Confessions of a Professional Organizer

Organizing is not enough.

2009-05-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

So, my recent mistake would be to assume that organizing is all that you need. I've come to realize that a little decor goes a long way. I was visiting a friend recently and noticed that he made a few changes to his apartment and it made all the difference. Simply by adding curtains, lamps, and throw pillows the mood of the room greatly improved. Therefore, I went into "nesting mode". I made similar changes in my home and was very impressed with the results. Remember a little bit goes a long way :-).

I promise to practice "proactivity"

2009-03-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

So here's the story...my electronic organizer was acting kinda funny...even when I was trying to back it up. So, instead of being proactive and sorting this problem out right away...I let the organizer completely crash before taking action. I have certainly learned the error of my ways. What I should have done was at least hand write important dates in case of crashing...which did ultimately happen. Lucky for me it did start working again temporarily so I could record important dates and information. As of now I'm using a paper organizer while trying to decide if and when I'll go back to modern technology. I'm a big fan of technology, but I'm taking a little break right now to just step back and evaluate my options.

Chasity's Closet Coma

2009-02-16T11:50:00.000-08:00

Last month I just felt like my clothes closet in particular was just simply getting out of hand. And what better time than the start of the year to get things in order.

My confession is that as I started looking through my closet I found out it must have been in a coma for the past few months because there was no new activity. I bought things and moved them in, but I had lost track of moving the old stuff out.
My closet had fallen into a coma.

So I cleaned my closet out, as well as some other areas of my home, and started my New Year off on the right foot.

It's so easy for anyone, even a Professional Organizer, to let their closet fall into a coma. No worries. Just dig in and get yourself back on track, and keep moving forward.
Moving forward is the key.

Exploding Bathroom Cupboard!

2008-12-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been trying to find the healthiest products for my skin. I've recently learned that the products we put on our skin are just as important as the food we put in our body. Finding a healthy balance is the key! I want to avoid an excess amount of chemicals/preservatives in my skin care.

And in my quest...I not only have my old stuff, but now I have the new stuff. Needless to say, I'm running out of space.

So, I've been thinking about the solution to my problem. My conclusion is...once I make a final decision on the best products for me...I will use that decision as a trigger to dispose of the other products.

My Flaw...Tardiness!

2008-11-14T17:20:00.000-08:00

Ok...so here it is...a huge flaw in my design:
I tend to run late!
I know, shocking for a professional organizer to admit. But it's true. I try to fit so much into such a short period of time...that I actually end up running late for appointments and meetings sometimes.
And for this I apologize because I know it's not fair on the other person's time. This is definitely something I've battled with my entire life and something I am still working on.
So, let's try and work on this together. For those out there suffering the same setback...let's do this:
If we think it will take us 30 minutes to get ready for our day, we should really leave ourselves 45 minutes...leave room for the unexpected things to happen.
If you think it will take you 10 minutes to drive to your destination...give yourself 15 or 20 minutes...unfortunately traffic and accidents happen.
If you think you can do the dishes before you go out, and it should only take 10 minutes, and you have only 8...rethink your plan of action. Because most likely this task will cause you to run late and set you back the rest of the day.
Again, always leave room for the unexpected. I know from experience I always get held up by a phone call, a mess the cats made, bad hair day, whatever the case may be.

I'm going to give this a try...are you?
I look forward to your comments.

I forget to wear my jewelry!

2008-10-07T14:19:00.000-07:00

I am not a morning person so I try to shorten my morning routine as much as possible. But when I do this I take the creativity out of it. I've found just recently that I'm stuck in a morning slump. So now, I've decided I'm going to take more time for myself and actually check out my jewelry box and coordinate my outfit with a different set of jewelry every day. I tried it this morning and I feel extra beautiful for it. Gives me that little extra boost to enjoy my day. I challenge you to do the same :-).

Almost forgot to shop in my own store first!

2008-09-15T10:44:00.001-07:00

Last night I went up to my attic to put some things away, and suddenly remembered I had organizing supplies up there that I could use on a current client. I was looking for the exact same supplies, that I have in my attic, in Wal-Mart the other day. I decided not to purchase them for the client because of the price. The funny thing is I forgot to shop in my own "store". I always encourage my clients to check their own stash of supplies before running out to the store and buying more...which only creates duplication...which in turn takes up space and money. Glad I caught myself and remembered to follow my own advice :-).

I like a little bit of a mess...another person's mess :-)

2008-09-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

Last night I was sitting with a friend talking, and she mentioned she needs to get better organized. I of course agreed that getting organized is helpful...but in fact...my confession to her was that I like her "mess". When I go to her room or car and I see clutter I really don't mind it because it's not my clutter. A lot of people panic and think "oh no, an organizer is coming to my house". But in actuality, I really don't mind another person's clutter. Within reason of course. If my friend's place was not functional then I would have told her that...but because it's just a little messy...to me it feels lived in and her piles of stuff tell a story. Now, don't get me wrong...this does not let a person off the hook...but it does give you a little room to know your limits, know your boundaries, and know when enough is enough...we all have our levels of how much clutter we can stand. If the clutter starts to affect you then we have a problem. If it's manageable clutter...then a little is okay :-).

Help, I'm under attack...shoes are everywhere!

2008-09-05T05:49:00.000-07:00

So, I've lived in my new place for a little more than 2 months now. And for some reason I just can't get a system in place for my shoes. I have a nice closet in the entry way but it's just not working. I think it's because of the size of the closet. I live in an older home so the closets tend to not be user friendly for today's people. I think I'm going to have to buy a different kind of shoe rack to fit this different kind of closet. That's the problem with moving...the supplies from the old place don't always fit the new place. But that's okay because I can always donate the old rack and try to find something that will better help me battle the attack of the shoes :-).

Unusual Scheduling

2008-07-25T15:32:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to read the bible entirely through but never quite made it...I always felt like it was one of those things you start and don't quite finish...and I personally don't like that feeling. That's why I was very pleased when a friend of mine gave me a schedule she uses, which outlines the way you can finish reading the bible in a year. It's perfect because I'll actually accomplish my goal but at the same time it won't be a huge time-consuming task because it'll be stretched out over a year.

You can apply this rule to most any reading task. This is a good tool for students in particular. Consider when you would like to finish the book (ex. 10 days), how many pages the book has (ex. 150), and divide the pages by the days (ex. 150/10=15)...this will tell you how many pages you have to read each day (ex. 15).

Hope this helps...it sure helped to keep me on track :-).

A professional organizer is coming to my house!

2008-06-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

I now know how my clients feel when it's time for that first visit to the home or office...

I am moving next week and an organizing friend of mine is coming to help. And when I heard those words I had feelings of appreciation and sudden anxiety all at the same time. I instantly wondered what she would think of my "idea of organization" and would it live up to her standards. And then I had to stop and laugh at myself because I sounded like one of my clients during the initial consultation :-).

I guess it's fair to say we all have those moments of anxiety...

Data Entry - Blah!

2008-06-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

As a professional organizer, most people expect for me to like the most boring things possible...including data entry. But I'm here to say that...YES, IT'S OK TO NOT LIKE ADMIN. TYPE PAPERWORK...INCLUDING DATA ENTRY. I know, it feels good to breath a sigh of relief and know that you are not alone.

Today, I had to plug my work hours and mileage for the last two months into excel...and I had to force myself to do it because I know the key to a successful business is staying on top of paperwork...but, again, I had to force myself to do this.
So, that's my confessional today :-).

And, I might point out that I try to do it every month...but somehow that second month crept up on me :-)...