From the perspective of being a professional organizer for more than twenty years, I consider my field to be one of the helping professions.  There are many ways I assist my clients, which involve helping them with their “stuff.” I use that term loosely because it isn’t always the traditional physical things of life that are part of the work. The “stuff” extends to emotions, time, transitions and more. While the list is extensive and ever changing, I’d like to share a recent sampling of how I’ve helped. While my clients have a wide range of needs, I specialize in working with individuals who are chronically disorganized. I have extensive training and certification in chronic disorganization through the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD.)

What are some of the ways organizers help their clients? Depending upon your perspective, as you read ahead you might identify ways that you might benefit from hiring an organizer. Or perhaps, you’ll discover new options to provide organizing help to others. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

10 Ways Organizers Help Clients With “Stuff”

1. Assessment Stuff -Organizing involves doing but also thinking. Assessing is done at various stages in the organizing process. It’s always done before work begins so we can understand the organizational areas that need attention. Assessments don’t end there. They continue once the work begins. Each organizing visit includes an assessment before, during, and at the end to help clients stay focused, adjust the scope as needed, and acknowledge their progress.

2. Physical Stuff -No matter how much the digital era has infiltrated our lives, we still have an abundance of physical things to manage, maintain, evaluate, and organize. From papers to clothing to toys and gadgets, helping to organize the physical possessions of life and the space we live and work in is a major part of the work I do.

3. System Stuff -With all of this stuff, we need systems to manage everything from paper flow to recycling, donation, or return centers. Those are some of the ways I help my clients organize.

4. Emotional Stuff -There are distinct boundaries between organizers, coaches and therapists. You might more readily equate “emotional stuff” with a therapist’s work than you would with an organizer’s. I’m not a therapist and respect the professional boundaries. However, organizing and going through “our stuff” can bring up an array of emotions. So while I don’t counsel, I am there to support my clients during the organizing and letting go process, which can be highly emotional.

“Organizing involves doing but also thinking.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™

5. Maintenance Stuff -Even after all “things” are organized and in place, there is often a need for periodic maintenance, especially with the chronically disorganized population. This can involve clearing spaces, closets, or surfaces that were previously organized. It can include processing and filing papers, updating financial records, or switching seasonal clothing. Scheduling maintenance builds in time to reroute and restore things to their designated homes and evaluate changes that might be beneficial.

6. Project Stuff -Instead of ongoing, overall organizing help, some clients enlist help for specific projects. This can include everything from organizing a closet to house linens, clothing or gifts to setting up a unique paper management system for college applications, committee work, or writing projects to making lists and packing for a trip. The help needed is often short-term, clearly definable, and has a distinct beginning and end.

7. Routine Stuff -There are times that clients need help for managing routine items like making calls for research, setting up, reviewing, or canceling accounts, making appointments, logging receipts, updating check registers, processing mail, making lists, or writing correspondence.

8. Resource Stuff -More often than not, I’m asked about specific resources for my clients. Their requests range widely for help finding best places to purchase organizing products to sources for donating furniture to companies that remove junk to therapists that specialize in compulsive buying. I’m constantly collecting new resources, generously shared from other professionals, friends, and family.

9. Time Stuff -Many clients are overwhelmed by their overflowing calendars. Their schedules can feel as cluttered as their spaces. The busyness also affects their thoughts, which can create mind clutter. For many clients, I help them evaluate their time commitments, establish their priorities, work on planning, and design a more comfortable version of the 24 hours they have each day.

10. Transition Stuff -A favorite aspect of my work is the long-term relationships that develop. Especially because of this longevity, I have the privilege of helping clients navigate the organizational parts that life’s transitions bring such as marriage, birth, graduation, job change, children leaving, children returning home, moves, divorce, loss, death. Transitions are dramatic periods of change. Being able to help clients organize during the tumult gives them some sense of control, normalcy and comfort. 

I’d love to hear from you. Are you thinking about enlisting help from an organizer? Are you an organizer that helps others? Perhaps you’re in another helping profession. Which ways to get help with “stuff” resonate with you? Introduce yourself and come join the conversation!

We all have dreams, don’t we? One of mine, which has taken almost a decade to realize, has recently come to fruition. My office area was transformed from a crazy hodgepodge of furniture into a beautifully designed space created and organized just for me.

Guess what? It didn’t happen quickly or on its own. I needed lots of help along the way. It was a learning process that involved patience, persistence, creativity, and other people. To all the fellow goal chasers and dream seekers, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Which “help” tips resonate with you? Who and what has helped you in pursuit of your dreams? Some things helped me. Read on and then join our conversation.

Dreams Need Help – 8 Tips

1. Dream Help

Having someone to support, expand, mull over, and tweak your dream is essential. We all need at least one dream buddy to share our journey with. My dreaming partner was my wonderful husband, Steve. He encouraged me to own the dream and not limit my thinking.

2. Letting Go Help

In preparation for my new space, I needed to review and edit my office contents. Letting go of some physical items was part of this process. As a professional organizer, I’m good at asking others those classic letting go questions like, “Do you want it?” or “When was the last time you used it?” or “Is it worth the real estate, energy, and maintenance?” However, I found it helpful when someone else (such as my husband or daughter) posed the questions to me. Hearing the questions out loud by an objective person helped me be more decisive and enabled me to let go of the unessential.

3. Design Help

Putting specifics to my dream meant I first needed to understand how I wanted my office space to look and feel. Words at the top of the list included purple, sparkly, organized, happy, fun, spacious, and calm.

For visual inspiration, I perused my Pinterest boards (mainly Oh, So Luscious Color!, Oh, So Colorful Spaces!, and Oh, So Organized Office!). My husband listened to my ideas, incorporated them into the design, made the best use of the space, created lovely three-dimensional drawings, and helped me select materials and colors.

When everything was installed, the family agreed it was truly a “Linda space.”

4. Heavy Lifting Help

Some dreams require brawn. Mine sure did. I needed physical help with manufacturing, disassembling my office, moving furniture, and installing the new cabinets and countertop. I could not have done this without the muscle team who included Steve, Nick, Allison, and some talented vendors. Thank you.

5. Patience Help

Patience was mostly an inside job. I had to help myself or rather, remind myself that all things worth doing, take time. They will and can get done, but adjustments for when they happen will be necessary. It’s the when that can be most trying when pursuing a dream.

6. Discomfort Help

I’m not proud to admit this, but I was extremely out of sorts during the twelve days we had to disassemble my office and temporarily relocate it to the living room. This gave me an entirely new appreciation of what my clients experience regularly. It feels terrible when our environment doesn’t support us.

My living and working areas were in disarray, which made it extremely challenging to function and focus. Fortunately, my family was there to help me navigate being uncomfortable by encouraging a positive perspective and keeping me focused on the goal. My husband gently reminded me, “The chaos will only last a short while.” My daughter, Allison, used a different yet equally effective approach. She said, “Mom, change and chaos are good for you.”

7. Organizing Help

It was joyful being my own client and organizing my new space. Before organizing “stuff” back into the office, I appreciated the emptiness of the space. I felt calm seeing the uncluttered surfaces that had almost no visual noise. As I put things away, I was selective about what deserved a “home.”

Only what I loved and used most returned. I’m still deciding the fate of the many small toys (imagine a miniature Mr. Potato Head or glitter-covered Eifel Tower) that have always been part of my office decor. A few toys have returned. Before more come back, I’m waiting to see how the space feels with less.

8. Cheerleading Help

Family and friends provided lots of encouragement along the way. The high fives, ooohs, ahhs, and “It’s going to be great!” helped me to stay vision-focused and excited. When it was time to select cabinet knobs, I created a quick survey on Facebook. People weighed in on their favorite knob option. The feedback was wonderful. I am grateful for the many cheerleaders along the way. Special heartfelt thanks to Steve, Allison, Cassie, Mom, Yota, Peggy, and Elisa for their extra enthusiasm and support.

My space is no longer just an office. It’s now a well-designed place for possibilities, creativity, problem solving, thinking, planning, writing, teaching, communicating, and being. Thank you to all those that helped nurture and encourage my dream.

What has your experience been when pursuing a dream? Did you go it alone? Did you enlist help from others? I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Do you have a hard time asking for help? Especially for those who are more accustomed to giving than receiving, enlisting help can be particularly challenging. I was curious what my colleagues in various helping professions thought about this idea. I asked Sue West, Kim Oser, Geralin Thomas, Ellen Delap, Andrea Sharb, Helena Alkhas, and Yota Schneider, “What was a benefit you received when you recently enlisted help?” While their responses ranged from general to specific, in each case, the benefit they got was a welcome and unexpected surprise. Their enlisting help discoveries are inspiring and encouraging. My gratitude goes to each of them for making time to reflect and share.

What was a benefit you received when you recently enlisted help? . . .

 Great Collaboration

“Asking for help meant that I couldn’t do it all, yet I wanted to! Time and again, I‘ve been proven wrong. Earlier this year, I was talking with a colleague about wanting to create a time management workshop, but with a different perspective. I was stuck. I was asking for advice, and instead, I got so much more. We created the program together and in record time. We learned from and used respective strengths, e.g., networking for workshop hosts or operational details. For workshop participants, the content was richer, and our interaction brought greater engagement. One question and look at all that’s happened! Yet again!” 

Sue West, COC®, CPO-CD® – Certified Organizer Coach & Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization

Great Support

“It is so easy to take everything on ourselves but it is not always the best solution. We often get tripped up by our fears and go nowhere. I recently was looking to start using an unfamiliar social media resource. I did some research and then contacted a colleague whose success with this resource I admired. I not only learned ways to use it but her help knocked down the fear and enabled me dive in. It is amazing how much easier life can be and how you can achieve greater success when you just reach out for a little help.”

Kim Oser, CPO® – Certified Professional Organizer, Productivity Coach & Blogger

Great Expertise

“Recently, I was contemplating a client-discount for large blocks of time booked with a team of subcontractors. I asked my accountant for ideas on how to approach this and make it a win-win-win for me (the owner of the company), the client, and the sub-contractor.  She immediately did the math and delivered the bottom line:  if/when I discount clients, my subcontractor's percentage of earnings increases while mine decreases unless the sub-contractor decreases her rate as well. That is extremely useful knowledge to have when planning projects, budgets and team members' rates.”

Geralin Thomas, CPO-CD® – Instructor & Consultant for New Professional Organizers

Great Partnerships

“Asking for help has always been natural to me with my team player attitude. When you ask for help, you are signaling to others that it’s not only okay to ask, but everyone’s work and life are all the better for it. Others respond and also ask for help as well. Professionally I ask for help in tasks that I am less familiar with, such as technology or software use. I like to be very specific about what help I need and create a timeline that will work for everyone. This strategy has created great partnerships.”

Ellen Delap, CPO®  – Certified Professional Organizer & Family Manager & Productivity Consultant

Great Accountability

“I’ve been considering offering a group coaching course for ADHD adults for well over a year. I even have a number of individuals interested in participating. I noticed recently that I was having trouble moving past the conceptualization phase. I therefore enlisted the help of a fellow coach who I thought would share my enthusiasm for creating and offering this course. The benefit of asking for help in this situation is accountability. Working with someone else and breaking down and assigning tasks needed to get the course rolling is helping me move beyond conceptualization and into realization.”

Andrea Sharb, ACC, CPO-CD®, COC, CPO® – Professional Organizer & Certified Coach 

Great Savings

“From the babysitter to the graphic designer I have learned the hard way not to try to do it all. While I'd love to take care of things myself, I realized that I was spending more energy, time and money when I didn't enlist help. I finally listed all the activities that would cost me more, both personally and in my business, if I didn't delegate or outsource. Now, I keep a list of resources (free & paid) that I go to on a regular basis. I am more focused, more productive and more relaxed. My favorite help is the grocery delivery service.”

Helena Alkhas – Professional Organizer & Social Media Virtual Assistant

Great Solace

“I was raised to be self-reliant to a fault. Through life experience, I had to learn the art of asking and receiving. My most recent experience of asking for help was last October when my father was suddenly hospitalized. I traveled to Greece to be with him. He declined within three days of my arrival. I found myself in a decision making position that I wasn't completely prepared for. I had to find the fine balance between asking for what I needed without becoming a burden. I gave up expectations and allowed people to help in small ways that were easy for them but made a huge difference to me. Looking back, I know that it was because of this network of "helping angels" that I was able to maintain my focus, stay centered, and see my Dad through his final journey. I feel blessed and grateful.”

Yota Schneider, Seasons of Change Certified Master Coach – Life Transitions Coach, Workshops & Retreat Facilitator, Blogger, & Mindfulness Meditation Practitioner

Enlisting help is the topic we’ll focus on this month. I love how the stories shared by my colleagues are a great way to begin our dialogue. What resonated with you? Do you easily ask for help or do you tend to do everything yourself? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation and share your thoughts about enlisting help successes, challenges, and ideas.

It’s that time of year. Leaves are turning, classes are starting, and new school supplies are flying off store shelves. The other day I came across an old pre-printed pad, “A Note to School from Linda Samuels,” which I no longer use since our daughters are in college and beyond. Seeing the notepad made me think about all the years of excited anticipation we had preparing for school to begin.

Are you and your kids ready for the transition? Take a deep breath. Getting that organizing piece working for you can make a big difference in your days running more smoothly. Here are my top seven tips for an organized, joyful school year.

7 Organizing Help Tips for Back to School

1. Cycle

Giving closure to the previous school year helps us get ready for this year. Sort through last year’s school papers (preferably with your kids.) It’s an excellent opportunity to review what was accomplished and what they were most proud of. It gives you a chance to create a mini time capsule representing last year. Be ruthless when you sort. Save what’s most meaningful and recycle the rest. Store the “keepers” in a large envelope. Write your kid’s name, grade, and year on the outside. Store the envelope in a larger container. Add a new envelope at the end of each school year. 

2. Capture

Establish a place to put the current school papers as they enter your home. You can use bins, binders, boxes, or any container that’s easily accessible. As art, graded papers, or programs come in, put them in their designated spot. You might want a separate container for each kid. When the container gets full, you can do some editing. Then the “keepers” can be stored in their year-end envelope, as described above.

3. Land

Create a place for backpacks, coats, and notes to reside. When kids come home, they will know where to put their belongings. Cubbies work well, as do hooks. Make them easily accessible in terms of their physical placement in the home and the heights at which you place things. The easier you make it, the better chance you will establish the “place it here” habit. Consider adding a whiteboard or other communication center in this area to leave notes, messages, and essential items for kids to remember. Before bed, have your kids make sure that all needed items are ready in the “land” area for the following day.

“Giving closure to the previous school year helps us get ready for this year.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™

4. Center

One of the essential ingredients for school success is establishing a place to do homework and readily available school supplies. When it’s time to do that science project, it’s no fun if you have to hunt for the markers. Review your current supplies to see if any items need to be replenished. Create a zone for the supplies to reside. If your kids like to move around to various locations to do their homework, put together a portable tote, bin, or rolling cart to hold the supplies. Whether they prefer working on a desk, bed, or the kitchen table, the supplies can “travel” with your kids. 

5. Assess

Fall is a natural time to review clothing needs. Organize with each kid separately. Go through their closets and drawers. Remove any items that no longer fit, they won’t wear, need repair or cleaning. With the “do not want or fit,” donate or save for younger kids if appropriate. Make a shopping list of items that are needed. Remember that less is easier to maintain than too much. Factor in how often laundry is done. Especially if it’s done frequently, you may not need as many clothes. Getting dressed is so much easier and less stressful when everything fits, is clean and organized.

6. Resources

This is the time of year when back to school tips and suggestions are abundant. Many of my organizing colleagues have great wisdom to share. Some of my favorite tips and posts are Leslie Josel’s Student Organizing Pinterest board, Helena Alkhas’ school paper organizing system, and Ellen Delap’s Back to School Tips to Organize Your Home. You can also find inspiration on my Pinterest board, Oh, So Organized School Days!

7. Perspective

With transitions come new patterns, more to-dos, and extra stress. Reminding ourselves to enjoy the moments can be helpful. They go so fast. A few years ago, I wrote a guest post for Working Mother, Moms’ ‘To Do’ Lists about getting things done, parenting, and appreciating the various stages of our children’s lives.

What are some of your favorite ways to stay organized for the school year? I invite you to join the conversation and to share your best tips and resources.