Need An Organizer?

Ten Signs It's Time to Call A Professional Organizer

Buy A Book Or Hire A Professional?

Find An Organizer -- A list of NAPO-Georgia Members

What To Ask Before Hiring An Organizer

 

Ten signs it's time to call a Professional Organizer»

None of us are immune to needing help from time to time, especially when the situation is truly more than we can handle alone.  See if any of the scenarios below sound like you.

  1. Procrastination -- is your first instinct to put things off until tomorrow AND you delay when tomorrow comes?
  2. Do you feel overwhelmed when you try to start organizing projects?
  3. Does it take more than an hour to tidy up clutter spots before company arrives?
  4. Do you buy organizing supplies that look useful but collect dust because you don't know the best way to use them?
  5. Does a stack of papers or a mishmash of stuff create decision overload?
  6. Do you constantly feel like your calendar and committments are out of control?
  7. Do you find your disorganization causes conflict with co-workers or the people you love?
  8. Are your taxes or finances jeopardized by misplaced papers or forgotten due dates and tasks?
  9. Do you form strong sentimental and emotional attachments to your belongings?
  10. Do you get easily bored or lonely when organizing by yourself, enough that you quit long before your project is done?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, don't lose heart. Professional Organizers are around to help. They know how to break projects down into digestible parts, organize steps into reasonable action plans, help you part with the belongings creating havoc in your life, and teach you the skills needed to stay organized. 

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Buy a book or hire a professional?

Unlike a book, professional organizers provide a wide range of services and products designed to help people enhance their lives through management of their everyday tasks and belongings. Some of those basic, hands-on services include:

  • Create and improve workflow and paper management systems,
  • Provide workable solutions to problems that increase efficiency and productivity,
  • Decluttering,
  • Space planning,
  • Organize a move,
  • Plan events and meetings,
  • Assist with personal tasks and errands.

And then there are the less basic, still hands-on, but very unique services, such as:

  • Hold the focus so that you stay on task and bypass the various distractions that get in the way of meeting your goals.
  • Fresh perspectives about your stuff, your clutter habits, and your ability to make changes for dealing with the clutter.
  • Help with those emotional attachments so that you can let go of the stuff that's in the way of your decluttering goals.
  • Explain the causes of disorganization as they relate to you, and help you understand both the big picture and the small details.
  • Personalized solutions that reflect your life and your learning style.
  • Human interaction, so that you don't get bored or stuck doing the project alone.
  • Follow-up after the initial project is done to help you with maintenance issues.
  • Completion - helping you stick with the project the whole way through, from beginning to the middle and to the end.
  • Knowledge of resources, so that you waste less money on products that don't suit you or the problem at hand.
  • Accountability without judgment, so that you have a partner providing the structure you need to get organized.

Some organizers specialize in organizing business or corporate clients, others focus on residential projects, and others still do some of both. Be sure to browse our list of professionals. It's the best way to get a broad view of the range of options available to you.

 

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What To Ask Before Hiring A Professional Organizer

It's important to find someone you like and with whom you feel comfortable. If possible, interview several professional organizers in your area.

Depending upon what's most important to you, ask the candidates about how long they have been in business, their background and training, their areas of expertise, what they like about being a professional organizer, and their policies and procedures.  You may want to request references from past clients.

In addition to the project requirements and your preferences, consider the differences between a professional organizer affiliated with NAPO and one who isn't. 

All NAPO members agree to work within the guidelines of the NAPO Code of Ethics. This set of principles forms the foundation for how NAPO professional organizers conduct themselves with clients, colleagues and their community.