Professional organizers definitely help those people, but there’s much more to the profession than that.
Here’s what theyreallydo, and how they may be able to help you.
A while back I asked my Twitter followersjokinglyifprofessional organizers were a real thing.
A good analogy would be someone who is not naturally good at staying fit and eating healthily.
Would so many people be unhealthy?
In short, sometimes you need an objective, experienced opinion to help you move forward.
The truth is it’s just not.
Just as there are those professionals who help in other areas of our lives (e.g.
taxes, real estate, legal matters, investments, retirement accounts, etc.
At the end of the day, a CPO is like any other professional or specialist.
Trips to Target and IKEA turn up few choices that would work in my apartment.
We know who is reliable and appropriate for each budget.
We have developed relationships with a lot of these companies to be able to offer discounts for our clients.
My clients don’t have to hold on to the summer clothing they want to sell all winter long.
Professional Organizers know where to donate almost anything, and which charities will pick up from your house.
We also know what is worth selling and what is worth donating.
In this way, professional organizers (and their clients) are proactive, and not just reactive.
They’re thinking about clutterpiles of stuff.
It’s about the person who owns or interacts with the stuff.
That’s what a housekeeper or maid does.
Organizing is more complex.
Julie mentioned thatyou may be surprised at the services many organizers offer.
Some CPOs, for example, work best with families on genealogy research.
Others are best athelping people go paperless.
Others arealso interior designers, while others are expertsat kitchen organizationand helping youget into cooking and eating healthy.
There are some who specializein emergency preparednessand cataloguing collections.
you’re able to find someone with skills as narrow or as broad as you need.
Of course, not everyone needs the help of a professional organizer.
Some people get overwhelmed and too anxious to even begin.
A Professional Organizer can help find a good starting point and create a plan to follow.
They dont have the time to do it on their own
.
They have busy families or jobs and need an extra set of hands to complete a space quicker.
A Professional Organizer can work with you and make it all happen in a fraction of the time.
They dont want to do it themselves at all
.
I have plenty of clients that arent even home when I am in their house.
Luckily, there are several organizations responsible for the certification and training of CPOs.
They even maintain aPDF list of questions to ask a professional organizer before you hire one.
Its also okay to ask for references.
This is important, because costs will vary by project.
Referrals tend to be the lion share of any organizer’s clientele.
Like any professional relationship, be sure you feel comfortable and confident that you’ll work well together.
Everyone we spoke to said that’s also important to look for in an organizer.
you’re able to follow her on Twitter@ProfOrganizeroron her Facebook page.
you’re free to follow her on Twitter@SOUPOrganizingoron her Facebook page.
you’re free to follow him on Twitter@JeffreyPhillip, onhis Facebook page.
All of them (and more!)
volunteered their expertise for this feature, and we thank them.
Title image byTina Mailhot-Roberge.
Additional images byTom Page,Uwe Hermann,Jeff Golden, andGeorge Pauwels.
