Where should I put this...

and how will I find it again when I need it? I’ll just put it here - for now! Do you find yourself asking this question and making that decision - over and over again? All the while, getting frustrated because you’re spending more and more time looking for that thing, that paperwork, those keys? Do you find yourself starting to get things picked up and stored away, only to find yourself in another room, distracted by the clutter there and feel like you’re spinning your wheels and give up in frustration?

You are not alone...this scenario plays out in just about every household and office that doesn’t have a trusted system for storage and retrieval.

What is the answer to this dilemma? It’s actually in the questions...so much of what I do to educate people on how to move from chaos to clarity lies in asking the appropriate questions and demonstrating an effective method for creating & restoring order.

Jane’s Story

A good illustration of the training process comes in the form of an organizing session with Jane who runs a horse ranch and is very organized about her approach to teaching, animal care and property management. However, when it came to her stand alone office space, she remained frustrated and overwhelmed.

Our session began with Jane’s statement, “I don’t even know where to start. I don’t understand how this place becomes such a dumping ground.”

As we continued our discussion, Jane was soon able to identify the source of her angst, find clarity about her present goals and was led to the solutions that made sense for her circumstances. We were able to initiate the process of sorting, categorizing and locating her items with intention, because their purpose was clear again.

She soon relaxed and felt excited about the anticipated outcome. I was able to leave her with confidence in her ability to continue independently between our sessions together.

"My office space was huge but you couldn't tell due to the mess. Brenda could see what I couldn't. She redesigned the space so it is now functional, it looks neat and I can find everything. And Brenda saved me! I was becoming a pack rat and she helped me get rid of things that I didn't need to keep."  ~ Jane

A common and understandable fear about contacting an organizer is concern about judgment. There are few other things that make us feel as vulnerable as allowing someone into our personal space and exposing what we feel defines us as a mess.

It is part of my personal and professional code of ethics to adhere to a strict policy of confidentiality. The only way others know when I am working privately with someone is because the client told them! I am very grateful that a big part of my business comes from satisfied clients that choose to promote my services through word of mouth.

While I do share general circumstances of previous projects for illustration purposes, I do not reveal names or information that would identify a person. All testimonials within are from real clients that expressly granted permission for their names to be used.

Cost

While we spend hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars over time replacing items that have been lost or damaged, human beings generally have a hard time paying for a service for something we feel we “should” know how to do. This is especially true about organization and productivity. We say things to ourselves like, “This is crazy, I just have to take a Saturday and get this mess all cleaned up. It would be a waste of money to pay for something like that!”

I felt the same way about fitness. I know how to exercise. But I don’t unless I have invested money, blocked out the class time on my calendar and establish the habit with the help of a qualified and motivating instructor.

Now that I have finally accepted the truth about what really works, I gladly pay my annual dues to the Village Yoga Center and enjoy all the benefits that come from improved fitness and keeping this promise to take care of myself.

There really are principles to organization; effective methods for creating and restoring order and “follow through” techniques that maintain productivity. I hear repeatedly how glad my clients are that they decided to invest in a service that has changed their lives in a positive and powerful way.