzle waiting to be solved, and I know the disorganization is not a reflection of the person standing before me. So what you’ll really hear me say is, “I can’t wait to work with you to create the peaceful, orderly environment you’ve been longing for.”
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