Peace of Mind Organizing

Why I became a professional organizer

6 February 2024

I’m in my 19th year in business. I consider my anniversary to be the day I joined NAPO, which was June 30, 2005. I am so fortunate to have chosen such a fulfilling career. I just reread this post, originally written in 2013, about why I became an organizer and why I continue being one. A decade later, all the reasons in this post are still valid and I’ll add another: It feels so great to have helped so many organizers get their start in their own businesses by working on my teams. (I now have employees, as well as independent contractors, and I’m thrilled they enjoy their jobs so much.) Peace of Mind Organizing® has helped hundreds of clients over the years and helped many organizers along the way. I feel so good about that. If you’ve ever wondered what a PO gets out of her 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 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 (most 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 writing 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, after almost twenty years? The truth is that my employees do most of the actual organizing. But I still thoroughly enjoy running the business, communicating with the clients and seeing the huge difference my organizers make in their lives.

Those initial three reasons did prove to be powerful rewarding. In addition, here are some other things I’ve found to be very rewarding (as do my employees):

• We get to help people transform their lives.
• We help people feel better about themselves as we normalize (and sometimes empathize with) their messy behaviors.
• We can help our clients go from striving (and failing) to be perfectly organized to reveling in being organized enough.
• We get to effect vast, fast change by working in teams, rather than one on one.

Being a professional organizer has been life-changing work for me. And its results can be life changing for our clients. It is easily the most rewarding work I’ve done in a career that’s spanned four decades. And as long as it continues to be this rewarding, I’ll keep doing it. I’m so grateful to have the help of my wonderful employees!.

Look for me in Real Simple Organizing Basics magazine!

30 January 2024

Over the years, I’ve been quoted several times in organizing-focused editions of Real Simple magazine and it’s always a thrill. I’ve loved Real Simple ever since it debuted in 2000.

So I’m delighted to let you know that I’m included in the new issue of Real Simple Organizing Basics magazine. I’m part of a roundup of experts in an article called The First-Timers Club in which five experts “share their secrets for organizing success.” The other experts are Julie Bestry of Best Results Organizing in Chattanooga, Wendy Buglio of Wendy Buglio Consulting in Arlington, Mass., Schae Lewis of Mission 2 Organize in Chicago and Tanisha Porter of Natural Born Organizers in Los Angeles.

The four-page spread starts on page 20 of the issue, which is on sale through April 5 at newsstands and bookstores nationwide, as well as at grocery stores, home centers, big box retailers, drugstores and discount chains. Or you can order it from Amazon.

The whole edition is a second printing from 2022 (“Back by Popular Demand!”), which I neglected to mention on this blog then. So if you haven’t already, you might look for it. The ad-free issue is full of great insights and lovely photos.

The Elfa sale is on through February 19!

11 January 2024

Every year from about Christmas to Valentine’s Day, the Container Store has their Elfa sale. That means it’s Elfa sale time!

From now until February 19, you can 30 percent off everything Elfa.

It’s worth noting that, according to the asterisk on the website, the sale does not apply to installation.

I use Elfa in my own home, in a closet in my office and to store my yarn stash. I also use four different Elfa file carts in my office, one for my business archives, one for my genealogy papers, one for inherited memorabilia that I’m in the middle of processing and a fourth that I transformed to hold all my desk stuff when I switched over to a sit-stand desk. (You can see pictures of that in this post, Loving my new Jarvis standing desk.) That one lives right under my desk.

If you’ve been thinking about getting an Elfa system, now’s a good time to shop for it. You can explore the Elfa offerings on their website and make an appointment for a free design consultation, if you’d like one.

My 2024 Word of the Year

5 January 2024

I find it really valuable to come up with a guiding word every new year. This year’s word is ACTIVE. I want to focus this year on taking the more active option in any given situation. I’m looking to feel more nimble, less stiff, and all around more vital. There’s something about being in your 60s that makes you really think about how you want to age.

I initially thought my word was going to be STRONG. But after doing the exercises in Lavendaire’s Artist of Life Workbook, I changed it to ACTIVE, which felt like a better fit.

I’ve been choosing a word of the year for more than a decade and some words were more spot-on than others. It’s interesting to me to look back on prior words of the year because they’re little snapshots of my life that year.

I keep a list of them in Evernote. In case you’re interested, here’s the list:

2013: growth
2014: innovation
2015: recognition
2016: balance
2017: fearless
2018: connection
2019: expertise, processes, health
2020: intention
2021: ease
2022: generosity
2023: space
2024: active

If you’re interested in hearing more about selecting a Word of the Year, check out Episode 186 of the Getting to Good Enough podcast, in which Shannon and I spent 15 minutes talking about it. (We’ve stopped recording the podcast, but the archives are still there for your enjoyment!)

How about 30 days of yoga in January?

18 December 2023

I’m so excited for the next Yoga with Adriene 30-day journey. This year’s theme is FLOW.

I started doing at-home yoga with Adriene in December 2018 and developed a consistent practice. But this year I have been a little sporadic. I’m keen to get back on the daily yoga path so that I can become more flexible and have a stronger core. I turned 60 last year and I’m feeling a little creaky! This 30-day journey is the perfect entry for me.

The 30-day yoga journey consists of 30 yoga videos, released one a day starting on January 2. If you sign up, you’ll receive a daily email with a link to that day’s video, which you can watch on Yoga with Adriene’s YouTube channel.

Here’s what I love: I’m doing yoga in the comfort of my home, but I’m doing it at the same time as literally thousands of other people around the world. I also love that there’s a little mystery about what I’m going to be doing and I don’t have to choose what practice to do.

Here’s the video introducing this journey, if you’re not familiar with Adriene and her awesome Australian Cattle Dog, Benji.

If you’re intrigued, I urge you to sign up so you’ll get the daily email reminder!

Loving my new Jarvis standing desk

14 December 2023

I’ve been dealing with some neck and shoulder pain that I’m told is a result of poor ergonomics. That was my cue to research buying an electric sit-stand desk, something I’d been thinking about for awhile. The desk has been in place for about three weeks and I LOVE it!

To help make my search easier, I started by checking the New York Times Wirecutter, which recommended the Herman Miller Jarvis standing desk for petite people like me (those under 5’4”). I went with the less expensive laminate version (versus hardwood or bamboo) and opted for a dry-erase desktop (swoon!). As a Certified YNAB Budgeting Coach, I often have the need to jot down figures during Zoom calls that I’ll never need again. This dry-erase desktop is a dream come true for that.

I also bought a monitor arm from Herman Miller (the Jarvis single monitor arm). I hired a friend to put it all together for me. And that’s when the fun began.

The removal of the old desk and installation of the new desk created a huge mess in my office. It also created a challenge: my old desk (a 1997 vintage IKEA desk), was large. (62” × 47” at its largest point and 62” × 31” at its smallest.) And I had a lot of stuff, like pens, that I stored on it. So even when it was cleared off, it still was pretty full. Here’s a photo of my cleared off desk. Pretty crowded.

My new desk, on the other hand, is only 60” by 27.5” So I had to find a home for all that stuff. I repurposed an Elfa file cart that I had been using for active files under my desk. I decluttered a bunch of files and moved the few files I kept to another file cart. Then I added two mesh drawers to the file cart and a top. And voila, everything I needed at hand is easily available in my little cart under my desk.

Here’s a photo (taken before I added a top to the file cart) that shows both the top and middle drawers:

The game changer was taking my external monitor off my desk surface. I moved the monitor stand it used to sit on to the side of my desk and my laptop sits there, along with some supplies I use regularly. The only other things I really need on my desk are my Bullet Journal, desk lamp and my water carafe and glass. I added a pretty ceramic plate hand made by my friend, Sally Brown, to hold there glassware so they feel safe and anchored.

Here’s a picture of the visual peace I’m enjoying daily—something I’ve never had before on my desk.

I bought a glossy white Kallax cube storage furniture—on feet—from IKEA. That allows me to beautifully store some of the items that were on or near my desk. I love it.

Here’s a photo of that:

Every day since I got this set up going I have kept the desk clean. It’s so easy and enjoyable to clear it off. And, I’m happy to say, I am actually standing at my desk, probably half the time. And I do think it’s helping my neck and shoulder pain.

The desk moves smoothly, quietly and quickly from stand to sit (and vice versa). It’s very stable so I don’t have to worry about anything on the desk top. It has four presets, which makes it a one-touch operation.

The cherry on the sundae is the small standing desk anti-fatigue mat I bought (the Topo Mini) that has contours on it to help me shift standing positions and stay comfortable.

When I add it up, I spent over $1000 on the desk, monitor arm, installation and accessories. It’s early days but I do think it was worth it. Having a beautiful, clear desk is such a boon to my productivity. I feel like I’m living the dream!

Worth repeating: Today's piece of holiday advice

5 December 2023

I wrote this post six years ago and I still think it’s sound advice. The more unloved holiday decor we keep, the harder it is to decorate your home. I urge you to build some ease into your holiday season by following this advice!

Yesterday, I helped a client part with the holiday decor that she didn’t love and wasn’t using. Bags of decor left her storage room to find a new home with folks who will love and use it. She felt great about it (and so did I). When I got home, I wrote down this piece of advice for you.