Organize To Optimize

How will Organize to Optimize help me?

Organize to Optimizes’ clients experience a variety of benefits from its services. I can help you based on your specific goals. We will define a starting point and clear path specific to your priorities and needs. The many benefits include:

Having a master plan or a “Vision of Beauty”
Knowing how your values and goals intersect with your belongings
Providing fresh solutions and ideas
Having information easily accessible when you need it
Knowing where to find your things
Knowing where to put your things when you are finished with them
Having things done by the time they are due
Being in control of your time, space, and belongings
Having time for enjoyable activities
Increasing productivity
Creating the living environment that you have always wanted

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Sometimes your project is so big it is difficult to know where to start. For those who do get started they wonder “where do I go from here”. We will evaluate your goals, problems and successes and lay out a plan that is simple. I will partner with you to help you dig in and tackle the job. A fresh approach and ideas can make the process more enjoyable.

It can be difficult to look at your own situation and figure out why things aren’t working for you. It may be the stack of magazines or newspapers that keeps piling up or the abundance of mail that is always in your way. Bills may be getting lost, or you may give up after looking for a period of time.

Time may be in short supply. Scheduling our first appointment commits you to getting started and makes it a priority for you to keep. You’ll get innovative ideas to help with your specific problems. You will also be done in less than half the time. Having a partner/consultant helps keep you focused and on task, allowing for greater productivity.

Absolutely not! You make all the decisions about what stays and what goes. Together we will discuss and clarify the guidelines for what stays and what goes at the beginning of our first organizing consultation. I will encourage you to make decisions based on your values, goals and objectives. We can then utilize your allocated space for your loved and treasured items. Along the journey your priorities may change. Items that you once felt you could never part with, may be reconsidered as less desirable or perhaps unneeded or unwanted. Allowing you time to come to these decisions keeps you in control and strengthens your decision making skills. In some cases we will utilize your space so much better that it will allow you to keep all of your items.

Do I have to be at every organizing consultation or can you do the work for me?

It depends on your needs and goals. It is important that we define your goals and talk through your trouble spots while evaluating your situation together. It is also necessary for you to be present for sorting items because you decide what to keep, purge or donate. After a plan has been made and sorting has been established, it may be possible for me to do a portion or even a majority of the work on my own.

Absolutely! If you feel you are ready to, dive in. If you work well by yourself the initial needs assessment will lay out a simple, clearly defined plan to accomplish your goals. This is the perfect tool for the do- it –yourself- organizer.

It is most helpful if you do absolutely nothing to your space. Resist the temptation to straighten up the pile of clothes on your treadmill and sofa, the mountain of mail on your kitchen island, or the stacks of papers on your desk. It is quite helpful to see the natural flow of your home and to see where things land. Please try to minimize distractions during each appointment by making arrangements with friends, family and co-workers to avoid potential interruptions. Be ready to answer questions that focus on your current lifestyle habits and goals and values.

As tempting as it is to buy products to get you started, it is best to wait until later in the process. You may have everything that you already need, or may need to start from scratch. I will make recommendations as we go. This will help you to stay within your budget by not having to purchase all at once and allow us to try to recycle already owned products in your home. You may start to collect empty cardboard boxes to use for sorting.

Each person and project is unique. I set myself to your pace. I love organizing and can go for hours at a rapid pace. You need to feel comfortable with the pace we are going, so, you set the pace and I mirror you. The length of a project is determined by how quickly you make decisions and the amount and type of clutter that you have. Having a partner makes the process go by much more quickly and efficiently. I have data that I can share on average times to organize specific areas. Your project will likely be within that range. I am sensitive to time constraints and events that are scheduled. I will work with your schedule and lay out what needs to happen to meet your completion date.

I’m not sure where to begin, the whole house is a mess. What do you recommend?

If you are doing the work completely on your own…. Start with what is troubling you most, or with the area that will give the biggest impact to your home. What area is stressing you out? Is it the dining room table that has been hidden under piles clutter for years? Or, your home office that you would use if it weren’t piled with your kids homework and old bills? If a holiday is coming and you would like to use the dining room then the dining room is the perfect place to start. If you are tired of paying late fees because you keep losing your bills, creating a home filing system would be the best place to start. The needs assessment will outline a plan telling you where exactly to start and how to proceed each step of the way. We may decide to organize your home by room or commodity (i.e. all clothing). I am an expert at evaluating space (I think this is where my engineering degree is coming in handy). I can review each room and give you a home for each commodity of items. I will include floor plans to maximize your current furniture or add new furniture if your budget allows. This Needs Assessment Package is a road map on how to organize your home.
If you are overwhelmed by the thought of having to organize your home with one more self help book or plan then I recommend using the Organizing Consultation service. We will figure out where to begin together. During our organizing consultations we will discuss your vision for your home. Together we will define a plan on where to start and how to proceed based on your vision. You will have professional expertise, support and guidance with you each step of the way to alleviate anxiety and reduce your stress.

Yes, I appreciate you inviting me into your home and realize the high level of trust you are placing in me. Each session is confidential and non-judgmental. I abide by the NAPO Code of Ethics.

It is disorganization that has been persistent over your lifetime and has undermined your quality of life.

This is disorganization induced by a life changing event. It could be a move, a marriage, a baby, a change in career, divorce, death or one of many other significant life changes. You were organized up until the life changing event, after that time things started to fall apart. Your old system of organization worked for you before the life changing event. When the situation changed, your organizational system needed to change with it. It didn’t, and therefore stopped being effective. I can help you set up new systems tailored to your needs and current situation. We will talk through what has worked for you in the past and what wasn’t working when things fell apart. Since you have history of organization, it will come back to you somewhat easily.

Yes I can! In fact I love working with ADD clients and have an ADD Specialist Certificate from the NSGCD. I can help keep you focused and productive. We will discuss your goals, values, strengths and options. We will create a plan to work with your strengths and create a plan on how to deal with those tasks that you find difficult to accomplish or complete.

Organizing is having things done when they are due, knowing where things are when you need them, and knowing where to put things when you are finished. Organizing is a learned process. No-one was born naturally organized, although some do have more of a natural inclination. Those that are organized have learned it somehow from someone, or somewhere. They may have learned it from trial and error, a relative, teacher, friend, book, or a professional. I want organizing to be an enjoyable experience. My objective is to alleviate the stress, embarrassment, frustration, or the anxiety that you may feel about your circumstances. Everyone needs help sometimes with some aspect of their lives. I have found in my life that often the things that I find the most challenging are the most rewarding when they are accomplished. I have made it my mission to help you uncover the feeling of peace, harmony, and tranquility that living in an organized space can bring. Hiring a professional organizer is your first step toward optimizing your time, home, space, and peace of mind. I suggest solutions that fall in line with your natural abilities and tendencies and create an environment that aids you instead of frustrating you. We will take this one step at a time and define your path in clear and simple goals.
Often disorganization or clutter in ones home reflects emotional clutter. The two can be deeply intertwined. Many clients find it helpful and beneficial to work with a therapist in conjunction with an organizer. If disorganization has been a recurrent problem or is connected with compulsive hoarding disorder, AD/HD, depression, bipolar disorder or any other mental condition, a collaborative team of three is an ideal situation for long term change. I am willing and able to work in conjunction with your therapist to provide you with practical in home consultations to your clutter and organizing needs.