My In-Home Organizing Process

Start with a Consultation

Every time I start with a new client, we have a phone call and an in-person consultation. This gives us a chance to get to know each other and make sure we’re a good fit for each other. On the phone call, we will discuss your goals and what you are looking for from me. After a phone call, we will schedule an in-person consultation.

In the consultation, you will walk me through your house so we can discuss what you like and don’t like about your spaces. Of course, we’ll focus on the areas you want to improve. But, I do want to see the areas you’re happy with and talk about what’s working. This helps me focus on the important functional parts of your organizing when I’m making a plan.

My goal when working with clients is to create a functional, organized space for you and your family. I enjoy creating spaces that can be maintained so you have more time in your day for what is important! 

Decluttering and Sorting

During the beginning, I like to take everything out of the space and focus on decluttering and sorting. When it comes to organizing, I only want to organize items you want to keep in the house and work for you and your family.

Many people get overwhelmed by the word “declutter.” Some people think I’m going to make you get rid of everything and become a minimalist. That is not always the goal. But I do want you to look at items and decide if you want to keep them. Take vases for example. Many people have a lot of vases. One client may decide that most are no longer needed and declutter most of them. Another client may love throwing parties and need more for hosting duties. Someone else may just love flowers and want to have many options for decorating their home. There is no right or wrong answer, except for you. Choose the option that is best for you. I will help you decide based off of the space we have and how you talk about the items.

As we declutter, I like to sort the items as well. This way, when we get to the organization stage, I already know what items are going in the space and it makes it easier to plan the space and products needed.

Planning and Product Sourcing

This is the part of the process that pays for itself. I get to use my expertise and the knowledge I’ve gained of you and your family to decide how to best organize the space. Depending on the size of the project, I like to plan out the space either before the session or after a decluttering session. This is especially useful if I am buying new organizing product for the space.

When deciding on organizing product, I take into consideration two objectives: aesthetics and budget. First of all, I don’t make anyone buy organizing products. If you have options, I am happy to use them. I also like supplementing products you have with a few new products. This way, items don’t go to waste and you don’t feel like you’re spending money you don’t need to. The aesthetic factor is also important. I will provide options and you can decide whether you prefer clear or opaque containers, open or closed bins, etc. The biggest question to ask is do you need to see the items in the bins or not.

The actual Organizing

The actual organizing is what people think about when they hire a professional organizer. Putting bins or creating zones and finding a functional way to organize the space for you and your family. This normally takes one session or less, depending on the size of the project, and is fastest part of our sessions together.

This is the session that having a professional organizer can save you time. After organizing many spaces and getting to know you and your family’s needs, I can quickly come up with a plan that will work for your family. When I create a plan, I like to take into account the family’s needs and what organization will work well for you and your family. I don’t have a one size, fits all approach to my organizing.

Your part: Maintenance

Maintenance is the last step, but one of the most important. If you don’t check in periodically, you won’t be able to make the system work well for you. This is normally in an email or phone call check in. I ask questions about how your space is working and we can decide if anything needs to change or be shifted around.

When I leave after my last session, the job is not done. I want my clients to have systems that work well after I leave. This takes check-ins from me to make sure everything is working well. I like to take the time to troubleshoot anything that isn’t working so you have the best possible organizational system for you.

I enjoy working with my clients and creating organizational systems that work for their families well after I’ve left after the last session. If you would like to see how this can work for you and your family, send me an email or fill out my contact form and I will be happy to hop on a phone call and see what you’re looking for!