Peace of Mind Organizing

Worth repeating: Why I'm a professional organizer

18 January 2014

I just re-read this post, which I wrote almost exactly a year ago. I think it does a great job of explaining why I became a professional organizer. If you’ve ever wondered what a PO gets out of our work—which to some people looks decidedly unglamorous—read on.

Often when I meet folks who learn what I do for a living, they’re keen on learning how I became a professional organizer. I explain the training I took and how I went about starting my business. (That’s all detailed in my blog post, Are you interested in becoming a professional organizer?)

But seldom am I asked why I became a PO, rather than how. I thought I’d spend a little time today exploring that question.

In my observation, there are two sorts of folks who become professional organizers:

• Those who do it because organizing comes so naturally to them. Being organized is like breathing. It’s their passion. So why not make a living doing it?

• Those who enter the field because of their own struggles in getting and staying organized. They’ve spent a lifetime seeking solutions for themselves and want to share those solutions with others.

I fall into that second camp. As I’ve mentioned over and over, I’m a naturally messy person. I’m pretty organized in my space and I’m definitely organized inside my head, but I’m a bit messy and unruly. I sought solutions for my time management and clutter issues throughout my life and I learned a lot. I felt it was time to start sharing.

When I first contemplated starting my business, I was a freelance writer. I’d been writing about pets for ten years and had written hundreds of articles on various aspects of pet care. I’d had seven books published (a couple of which are no longer available) and contributed to several others. I was working on my last book, an ill-fated venture called Jane Goodall’s Return to Gombe co-written with the famed primatologist. The process of that book about killed me (and was never published) and I knew that in order to get through writing that manuscript I had to know it was going to be my last book. So I started looking for other things to do.

As I considered becoming a PO, I thought of several very important things that being a professional organizer would offer that being a freelance writer was not delivering:

• The ability to help people directly and tangibly
• Respect for my expertise (I was being very disrespected during the whole Goodall book experience)
• Payment at the time of service

That was very appealing and a big part of why I became a PO. But why do I keep doing it, now that I’m in my eighth year of business?

Those initial three reasons did prove to be powerful. In addition, here are some other things I’ve found to so rewarding:

• I get to help people transform their lives.
• I help people feel better about themselves as I normalize (and empathize with) their messy behaviors.
• I can help my clients go from striving (and failing) to be perfectly organized to reveling in being organized enough.
• I get to effect vast, fast change by bringing in a team of organizers to help my clients.

Being a professional organizer is life-changing work for me. And its results can be life changing for my clients. It is easily the most rewarding work I’ve done in a career that’s spanned almost three decades. And as long as it continues to be this rewarding, I’ll keep doing it.

My decluttering playlist

15 January 2014

I often mention the power of setting a timer for a short period of time to gain focus and accomplish a lot. One fun way to set a timer is to create a playlist of songs that ends after a set period of time.

In iTunes, I have both a 15-minute playlist and a playlist called “Clean the office for 30 minutes.” The 15-minute playlist consists of the first four songs on the 30-minute playlist. At the risk of perhaps embarrassing (and dating) myself, I’ll share my 30-minute playlist:

• I’m No Angel, Gregg Allman
• It’s a New Day, will.i.am
• I Sing the Body Electric (from the Fame soundtrack), Eric Brockington
• Little Red Corvette, Prince
• Feeling Good, Michael Buble
• Fantasy, Earth Wind & Fire
• Borderline, Madonna

I’m No Angel was the song that was always played at the beginning of the aerobics class I took when I was in my twenties. It never fails to make me want to move my body so it’s a great way to kick off the playlist.

In fact, all these songs, except for It’s a New Day and Feeling Good, harken back to my twenties. They all make me feel upbeat and happy, which for me, is the perfect way to be when I’m decluttering.

How about you? Do you have songs you like to declutter by?

Promo code for Tailor Made White Boards

13 January 2014

I like white boards. I like that they put information in my face. I like that they’re dynamic—it’s easy to change the information on them. I think if I had kids, I’d have at least one large white board hung in a communal space so we could keep track of various family members’ activities.

Since it’s just my husband and me, that’s not necessary. And these days I’m using my computer to keep track of most of my info. So when I was approached by Tailor Made White Boards to try out their product, I declined. I didn’t want to bring a large item into my home that I didn’t really have a use for.

But I did accept their offer of a promo code to pass on to you. And that’s because I think they have an interesting product.

Tailor Made White Boards are white boards in wood frames that come with changeable graphic panels. They offer activity planners, chore boards, and menu planners in a variety of designs. The frames are designed so that you take off one end and insert a different graphic panel. In addition to being changeable, the graphics are customizable—you order the graphic panel you want, select the frame wood type and, if you want, upload a photo if you’d like it to be printed on your graphic panel. If life changes and a menu or activity planner would be more useful than a chore board, you can order one of those graphic panels without having to order a new white board.

You can even have them create a completely customized white board for you.

Tailor Made White Boards are made in Colorado and they’re not inexpensive. But if you use the promo code Peace15 between now and February 2, you can get 15 percent off your order.

I haven’t personally tried these white boards, but the features and benefits page of the Tailor Made website indicates that they’re of especially high quality—guaranteed against staining and ghosting.

I like the idea of buying a product like this that you can use for years by changing the graphic panel. I also like the idea of buying a product made here in the U.S. If you give it a try, please let me know what you think!

Get what you want in 2014

10 January 2014

It’s January 10. How are the resolutions you set working out for you? If you need a little extra support, you can still get $5 off Why Resolutions Don’t Work—And How to Get What You Want Anyway, the kit created by Shannon Wilkinson (my Declutter Happy Hour partner) and me.

If you buy before January 15, you’ll save $5. And everyone who buys the kit will be invited to a live Q&A call with Shannon and me on January 20, when you can ask us anything you want about resolutions. We’ll both be together during the call, so it’s pretty much guaranteed to be fun.

We enjoy laughing, as you can see from this picture, taken last summer at the Portland Zoo, when we were both attending the World Domination Summit. And we’re also passionate about helping people achieve their goals.

An investment of only $14 (if you buy by January 15) will get you some great info about achieving what you want in 2014, plus the chance to interact with us for an hour. Sounds like a great deal to me!

Just go to this blog post and click the link at the bottom of the page to sign up.

I hope you can join us!

It's the annual Elfa sale!

8 January 2014

Every year, from just before Christmas to about Valentine’s Day, the Container Store has a sale on Elfa, their shelving/drawer system. That means that right now you can get 30 percent off on Elfa and on Elfa installation.

I recommend Elfa to clients all the time. Just last week, I worked with an Elfa designer to create a great Elfa drawer system for a client to store art supplies and toys and another for office supplies. This summer and fall, I helped clients establish fantastic Elfa Utility organizing systems in their garages.

We set up this Elfa drawer unit to store my client's kids' craft supplies and toys

I also love Elfa in my own home. I have a closet in my office and I use it to store my yarn stash. (I used an Office in a Closet kit for the office closet and a bank of mesh drawers for the yarn and knitting supplies.) I also have (count ‘em) three Elfa Mesh File Carts.

Elfa is a high-quality product, but it’s not inexpensive. But at 30 percent off, it becomes much more affordable. If you’ve been pondering some Elfa, now’s the time to act!!

My exciting partnership with Springpad!

6 January 2014

As part of its Operation Organization campaign this month, Springpad is partnering with an elite list of organization professionals to launch exclusive, customized Springpad notebooks that include ideas, information and recommendations from these experts. You can find all of the notebooks at organize.springpad.com.

I’m thrilled to be one of the experts. The list also includes Peter Walsh, Gretchen Rubin, Donna Smallin Kuper, Regina Leeds and six other fantastic organizing authorities.

I have two Springpad notebooks: The Habit Maker and the Family History Organizer.

Check out the screenshots:

Each of these notebooks includes special sections to help you create habits and organize your family history, respectively. The app is free and you can use it on the web, iPhone/iPad, Android, Kindle and Nook.

With The Habit Maker, you’ll find:

• My sample habits organized into Daily, Weekly and Monthly task lists
• A Resources section filled with habit-makng tools and tips
• An easy +Add button to add tasks, so you can create new healthy habits of your own

The Family History Organizer includes:

• Simple to-­do list to keep track of and plan next steps of the project, including a quick +Add button for adding tasks and checklists
• A Research tracker, complete with template form, so you can log information and research progress quickly and easily
• An easy “database” for uploading photos and files scanned to your computer or from your phone
• Bonus: A resources section filled with my tips and helpful tools

I’m been using Springpad since they approached me in November about partnering with them. (I blogged a couple of weeks ago about how I’m digging their Task Notebook.) I think it’s a great tool, and I love that everything synchs seamlessly between my computer, my iPhone and my iPad. I’m excited about this partnership because I truly think that Springpad rocks.

Please check it out!

2013 highlight reel

3 January 2014

Taking stock of the year that’s just finished can be an important part of planning the year ahead. 2013 was an exemplary year for me, so I’ve had a good time creating this year’s highlight reel. (Here’s 2012’s version.)

My word of the year, GROWTH, came true. Last year I used Christine Kane’s Word of the Year Discovery Tool to come up with a word to guide my year. I chose growth (both professional and personal) and it was a great choice! I exceeded my income goals and I learned a whole lot. This year, my word of the year is “innovate.”

I led many organizing teams. I love leading teams of organizers. Last year I led three dozen teams. So much fun. And so much help for clients.

My new headshots. At the end of January, I had Lance Tilford take new headshots for me and I’ve just loved them. I get a new headshot about every three years and by the end of three years, I’m always itching for a change. I think Lance did a great job.

My relationship with Springpad. Check back on Monday for a blog post about my partnership with my new favorite personal organizer app Springpad. Exciting stuff!

I bought a new (to me) car! I’m not into cars particularly, and I’d been driving my 1998 Honda Civic since 2007. It was reliable but small. I found myself needing to haul around more supplies to my team jobs, so I upgraded to a 2008 Honda CR-V. It’s a nicer car, with more amenities, and, most importantly, it has some great cargo space without being huge. (I love Craigslist for buying and selling cars.)

My genealogy blog grew by leaps and bounds. Organize Your Family History took off this year. Its readership is growing much more quickly than the readership for this blog did in its first year. I also added a genealogy-related service option to my business this year. I love that I’m integrating genealogy into my business life.

I met my cousins. Thanks to Organize Your Family History, I became acquainted online with some of my mother’s first cousins and even met some in person. I also met online a more distant cousin on my father’s side. As a family-history enthusiast, that is so exciting.

I went to my first genealogy conference. Last March I attended Ancestry Day in western Missouri. Next month, I’m attending RootsTech in Salt Lake City. I love conferences, so I’m very excited about this.

We hired a housecleaner! Honestly, having a regular housecleaner has been on my goal list for the last few years. This year, we finally found somebody and it is glorious. I hate housecleaning so much and thanks to our housecleaner, Ryan, I rarely have to do it. Bliss. (If you’re in St. Louis and you’re looking for a good housecleaner, email me for his contact info.)

2013 was a very good year for me and I have high hopes for 2014. If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to create a highlight reel for 2013, even if it doesn’t feel like it was a great year. You might be surprise what you come up with!