What Your Professional Organizer Wants You to Know

This past week I was happy to participate in another session of Minimal Quest. If you’ve never heard of it, the third Tuesday of each month two other professional organizers and I host this free, virtual meet-up to talk about various aspects of pursuing minimalism and getting organized. Last night our topic was, “What Your Professional Organizer Wants You to Know.” We had a lot of fun with this topic, and each of us shared five things we want you to know.

Since there was so much helpful information shared, I thought I would pass along the highlights here. I hope you enjoy them!

From Susan Lovallo of Clutter Solutions LLC.

#1. You may want the system you currently are using to work, but if you have called in a professional organizer, it probably doesn’t work.

Sometimes we are invested in a system (mentally, emotionally, financially), but it just isn’t working. In order to find a solution that does work, you need to be open minded to trying something new. It may be that you just need a few tweaks to your system. Alternatively, you may need to try an entirely new method. You may also need to let go of organizing tools you purchased that just don’t work for you. Be open to experimenting. Remember, there is no one system that works for everyone, and the goal is to find the one that works for you!

#2. You likely have too many or too much.

How do you know when you have too much? Here are a few clues:

• What you own doesn’t fit into your space.
• You have things you never use. (Even one thing you never use is too many!)
• You have things you don’t like (e.g., a gift you received).
• You have things that have gotten too old to be useful.
• You have items that expired years ago.
• Your car doesn’t fit inside your garage. Remember, your car is probably a bigger investment than other things you may be keeping in your garage. Leaving your costly car out in the elements in order to accommodate less valuable items inside the garage isn’t a great decision.

# 3. Organized people are busy too, but we are primarily busy with the present. Disorganized people tend to be busy dealing with the past (e.g., old belongings, old decisions, old issues, etc.).

A few other things to know about organized people:

• We are not perfect.
• We lose things too, although not as frequently, and we usually find them more quickly.
• We also have stress, but may be able to manage it with greater ease because our time and things are in order.
• We still need to get ready when company is coming over, but the process is much faster.
• We are able to do things we want to do because we are spending less time dealing with backlogged issues.

#4. When renovating and setting up systems, always be sure to measure and get a drawing.

• Think through all the details and measure twice. Susan shared a story of a client whose new closet designers did not take into account her husband’s height. The top rod was not installed high enough, and his shirts ended up hitting the lower bar. A big disappointment.

• Measure the size of the items that you want to put into a storage space to make sure they will fit. Another client of Susan’s had a new closet put in a home office. Unfortunately, the shelves were not deep enough to accommodate a ream of paper lengthwise. She ended up having to store the reams sideways, which wasted space she would have preferred to use for other things.

• Be sure file drawers are large enough. Builders often put in drawers that aren’t tall enough to comfortably hold hanging files and their tabs.

• Even if you are just “replacing the current design,” always get a drawing. This ensures that everyone is on the same page before construction begins.

#5. You may need “more than one Christmas tree.” By this, Susan explained that you may have a collection, like one of her clients who collects Christmas trees. Collections can be fun and rewarding. However, a collection stashed away out of sight is missing the mark. If you collect something, remember to:

• Display the collection (avoid layering items so everything can be seen).
• Rotate items on display if you can’t put them all out at once.
• Keep an inventory so you remember what you have, and if your collectables are valuable, keep track of each piece’s value.
• Purge any items you no longer love – you don’t need to keep something simply because it is part of a collection!
• Don’t tell people what you are collecting. Once the word is out, you can end up getting inundated by well-meaning friends and family.

Susan concluded by reminding all of us that every action you take counts. Every action moves you either forward or backward, so be mindful and move with intention.

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From Matt Baier of Matt Baier Organizing LLC

#1. Don’t buy supplies first.

I love Matt’s mantra “you have to prioritize to organize.” If you start organizing before decluttering and prioritizing, you risk creating an artificial limit or poorly functioning system. Always begin with intention. (Sounds like Susan’s last point… starting to see a theme here. )

Additionally, Matt reminded us that stores and websites draw us in with lighting and beautiful displays. They make it fun to dream of beautiful and organized spaces. Unfortunately, we can get drawn in and purchase products that aren’t what we really need (and can end up adding to the clutter).

#2. You are not paying your professional organizer to make you throw things out.

This is not what we do! I agree with Matt. In fact, I never tell clients to get rid of anything. Matt reiterated the importance of prioritizing over purging. The most important aspect of organizing is making decisions, not just randomly tossing things.

What professional organizers do offer is support and direction to help you make those decisions. We help you strategize. We also provide momentum and focus, both of which are critical to moving you to through to a successful conclusion.

#3. When you tell us that you have gotten rid of a lot of stuff already, we believe you!

You may have put a lot of energy into getting rid of things, and still feel completely disorganized. That’s because simply decluttering will not get you organized. In fact, heavy-duty purging, without a plan and without clearly identified priorities, can leave you feeling regretful. It can also give you a false sense of success: you look around and see a clear space, but without a plan for the future, it can quickly fall into disarray.

Professional organizers work with you to design systems are customized to your needs and that are sustainable. Sustainable systems have two characteristics:

• Appropriate structure, so everything can be put away and stay where it is supposed to be.
• Easy to maintain. Matt used the term “easy habit.” We focus on helping you find systems that you can perpetuate with a minimal amount of effort.

#4. There are many good options beyond “keep” or “toss.” For instance, you can:

• Donate to a charity
• Recycle
• Sell
• Repurpose
• Share with a friend or family member
• Store more remotely (i.e., so you can keep it, but it won’t be in your way).

#5. Don’t keep clothes in dry-cleaner bags.

The plastic films in which clothes arrive from the dry cleaner are packaging, intended to protect garments between the facility and your home. They are not intended for long-term use, primarily because they trap moisture. Moisture is bad for clothing. If you need to store a garment for an extended period of time, there are better, breathable options to keep clothes dust free.

Additionally, a closet full of dry-cleaner bags just looks messy and cluttered.

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From Seana (me)

#1. You should expect to spend time, every day, walking around and putting things away.

 I say this so often I decided to make a shareable image of it.

No matter how fancy your organizing products or, or how beautiful your shelving is, the tools will not put things away for you. Every day you will take things out to use them. This is normal and appropriate, and even professional organizers have active items out and about. However, “living organized” means you have to schedule time to put things away. Unless you have a staff to do this for you, you might as well embrace this discipline.

#2. Staying organized is less about having the right tool (bin/box/container) and mostly about how you use it.

In other words, the tool often isn’t the problem. I have many clients who say, “Maybe if I just bought a different container, bag, tool, etc…” This is a nice idea, but you can’t really buy yourself a solution when it comes to organizing.

Admittedly, having appropriate tools and structures is critical. We can’t be organized without them! At the same time, the nuts and bolts of organizing is setting up tools with specific purposes that we then use in predictable, sustainable ways. Failure to “keep up with the system” will result in disorganization and chaos, regardless of how great the tool is.

#3. It doesn’t take much to discourage us from using our storage systems.

Even small “hurdles” are enough to keep us from putting things away, so we want to make our storage as easy as possible. A “hurdle” can be a variety of things, such as:

• Lids that are a hassle to remove
• Not having a trashcan nearby
• Hangers (few people like hanging items on hangers)
• Crowded spaces into which it is difficult to fit things
• Stacked bins, especially when we need to access the bin on the bottom
• Storage that is too high, too low, or otherwise difficult to access

When we encounter an organizing “hurdle,” our habit is to just stash our belonging near where it belongs. For example, we leave a clothing tag on the closet shelf rather than walking to wherever the trashcan is and throwing it away. Or, rather than moving the stack of boxes to put an item away in the bottom box, we “temporarily” stick it on the top of the stack of bins. We tell ourselves that we will come back later to put it fully away, but then we never seem to get around to it.

If you find you aren’t using your organizing system, there is probably a hurdle that is interfering with your good intentions. See if you can identify it, and then focus on cultivating a process that is easy to use.

#4. Maximizing the efficiency of your “prime real estate” matters.

What is prime real estate? It is the space you can access without too much effort, such as:

• The desk drawers you can reach without getting up out of your chair
• The kitchen drawers at waist height
• Hooks that you can easily reach
• Closet rods that can be used without stepping on a stool or reaching behind a wall
• Shelves between eye and knee level
• Storage locations near the door where you enter your home

These spaces are “sacred,” meaning they should be reserved for the items you use daily, or at least weekly. Don’t clog these spaces with things like memorabilia, out of season supplies, old tax paperwork, broken objects, dressy shoes you rarely wear, etc.

#5. It is critical to prioritize and plan if you want to be productive.

A long list of projects that you “hope to get to” is not a plan. Many people have unrealistic expectations for their day, listing far more than they can actually accomplish. As a result, they end up feeling dejected when the day ends, and many incomplete tasks remain. Alternatively, some people avoid setting aside time to plan, and therefore end up reacting all day long. Clarifying priorities, and planning the day around these, is critical for productivity.

You can see more of my thoughts on how to successfully plan your day here:

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If you would like to see the whole webinar, it is available in our group on Facebook. All are welcome to join us!

Did any of these resonate with you?