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What kind of organizing do you do?
How do I know if I need a Professional Organizer?
I’m a hopeless case; can I ever learn to be organized?
Aren’t you going to make me throw away a lot of my things?
What is a typical side-by-side organizing session like?
How does phone coaching work?
How do you charge for services?
What kind of training did you receive to be a Certified Professional Organizer® and Organizer Coach?
What should I expect from you?
How do I know if I'm "chronically disorganized"?
How do I know if I have ADD or AD/HD?
What does YOUR office look like?
You were very helpful in making our move a success. Your organization of our new space was great! We have made some progress in converting to an electronic file protocol and your support with G drive organization contributed. Overall, I have been very pleased with your support of our move and organization. We all appreciate your help in our move and efficiency improvement.
~ Mike N., President, engineering job shop
What kind of organizing do you do?
I have worked with many different clients and now specialize in helping small business owners and professionals and home-based entrepreneurs who are ready to "work above the line" (reference Steven Covey, First Things First). Click here to see the types of organizing provided.
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How do I know if I need a Professional Organizer?
You’re feeling overwhelmed by all the “stuff” around you and your never-ending “to-do” list.
You’re often wasting valuable time looking for something you can’t find.
You have so much to do that nothing is getting done well, or, because you’re feeling unable to make a decision, you simply do nothing.
You're late to appointments.
You miss deadlines.
Your messy desk is preventing you from working effectively.
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I’m a hopeless case; can I ever learn to be organized?
Absolutely! Organization is a learned behavior. Some people just didn’t grow up learning how, or didn’t have a chance to learn from someone later in life. It will take effort, but if you’re willing to learn (yes, it is possible to teach an old dog a new trick!) and develop some new behaviors and routines, the results will make it all worthwhile.
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Aren’t you just going to make me throw away a lot of my things?
Becoming organized isn’t just about throwing things away. It’s about identifying your goals and priorities, determining what’s important to you and what you really need to have vs. what you want to have, and then making decisions about how to live your life and do your work in order to meet those goals and priorities. Getting organized is a chance to decide what really matters.
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What is a typical side-by-side organizing session like?
After the initial phone consultation and determining the priorities for organizing, we implement the plan. Appointments are usually scheduled in blocks of 2.5 hours. Time is money, so I keep the process going by maintaining focus on achieving results for each session.
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How does phone coaching work?
We talk by phone 2-4 times a month. We work on whatever the client wants to work on to help them improve their performance in order to reach their goals.
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After working with you on and off through the last couple years, I really appreciate the breadth of service you provide. We have done everything from labeling folders and straightening cupboards, to exploring the thinking that keeps us trapped in our chronic disorganization. Although the goal is to have clients be able to use what you have taught on their own, I find it relieving to know I can contact you when I get stuck, and that we will work with whatever I need in the moment. We value you and your work tremendously!
~ Meg S., Executive Coach &
Jim W., Art Furniture Designer and Oil Painter
How do you charge for services?
I specialize in practical and affordable organizing—looking for creative ways to use what the client already has and recommending cost effective solutions. The value of the service should be measured in results, so increased productivity and efficiency means increased focus on business results and developing systems for achieving them.
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What kind of training did you receive to be a Certified Professional Organizer® and Organizer Coach?
I am proud to be one of the first professional organizers in the country to receive the CPO® distinction. It recognizes that I have met specific qualifications and proved through examination and client interaction to possess a required body of knowledge and experiences. Certification is a formal acknowledgement of my dedication to the industry and the importance and value of standards in our industry.
Former business colleagues, family and friends have always described me as being a very organized person. So they weren’t surprised to hear that I pursued a profession in the service of organizing people and their things. However, there’s more to being a Professional Organizer than being organized. An effective organizer is someone who can put their own preferences aside and help the client find ways to set up their filing and other management systems in a way that works for them.
I am a trained Organizer Coach having completed the inaugural class of Coach Approach for Organizers® training. Information on the course can be found here. I plan to achieve certification in early 2010.
My prior business experiences includes experience as a Sales Rep, seeking to understand the needs of the customer to make sure the product or service they were buying would solve their problems; as an Operations Manager, managing complex and high profile projects involving cross functional teams and developing the skills of direct reports; as a Trainer, facilitating learning for employees and managers; as an Employee Relations Consultant, coaching managers on how to manage difficult employee situations, ensuring employees’ behavior was consistent with good corporate citizenship and in compliance with the law; and as an adjunct Career Transition Consultant, coaching people on their job search when they are suddenly unemployed due to company restructuring.
I am a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), an active member of NAPO’s Oregon Chapter, and a subscriber of the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD). Monthly chapter meetings, annual conferences and training teleconferences all contribute to my continuing education in the field.
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Well I know what the “A” stands for: AWESOME! Thank you, thank you for your help today. I feel like the weak links in my organizational chain are now some of my strongest after spending the first couple of hours with you. When you told me you had already read and knew all about “Getting Things Done” by David Allen, I knew this was going to be great.
~ Mike L., Territory Representative, dental supply company
What should I expect from you?
Complete confidentiality and respect for your privacy.
Integrity, courtesy and professionalism.
Confidence that you will be referred to someone else if I cannot meet your needs.
A Certified Professional Organizer® is held accountable to Code of Ethics of the Board of Certification for Professional Organizers (BCPO). You can read the complete Code of Ethics here.
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How do I know if I'm "chronically disorganized"?
People who are chronically disorganized have a history of constant and persistent disorganization which affects their quality of life and resists all self-help attempts. For more information, visit the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization.
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How do I know if I have ADD or AD/HD?
AD/HD (Attention Deficit Disorder with or without Hyperactivity) must be diagnosed by a qualified mental health or medical care provider. Typical behaviors are distractibility, impulsiveness, and the inability to complete tasks, and negatively impact one’s quality of life. For more information, visit the Attention Deficit Disorder Association or Answers to Your Questions about ADD(ADHD)
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What does YOUR office look like?
I’m asked that question a lot! I do tend to be a minimalist, and I like to keep things simple. But like everyone, my desk needs to be neatened up at the end of the day because it's full of stacks and piles when I’m working on a project. Because I know what I have, and have identified a place for everything, it’s easier to find things when I need them.
I follow the advice of William Morris, one of the founders of the Arts and Crafts design movement: “Clutter is an obstacle to simplicity. Have nothing in your [environment] that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”
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