Four Truth Bombs From A Holistic Organizer
One organizing session may not create lasting change. When the whole house needs to be addressed, a single session can make an impact, but lasting change comes from diving in and auditing the whole house to see what is going on and, more importantly, understanding why it is going on. For example, using a single organizing session to declutter and organize the children’s toys is restorative, but if during that session we find things the client wants to hold on to or save and therefore puts in storage (which is just another cluttered room or pantry), then not only does it become something else on your to-do list, but it can also be overwhelming to look at and think about a different space!
If you do not tackle your spending habits or your accumulating habits, then no matter who you hire, your home will likely go back to what it was before you hired an organizer. Shopping is only adding to your stress and your piles of stuff. Staying on top of your home means decluttering regularly and taking an honest inventory of what you use and do not use on a regular basis. A tip that I like to use is the 1 in, 1 out rule. Creating boundaries around your space can make this much easier than it seems, even if you are not ready to give up shopping or accumulating goodies. For example, in Client A’s home, we have a specific area designated for shoes. If this area begins to get cluttered or look overrun, then Client A knows it is time to declutter. Using this system, they are able to keep the clutter down and maintain a visually pleasing and prioritized space that reflects their style and values.
When working with a holistic organizer, if you are not open to decluttering, you are shuffling around your things to make them look pretty and categorized. If that is all you are looking to do, then let’s get after it. But know that we will likely be back in 3–6 months. In instances where this happens, I know that I have two options: drop the client or narrow down what they actually use and store the rest. With Client B, once we narrowed down to what they actually use, they found that the items they stored did not matter to them nor were they ever touched. Following this, I helped Client B list the items for sale, and they were able to profit $300 from items that were not being used.
Fitting 5,000 square feet worth of items in a home that is 3,000 will hardly ever be functional. We can add these things to storage, yes, that will work if you are planning for this to be temporary. But if it is long-term, no matter how well we organize the items, there will be a lack of breathing room for your belongings. Furniture, storage, and daily items start to compete for space, making it hard to open doors, access storage, or use rooms as intended. More items mean more to clean, manage, and organize, which drains time and energy, leading you to exhaust your mind and energy more than you should.
So when you are booking- a good organizer will always want a consult first. Unless they are genius’ as well and offer an xs package to start off easy wink wink. Most homes will take a minimum of three sessions to reach desired results. During or after the consult your organizer will give you an estimate on how many hours or sessions it will take. Remember, it will always look worse before it gets better. The storm before the calm ;)
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