A Professional Organizer Using a Professional Organizer

From Bedlam to Brilliance

A Professional Organizer Using a Professional Organizer. Yes, I Did (and Was so Glad I did)!!

I am the first to admit that I used a Professional Organizing colleague and friend to help me with something I’ve been meaning to do for years. She helped me go through my closets and determine what to keep and what to finally give away. My reluctance was four-fold:

I should be able to do this on my own (for goodness sake, I do exactly this with my clients)
I’d have to admit that some of the clothes I own no longer fit (I hear the same thing from my clients)
I’d have to admit that one or two items still had the tags on them (I am pretty good about wearing what I buy, but obviously these couple of items slipped through the cracks)
I do this all day for my clients, so the last thing I want to do is to go through my own stuff when I get home.

I finally bit the bullet and hired my friend. It was the best money I’d spent in a while. In four hours, we got through all my clothes closets. As you can see by the pictures, I had a ton of clothes and hangers to donate, all of which went to a women’s shelter in Camden, NJ. My closets have room now, I have bunches of hangers I can use for anything new that I buy, I feel free, and I know that these clothes can be used by those not as fortunate as I.

So, what does it say about a Professional Organizer asking for help from a Professional Organizer? Some of you may wonder why I couldn’t do this by myself. Firstly, I was able to ask for help. There is nothing wrong with asking for help. We all have strengths, and we all face challenges in our lives. Why not ask for help when needed?

Secondly, what I experienced is exactly what my clients experience, and that was worth its weight in gold. I think I’m a pretty empathetic person, but this solidified it for me. I tried on clothes that I wasn’t sure about, and since my colleague was not emotionally invested in anything (but my parents bought that blouse in Greece for me a zillion years ago) and only had my best interest at heart, I was able to let go of mostly everything. She folded the clothes for me to put in bags later that day. Just folding the clothes saved me a ton of time. When I work with my clients, I usually fold the clothes they are donating and put them in bags, but because I had so much, I knew I could put them in the bags myself. I was bound and determined to get through the closets.

Thirdly, I had a stake in the game. The date was set, and I knew that since I was paying for the service, I was very prepared and determined to get through this project in a timely manner. I compared this to having a personal trainer. Once you pay for something, aren’t you more apt to follow through?

By working with my colleague for those 4 hours, I was able to continue the project on my own. I went through shoes, coats, and pocketbooks. That was another 4 bags of items to go to the women’s shelter. On the outside, it doesn’t look like anything has changed, but I know in my heart how successful I felt. All my items went to a very worthy cause, which is very important to me (as well as to all my clients), and I also am not carrying the burden of having to go through my clothes anymore.

The funny thing about this is after the 4 hours, my colleague asked me if I was going to go through any of the clothes and pull things out that I think I may still want to keep. I laughed, said no, and realized I ask the same question to my clients.

Just because you make room for things, as I did, doesn’t mean you have to keep them, especially if you aren’t using them anymore. Are you ready to ask for help with any of your organizing projects? I would be more than happy to help when the time is right.