Professional organizers offer a wide variety of services, from designing a functional closet to organizing a cross-country move. For homeowners, a professional organizer could plan and reorganize the space of a room, improve paper management, or guide in time management or goal setting. Professional organizers will work with you to decide what you want to keep and identify where unwanted items will go. In many cases, they will facilitate the disposal, donation or sale of belongings that a customer wants to part with.
They also work with customers to determine what the functions of their spaces should be and to configure those spaces so that they can be easily maintained. By hiring a professional organizer, the homeowner will receive guidance on organizing the home, encouraging them to think about how to use their home in new ways. They will also gain practical and sustainable practices to stay organized after the professional organization's services end. In other words, these professionals not only introduce themselves and organize a house, but they teach their paths through practical approaches so that their clients can continue with the work in the future.
Here's what homeowners should know about the hiring process and working with a professional organizer, as well as how to find one in their local area. A professional organizer is an expert in optimizing the space and functionality of a home. Professional organizers may work with a variety of clients or specialize in certain populations (such as children), situations (such as hoarding), or materials (such as paperwork). No matter who your clients are, a professional organizer serves as a coach and guide in a homeowner's process of sorting and organizing their belongings.
Because all homeowners have unique needs, goals, and preferences, the actual work of a professional organizer will vary by client. In general, professional organizers help their clients determine the objectives of the source organization and develop plans and recommendations to achieve them. The most important thing to keep in mind about professional organizers is that they don't work alone. Anyone seeking your services is an active part of the organization's process.
This ensures that what is earned from the professional organization becomes part of daily life. Once the objectives of the home organization are established, a professional organizer will facilitate the client's decisions on the use of the spaces. To change the shape of areas for better function and efficiency, it is often necessary to get rid of some things that are not always easy. Professional organizers tackle the challenge of organizing clutter by asking non-judgmental questions and providing honest feedback.
They know how to get to the root of why some possessions remain intact and can help a person decide how different types of belongings relate to household organization goals. For unwanted belongings, professional organizers can help plan for disposal, recycling, donation, or sale. After ordering, professional organizers sort and make the best use of the spaces. To keep things in good shape, they will also discuss and educate customers on a system for them to interact with things and add or replace materials as appropriate.
A more organized home is a more efficient home, and when rooms and spaces work the way you expect them to, it really saves time. This is useful for general time management. For example, a poorly organized kitchen causes homeowners to waste time. Even if a homeowner knows where things are kept in “organized chaos,” the messy movement around the kitchen adds extra time and effort to tasks that may be easier and faster.
For any task, having tools that are easy to find and access makes the process smoother. Professional organizers are looking for opportunities to facilitate processes in the daily lives of their customers. By having expectations and systems in place for daily responsibilities, people can achieve more and free up time to explore their interests and personal well-being. Other tasks that a professional organizer can help with include organizing bills, creating shopping lists, and scheduling appointments for family members and others in a household.
Keeping “administrative” tasks simplified and organized can help homeowners better manage their time and keep their overall lives running more smoothly. NAPO's professional organizers are committed to helping people bring order to their lives, and are committed to implementing a Code of Ethics that maintains the professional integrity and confidentiality of the client. By hiring a NAPO member, an individual can expect a professional who meets industry standards and offers a fair and equitable home organizing experience. People interested in finding a professional NAPO organizer can search for members in the association's online directory.
You can search for professionals by region or specialty. Any professional organizer will quickly clarify that it is not a cleaning or decorating service. Home organization is a decision-making process, and for results to last, lifestyle adjustments can be part of the process. Systems created in a home organization plan with a professional organizer require conscious effort, ongoing interest, and motivation.
Because professional organization requires a lot of focus and dedication, it's not something anyone is forced to do. Ideas and plans are created together with the mutual input of the professional organizer and the client, so they must always be within the customer's comfort level. If they are not, they will not be executed. A good professional organizer will focus on areas where the client needs help.
They are working to support the customer's interests, not their own. Changing homes is overwhelming and, for some people, the help of a professional organizer can bring focus and clarity to the many parts of the process. Some professional organizers specialize in this, and can help with everything from packing, working with removals, and unpacking and organizing in the next house. Once everything is moved to the new location, professional organizers can help pack and unpack the boxes in a logical and useful way that minimizes damage and inconvenience to daily activities.
Investing in a professional organizer can be a way of commitment for anyone who spends a lot of time thinking about doing things without actually doing them. The amount of time a client works with a professional organizer varies from hours to weeks, but the value of the investment is worth what is invested. Professional organizers don't do things for their clients, but their work leads to results because decisions are made. A professional organizer cannot make decisions for others.
Still, they use their objective perspective to guide people through the thinking exercises and tools needed to develop short- and long-term solutions. Anyone who has moved knows how difficult a task is. It's time-consuming and stressful, especially if you're moving an entire family. Some professional organizers specialize in moving and relocations.
They'll help you manage everything from interviewing moving companies to packing, unpacking and organizing all the belongings in your home. Some organizers may also offer guidance on interior design, such as helping with the layout of furniture and lighting or suggesting small decorative items. Typically, these services also have a slightly higher fee or are charged as an additional service. Additional services could include staging the home, scanning photos and souvenirs, transporting and disposing of furniture and, in some cases, professional cleaning.
By definition, a professional organizer is a person who, as a chosen profession, organizes other people for a living. But what exactly does that entail? Believe it or not, professional organizers wear a lot of hats. A professional organizer will help you address specific problem areas to address the root causes of your chaos and disorganization. Professional organization systems are the tools they use to help you create order and eliminate all the madness.
Not all professional organizers offer all services, so understanding your project needs and areas of expertise will help you find the most cost-effective option. Professional organizers plan everything from more efficient paperwork handling to time management for individual employees and room-by-room workflow designs. During a three-hour session, the organizer helped the couple get rid of things (three unused down duvets, as well as a bunch of old ribbons from state jazz bands from the 1980s, digitized before they arrived at the recycler). While everyone can visualize what a landscaper or house cleaner is going to do for them, many people don't really understand HOW hiring a professional organizer works.
Many organizers belong to the National Association of Productivity and Organization Professionals (NAPO), which requires members to take three courses before joining. When analyzing costs, it's also important to clarify what a professional organizer does and what they don't do. Some common credentials you can see are organizers who are members of NAPO or the National Association of Productivity and Organization Professionals and CPOs or Certified Professional Organizers. For example, they can organize your shopping lists, help you manage bills and money, and develop a strategy so that you can deal with all the clutter in your home, making your daily systems and routine orderly and easy to manage.
Professional organizers can give you the tools you need to tidy up your personal space and lifestyle, but those aren't the only benefits they provide. However, if you want to use a custom closet system, the organizer will need to design that system, coordinate the installation, and still spend the afternoon ordering. These costs are also in addition to any purchase of containers, baskets, or other household organization items needed for your project, which most organizers can purchase at a commercial discount. Naturally, I came to the conclusion that I would organize spaces for my clients and improve the usability and appearance of their homes and workplaces.
Many work from a home office, as much of their time is spent traveling to clients' businesses and homes to evaluate and implement organizational systems. . .