Look we get it, you’re tired of living with clutter and various amounts of chaos! Exhausted by the ongoing search for lost items. Feeling overwhelmed + frustrated by the way your home looks + more importantly feels.

And we also get it — hiring a professional organizer sounds like a great idea right? Someone who would come in to help you actually get the upper hand on the chaos + constant barrage of clutter. Umm, say no more friend! Right?!?!

The reality is though, that sometimes even the vision of how great it would be to have a professional organizer help you isn’t enough. Once you really begin to process the thought of someone else seeing your home + culling through your belongings with you, it often feels more overwhelming, more intimidating, more vulnerable and energetically alarming than appealing.

But, there’s good news? You ready for it? 

In reality, working with a professional organizer at Elegant Simplicity isn’t done for you — at least not in the way that hiring a house cleaner might be. Our professional organizers work alongside you to learn your habits + routines in order to develop organizing systems that will work for how you actually live. 

Below is a simple overview of how one of our amazingly awesome professional organizers at Elegant Simplicity can help you create a home with everything you need + nothing more®.

What Is A Professional Organizer?

So, this probably will sound basic but context is key in life. So, let’s actually establish what a professional organizer is. They’re someone skilled in decluttering + organizing physical or digital spaces in your home + life. 

• They’ll assist you in making decisions with your most personal belongings. A professional organizer knows where to dispose of or donate the belongings you no longer want.  

• They set up organizing systems in your home around your routines so that you can easily maintain these systems to the best of your ability with less stress + time.

• They’ll be your accountability coach, do maintenance check-ins with you, to ensure things are working or if something isn’t working they’ll help you identify it + how to make a change. 

Long story short, a professional organizer gives you the confidence + mental clarity you need in order to be + live in a beautifully organized home. 

Basically, they might just be your new best friend *wink* (for life)!

Who Needs A Professional Organizer + Common Organizing Challenges

With nearly fifteen years of helping clients organize their clutter, unclutter, declutter, create + setup organizing systems, identify routines, and all the rest of the organizing goodness — there are lots of reasons people need a professional organizer but here are two fairly common buckets that people tend to fall into:

SCENARIO 1

The first is someone who’s fairly organized on the surface. They’re already equipped with the skills to maintain organization but want or need an accountability coach in order to really cull through all of their belongings. Think about the stuff in the closet, drawers, cabinets etc. They’ve likely organized their home on their own before but this time they’ve put it off over + over again + finally want an exact roadmap for success + our organizing team is well equipped to help you transform your space.

SCENARIO 2

The second are those who have tried to tidy up or get organized on their own but when the rubber meets the road, they don’t know where they should dig in first, how to get started or what to do next. There’s often too much stuff + they’re apprehensive to get going. 

The domino effect of disorganization + clutter are so overwhelming and intimidating. They know that no matter how badly they want to take back control of their lives they can’t tackle it on their own + need an expert to help them get organized. 

And sometimes this even creeps up as an emotional attachment to sentimental items. Learning to properly work through those emotions before letting go of the impractical items takes compassion, empathy and awareness to help navigate clients through decision making. 

Whatever the catalyst may be, a home organizer is brought into the equation to help when someone is tired of feeling helpless. They’re fed-up with the mess of not knowing where things belong. And typically, they’re frustrated with trying things that don’t work, emotionally drained, + at their wits-end.

You know, the crazy thing about clutter is that it happens to all of us. As we say, clutter connects us.

While many of our clients are ridiculously talented + extremely successful in their professional careers, when it comes to taming their clutter they’re exhausted by the mere thought of tackling it alone.

Whether they’re merging households, dividing households, welcoming a special someone into their abode, or even learning to adjust into an empty nester lifestyle the struggle is very real + emotions can be high.

Whatever the case, a professional organizer is your best friend. Your kindred spirit. Your knight in shining armor. Whatever you want to call it, they’re going to put you at ease + help you overcome - feeling stuck!

Benefits of Hiring a Professional Organizer

First + foremost, working with a professional organizer at Elegant Simplicity has a ton of benefits. 

Reduce Stress

We can assist in alleviating the stress and anxiety that is brought on by a chaotic and disorganized environment. It can be difficult to relax and concentrate when you are in a space that is cluttered, which can have a negative impact on your mental and emotional well-being. The result of working with our team is an environment that not only feels like home but has a sense of serenity + clarity in promoting feelings that you truly want your home to embody.

Save Time

Another benefit of hiring a professional organizer (from Elegant Simplicity) is you’re going to save valuable time. Of course, you’re going to save time working with our team because we have a proven process that we’ve refined for nearly 15-years. But, you’re also going to save time after working with our team because you’re now living in a well-organized space that is truly conducive to the way you live in your home. And 

Eliminate Unnecessary Consumption

Often what is surprising to many of our clients is that because we do work alongside you to declutter + organize your home, you become aware of not only what you want in your home but why it doesn’t make sense to have anything beyond it. And really, this creates a value system for yourself to ensure that you’re eliminating unnecessary purchases on things you don’t truly want, need or won’t serve a purpose in your life for long.

What To Expect When You’re Working With A Professional Organizer

Allas, so you’re still wondering how a professional organizer can help you? 

As you work together, they’ll ask you a ton of questions to help you connect the dots in terms of patterns + identify what you should keep vs. what you should consider getting rid of (and why!) As your home organizer, we don’t take the liberty of telling you what to do with your belongings.

In fact, our ultimate goal is to walk you through the process and assist you in making those decisions yourself. As your clutter confidant, we’re with you every step of the way however we work ‘with’ you not ‘for’ you because we’re teaching you a lifelong skill, not doing it for you.  

And since we are often helping clients decide what to keep vs. what to get rid of, we’re often hear questions like:

• How do I know if I should throw something away or donate it?

• Where is the best place (or places) to donate things?

• Is it ok to try + sell some of these things?

• Should I ask family if they want anything first?

So, if identifying what to remove is decluttering. Then when does the organizing actually begin? 

As a home organizer, understanding how you or your family wants (or needs) to function throughout different areas of your home is paramount. Once there’s clarity + clear direction of your desire us of a space, then we can set it up with everything you need… and yes, make it “pretty functional.” 

You might be thinking, “Wow. I didn’t know organizing my home, my linen closet or my pantry could be so introspective.” And you’re correct, a lot of our clients are blown away by the detail that goes into organizing your home. 

As was Evan Thompson from the Everett Herald, who was amazed by our soul-searching self-reflective process that he discovered while interviewing us for an article. 

As your organizational expert (ok, let’s be real your new bff), we’re looking at your everyday routines + helping to design an organizing system that you can maintain with as little inconvenience as possible.

But as you might imagine, to truly get organized  once + for all -- you have to be a part of the process. (a.k.a. an active participant) While there are some personal organizers who’ll hop in + do everything while you’re on a hot-date, working your 9-5 or napping, that not us! 

Realizing that we’re e-x-t-r-e-m-e-l-y good at what we do, (and because I’m a straight-shooter who calls it like I see it) this approach inadvertently does more harm than good because instead of creating a forever fix, all it provides is a temporary band-aid that covers up root-cause of your clutter. 

On our side of the fence however; We believe in a high level hands-on-organizing. 

In other words, by working alongside one another, we help to identify + manage any emotional triggers while giving you the opportunity to better understand the lessons behind our bulletproof process. Our philosophy + hands-on approach to organizing ensures 1) you’ll not only have the best experience but that 2) you develop the habits needed to stay organized because it makes sense! 

What Does Working With A Professional Organizer At Elegant Simplicity Look Like

Depending on exactly what you need help with, in terms of decluttering + organizing your home, your life + your mind... working with a professional organizer can vary quite a bit. For the most part though, one thing’s for sure. The relationship that you develop with your organizer is incredibly personal. 

What do we mean, you ask? 

Well, the nature of sorting through years + years of accumulated clutter, identifying exactly what items are important to you (vs. what isn’t), deciding what you’re willing to let go of (aka the process of decluttering) vs. what you absolutely want to keep. All of this is incredibly intimate and personal.

But let’s be honest. The best professional organizers (like us - yeah, we just tooted our own horn *wink*) they don’t simply stop after the sorting phase. In fact, my friend, that’s the bare bones part of the job + where the fun begins!

A thorough professional organizer works with you to help you dive in even deeper. To help you understand the underlying root cause of your clutter, where it all comes from + why your world feels so disorganized. 

Are the systems you currently have set up in your home not in line with your routines or habits? Do you have a place for everything you use daily? If you don’t, why not?

The Biggest Reason People Don’t Hiring Professional Organizers

Honestly, while I wish this wasn’t the case -- it’s a harsh reality. Some people drag their feet or in many cases deprioritize their need to get organized + never hire an organizer because they:

• Feel embarrassed because they can’t do it on their own 

• Fear that a personal organizer will force them to get rid of everything they own, cherish + love. 

But sis, I’m going to be real with you. Like brutally honest, real!

Who doesn’t have clutter? And that’s coming from a professional organizer, boo.

If this is you, (feeling all embarrassed ‘cuz you can’t do it on your own or thinking that an organizer will force you to get rid of everything) what I want you to know is that there’s no need for an apology. 

If this is the way you feel friend -- it’s 100% a-okay with us, because hiring someone to come into your home. Asking a stranger to sort through your stuff with you. Through years of your life (vulnerable memories + all) is downright scary.

But there’s a far less-intimidating side to this story, so give us a chance to shed some light on it. What we also need you to hear is that you, the things you hold dearest to your heart (no matter how much of it there is), and the way you feel about getting organized is safe with us.

As your organizing team, we’ll be your accountability coach + we’ll not only help you get to where you want to go but we also promise to be supportive, non-judgmental, shower praise when you’re deserving (because the sheer act of booking a clarity call is praise worthy) + love on you like the star that you are!

How To Find A Professional Organizer

Before jumping feet first into exploring your options + finding an organizing expert, I highly encourage you to have a heart-to-heart convo. with yourself to identify which areas of your home you need help with. 

Idk say things like... your pantry, the never ending piles of papers + mail  office, your laundry room, who knows what living out in the garage, clothes, shoes, the hall closet, reusable bags etc. By doing this. By taking the time to get clear of some of the major areas you need help organizing, you can approach your organizer with certainty about your end goal. 

And if it’s all too overwhelming + you’re feeling completely stuck or don’t even know where to begin that’s ok too. It’s our job to help you figure it out!

Even better news...if you’re reading this welp, that means you’ve already got a professional organizer on your team *wink* + without question we’re committed to helping you create a home that looks great. A home that works well. A home you never want to leave.

Take it from our clients themselves (if you haven’t already heard the buzz) we always encourage you to read our reviews (google, yelp, houzz, facebook) so you know exactly what working with us is all about. 

And because we really care about you, here’s a quick list of questions to get your brain moving in the right direction + that you can ask us during our Clarity Call to ensure we’re a perfect match.

• How long have you been working in the organizing industry?

• What types of services do you offer? 

• Are there areas or specific types of people you specialize in? 

• What does your process for helping clients achieve their goals look like? 

• Could you describe what a typical organizing session looks like?

• Will I work directly with you or your team? 

• What are the costs associated with your services? 

• Do you work with a written agreement? 

• What is your cancellation policy? 

• I have tried to get organized before but I don’t know how will this be different?

The reality friend — is that a professional organizer can help you + over the year’s Elegant Simplicity has helped tons of clients in similar situations. 

If you’re in the preliminary planning stages of your next project, let’s chat. 

P.S. If you loved this article then you’re going to really enjoy the 4 Days To A More Beautiful + Functional Home.