I Speak

I am often surprised when I go to meet a new client and they tell me they don’t understand how to get organized. They don’t know where to begin and what to do. I liken this to speaking another language. When people do calculations and percentages in their head, I don’t get THAT! I am not a numbers person, but decluttering is a language I speak fluently.

When you learn a new language, you start with the basics. When you declutter, it’s the same. Here are the basics: You start with a few empty boxes or bags to fill for either donation, keeping, selling, repairs or keep this item but in a different room.

Just as you will not be able to have a full conversation in another language right off the bat, you will probably not be able to complete decluttering and organizing a full space in one session (unless it’s a small space without a lot of clutter to sort).

After 10 years of professional home and office organizing, I can usually tell how long it will take to get a project finished and how much crew I need to bring with me, what size bins are needed or how many boxes to bring, or is there enough space to hold certain items, because I’m fluent in this language. I’d like to think it’s one of my skills that I’ve developed over the years. It’s a part of the language of organizing.

I studied French and Hebrew when I was in grade school and high school, but those skills have lapsed over time. I tried to learn Spanish in college and it didn’t stick. Not all of us can speak several languages or excel at a variety of jobs.

Keeping my organizing skills sharp takes practice so that it comes easily to me. If you would like to learn the language of organizing, let me help. It’s much easier to learn by doing it hands-on than learning from a book or listening to a CD. It’s like reading a book on diet and exercise. You need to put it in to practice to learn it.

Call or write for a complimentary 20-minute consultation to get started.