Have you finally made the call and scheduled your first session with a professional organizer but now you are panicking about what you should do to prepare? Here are some of my thoughts as a professional organizer. These things might be different depending on who you decide to hire. You may want the “fancy” Instagram “after” photos. I don’t think everyone needs color-coded, coordinated, or custom-made storage solutions for their home to be organized and beautiful. Personally, I focus on creating solutions for my clients using what they already have and tailoring systems to their lifestyle and needs. Either way, a good professional organizer will come into your home and make the space work for YOU. They won’t just come in and make it look like they do in every other house. But because each project is custom to you, it is important that your professional organizer can get to know you-both by talking to you and by observing how your home is “normally”. Read my dos and don’ts below. I think you will be relieved and excited to start your organizing journey.
1. DO: Determine your biggest sticking point!
Typically you will have already determined which space you will focus on first during your initial conversation with your professional organizer. I always ask my clients what their biggest sticking point is in the space. What exactly is it about the space that is giving you the most grief. Maybe it is a guest room and you can’t get to the closet where you keep your workout gear. Maybe you are starting in the kitchen and you just can’t stand the pile of papers on the counter. Everyone has their own quirks. Help your professional organizer help you by letting him or her know what yours are! Decluttering and organizing can be a slow process but I want you to feel good after the first session by solving your biggest problem zone first.
Exception: Of course there are exceptions! Certain categories are sometimes best saved for when you have strengthened your decluttering and organizing muscles. Sentimental items and filing cabinets of paperwork can be taxing, tedious, and time consuming. I wouldn’t advise starting there.
2. DO: Have a goal for the space!
When you hire a professional organizer, they should help you create tidy AND functional space tailored to your lifestyle and needs. It’s not just about making a picture-perfect space. A thorough professional organizer will ask you not only how you use the space now, but also how you want to use the space going forward. Maybe you don’t cook a lot but you love baking. Maybe you go surfing every weekend but almost never use the gardening tools because you have a gardener. On the contrary, maybe you never wear your sweaters because they are on too high a shelf but you’d like to get more use out of them. Be prepared to answer questions about how often you use your things, or WANT to use your things. This will enable your professional organizer to prioritize these items when organizing your space.
Exception: Don’t stress if you don’t have a solid vision. A professional organizer will be able to help you come up with a useful, logical plan for the space. Personally, I love coming up with out of the ordinary ways to use things and spaces.
3. DON’T: Pickup!
People have a tendency to want to pickup before I come to their house. Sometimes this means putting things away, other times it means shoving things into bags and stuffing them into a closet that we aren’t organizing…yet. Professional organizers DON’T want you to pick up before we come over! Believe it or not, the messiness helps us determine how to approach your space and how to set up systems that will be the most intuitive for you to maintain. I like to see where things land when they come through the door. I want to remove the barriers that are keeping you from easily maintaining your home.
Exceptions: Of course there are a few exceptions to this. If you are doing a kitchen, it helps to have all the dishes washed. Same goes for clothing if you are doing a closet project. This is so that you can gather everything together during the decluttering process. You want to be able to see all your items in each category so you can make informed decisions about what to keep and what to donate or toss. You might have too many ladles for your lifestyle but if some are in the drawer, some are in the sink, some are in the dishwasher, and some are on the counter, you might only see a sampling of them and decide not to declutter any when, in reality, you only want to keep five. If you are asking for help because laundry and dishes are part of your burden, don’t stress about it, just make sure to let your professional organizer know! We are there to help!
4. DON’T: Buy bins!
Contrary to popular belief, buying bins is not the first step in getting organized! It is important to sort through your things and declutter first. This will save you money because you will buy only what you need and it will ensure you have the right bins for the stuff you actually want to keep. You will save time by not shopping for what you don’t need and then returning what you didn’t use. To be honest, most of the time my clients end up decluttering bins because they already had enough (or rather, too many!). Your professional organizer will also be able to see what you have and recommend the most effective type of storage.
Exception: If you truly have no containers or bins, let the professional organizer know. They can discuss with you options to bring some products to ensure your project can make good progress on the first day.
I get that having a professional organizer come into your home can be a little intimidating. Please remember that professional organizers are in the business of helping. We got into the business because we love taking a bit of a mess and turning it into something organized. We love sorting through piles and putting things away. We don’t judge. And finally, we’ve probably seen worse!
