Ever been curious what it’s like to work with a home organizer? The best way to know is to ask! My XOXO subscribers had a few questions for me…here are my answers.
Q: What do you do when a client is adamant about keeping things that you think are unnecessary?
A: I love this question, but first, let me just say… it’s not MY job to determine whether something is unnecessary or not. Having said that, I have a fool-proof way of figuring out if my CLIENTS think something is unnecessary- I pay attention to their facial expressions as we’re organizing together. I’ll ask them if they want to keep something and their face will usually tell me how much they really want to keep it. If they really aren’t sure, I always recommend keeping the item in an easily accessible place so they can have a chance to use the item. Eventually, we’ll know what to do.
Q: My garage is a mess and I want to organize it, but it’s mostly my husband’s stuff and he wants to keep it the way it is. What can I do?
A: Hahaha! Well…as much as I want to say you should tie him up and organize YOUR garage the way YOU want to, I somehow think the correct answer is that you can only organize what belongs to you (in this case, usually half- hahaha) and leave the rest until your husband is ready to commit to organizing the garage with you. It’s more productive when all parties involved are on board for the organizing project.
Q: If a potential client is embarrassed about their messy house, how do they get over this feeling and make the call to get the help they need to start organizing?
A: It’s funny because sometimes people will warn me over the phone that their house is “really messy”, but then, when I get there- it’s not really “messy” to me. I can understand that when you have to live, work, raise kids and find things in your house every day, your house can start to overwhelm you. You might even start to feel like it’s so messy that you don’t even know where to start organizing it. Sometimes it takes a second pair of eyes and a fresh perspective to get through it and start making changes.
Q: How do you figure out where to start with a new client? (what part of the house)
A: Here are a few factors that help me decide where to start organizing with a new client:
- How dissatisfied are they with the space?
- How often do they use the space?
- How long will it take to organize the space?
- How important is the space to their everyday life?
- Who else is using the space?
Q: After you help a client weed out, clean up and get organized, do you help them figure out how to continue on that path and not fall back into old habits?
A: YES! YES! YES! The good news is that once we get the house organized the way we want it, it only takes minutes each day to keep it that way. Using their calendar as a tool (I show moms how to use their calendars like a personal assistant), I teach my clients how to prioritize their tasks so that they’re living each day intentionally and not just putting out fires all the time. We also use chore charts so we can get the kids involved. I check-in with my clients from time-to-time and even make follow-up appointments a couple times each year to make sure we don’t fall back into old habits.
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