Personal Organizing Success Stories
Organizing East and West
Recently I was fortunate enough to spend time organizing outside of the North Orange County area, in Idaho and in Maryland.
Idaho – Jewell was unpacked but not organized after moving to a beautiful home in Idaho. For three years after her move life kept her busy and on the go. That resulted in a feeling of disorganization and unease. In four days Jewell and I brought organization and order to her kitchen, pantry, linen closet, home office and clothing closets. We donated food to the local food pantry, and clothes to friends, consignment and Goodwill. Jewell finally feels like her home is truly hers, to appreciate and enjoy.
Maryland – Suzanne and her family were going through great changes; 2 retirements, one new job, a child off to college, and a move to another state after 25 years in one place. Suzanne and her family went about their really busy daily lives while I spent a week organizing and making order out of 25 years of accumulated files and documents readying them for an easy transition from one place to another and from one stage of their lives to the next. I unpacked boxes moved from job to job, sorting, filing and shredding as needed. I also trimmed down the more well organized recent files and papers, readying them for their next home. The end results were a functional and useful system, ready for the next set of adventures Suzanne and family are planning.
Client learns to unclutter - Really well
During a recent conversation with my client Marie I mentioned that I wanted to include walking 10,000 steps a day to my exercise program and needed a pedometer. She told me she had a brand new one she never used and could she lend it to me. In the same conversation we talked about cleaning up oil on our garage floors, and Marie told me she had something she had successfully used and asked if I'd like to try it. Sure, I said.
That same evening Marie called to say "You have taught me too well." She looked in the places where the items used to live and lo and behold they were gone. "I have gotten in the habit of uncluttering on a periodic basis and if it has not been used for a year, it goes", said Marie. I was happy for her success, and acquired the items I needed in a store.
Money Found and Money Saved - December Organizing Gifts
This December two of my clients realized major financial returns due to their commitment to personal organizing.
Kathleen was ready to tackle her storage space after a major garage decluttering. She had paid more than $100.00/month for several years for this rarely visited space. Kathleen and I visited the space to take stock of its contents and Kathleen gave notice. We emptied the space; sorting, donating, relocating and throwing as we went along. Benefit derived: Kathleen will save $100.00plus/month in the coming year and has a feeling of accomplishment and relief.
On a different note, this month, in just one two hour organizing session, Christina’s previously unfiled paperwork yielded her a score of over $750.00. While going thru stacks of paper scooped up from her office and den I found an uncashed dividend check of $77.00. One phone call and 20 minutes later the customer service rep I spoke with said she had found record of other uncashed checks. Benefit derived: within the next few weeks Christina was to receive a check for over $750.00. Just in time for the holidays.
Organizing Makes Room For Love
David was a middle aged divorced man living in a small home. He really wanted to meet a woman to share the rest of his life with...His living space was jammed full of stuff. Between the clutter and a dose of disorganization, there was barely room for David to enjoy his home, much less bring a potential mate into it.
Over time Davis and I pared down and organized his possessions, bringing a greater sense of calm and open space to his living situation. Davis and I also worked on putting systems in place so that he could maintain his home in a clutter free and organized manner.
David met a woman that he was really drawn to. She felt the same way about David. David and I then tackled the clearing and organizing process again, this time to make room for another person to move in. David proposed, his lady said yes, and they are happily living together in a space that started out too cluttered for one but now has ample space for two.
Organizing Brings Relief to the Sandwich Generation
My client Linda and I met ten years ago when she engaged me to help her unclutter and organize her home. She was struggling to keep up with a high stress part time job, two active young children, a home filled with the stuff of married life and the needs of a recently widowed mother. Little did either of us know at our initial meeting that I would first be helping Linda with a series of activities specifically related to her mother.
Within days of our first conversation, Linda’s mom was diagnosed with early stage Alzheimers. Concerned for her mom’s safety, Linda moved her mother into a nearby retirement community. My first activity with Linda was to help her with the move and then to get her mom’s home ready for sale. Over the next several years we moved Linda’s mom two more times to facilities with higher and better levels of care. I participated in integrating mom’s things into Linda’s home; helped set aside items for Linda’s brother and eventually we tackled the tasks that Linda and I originally talked about. We still meet for occasional organizing sessions as Linda‘s children grow. Linda frequently mentions how grateful she has been for the organizing help during each of the life stages she has faced during our long relationship.
Medical Necessity
Last year my crew and I spent six months helping a client in Long Beach unclutter and bring peace and order to her seriously cluttered and disorderly home. At the conclusion of the project, we continued to provide weekly tune-ups in the form of a two hour organizing visit. During these visits one of us helped our client keep up to date on mail, correspondence and general organizing and decluttering activities.
In April while going thru the mail with our client we noticed a postcard reminding the client it was time for her yearly mammogram. Our clients first inclination was to just file the card away, but being the conscientious organizers and personal assistants that we are, we insisted the client call and make her appointment for the mammogram. And what a good thing that was. A small spot was detected, and the biopsy showed a malignancy. Fortunately for the client, her cancer was at stage one and has been successfully surgically treated with no need for radiation or chemotherapy. Our clients prognosis is excellent. What a great feeling it is to know that we played a part in this very positive outcome.