Let’s be honest - I’m probably not the best person to answer this question.
I mean. I think working with a professional organizer is THE BEST, but I may be teensy bit biased. Perhaps we should get an objective perspective.
I recently had the honor of working with the delightfully daring and refreshingly real Jia.
You may know her from her YouTube channel, Marriage and Motherhood. There she loves her people well by honestly sharing her journey – including the strategies and struggles of being a mom, wife, and business owner.
Jia is good at a LOT of things. Seriously. If you need help making a budget and living debt free, she is your go-to gal for sure.
But as she shared in a recent video recapping our sessions together, home organization is not her strong suit.
I feel like I’m drowning.
My mental health was definitely affected with the stuff everywhere.
Jia contacted me to ask for help decluttering and organizing her daughter’s bedrooms, the guest bedroom, the dining room, and the laundry room.
Like many of my clients, she felt overwhelmed by the task before her. She didn’t know where to begin. Add to that the feelings of shame and embarrassment many folks feel at the cluttered condition of their homes, and you can see why many people throw up their hands in despair and do nothing instead of making the call to hire a professional.
I mean, who wants yet another critical voice to add to the ones in your head, right?!?!
But here is the skinny: A good professional home organizer spreads grace like butter - like a best friend/cheerleader/personal trainer rolled into one - without judgment or criticism.
Jia summed this up beautifully when recounting our time together.
I felt seen. I felt heard. I felt understood.
I did not feel judged at all.
And when it comes to where to start, a professional home organizer can help you get crystal clear on your goals for your time together and make a plan to accomplish them.
In addition to creating a strategy,
a professional home organizer can:
Keep you focused - no more getting distracted by family photos, birthday cards, and the adorable painted handprints your kids made in preschool. You know the ones!
Help you evaluate your belongings with an objective perspective - because the stuff in our home often has a lot of emotional baggage attached to it.
Read your body language and teach you to do the same - it’s amazing what your face says about whether or not you want to keep something!
Mimic your keep/discard preferences - so you can sort your belongings twice as fast while curbing decision fatigue.
Empower you trust your decision-making ability - your initial gut response is generally right.
Know when it’s time for you to take a break and when it’s time to forge ahead - you should feel pushed, but not pushed over the edge.
Teach you new ways of storing your belongings - be open to the experiment. What you have been doing up until now may not be the best method moving forward.
Laugh with you and/or cry with you - because both are totally normal.
How much time will it take?
This is a tricky question. As you can imagine, this answer varies wildly. In addition to the size of the room and how tightly packed your items are, it comes down to how quickly you can make the decision to keep or donate/discard an item.
As Jia learned to trust her gut, her decision making got quicker and quicker.
My muscles for decision making got better…
It became easier for me.
How much does it cost?
The cost of working with a professional home organizer varies. This may have to do with where you live. But in general, a higher hourly rate is often indicative of more years of experience and a higher level of training.
As for me, I post my rates on my website under Services. Because clarity is kindness. My rate as of this blog is $75.00/hour, and I work in blocks of 4 hours per session.
Jia opted for a 5-session package, which is available at a 10% discount, or $67.50/hour.
When reflecting on the cost, Jia was adamant,
It was worth every cent!
And speaking of money, working with a professional organizer can change your spending habits for the better. I have found that clients have a better understanding of their preferences, avoid purchasing items simply because they are a “good deal”, and consider storage before purchasing large items.
It totally changed the way I’m shopping now…
I’m going to be a lot more intentional.
What struck me most about Jia’s experience was how she felt after we had reached her organizing goals.
It felt like I lost…100 pounds...
It feels really good. I’m really, really happy.
Sounds great!
Can I hire you?
It depends upon where you are located! I’ve had folks from all over the country reach out to me asking for help. But due to time constraints, I only do local, in-home sessions. So, I primarily serve the amazing folks of Northern Gwinnett County.
Click here to Contact Me for complimentary Tidy Up Call.
Where can I find a professional home organizer like you near me?
To find an organizer with similar training and certification, I would recommend entering your location into Marie Kondo’s Consultant Page. There you can find folks all over the world who can help you tidy up!
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