TESTIMONIALS

"I am extremely happy with my pantry.  I found numerous boxes of things I didn't know I had.  It is so easy to pull out the shelf and find what you are looking for."
B. Welch, Nashville, TN

"The pull out corner shelves gave me much needed space for "must have" things that are seldom actually used.  Now there is no back-of-shelf on any shelf - everything is handy and visible.  I no longer have to lift out pans, etc., in front to reach things in back!  Greatest thing that ever happened to my kitchen.  THANK YOU!"
A. Crownover, Nashville, TN

10 Questions for a Professional Organizer

1.  What are the most common sources of clutter in the home?

The most common sources of clutter in the home are mail, periodicals, seasonal decorations, clothing, toys and obsolete household items.  Typically, kitchens are common areas for items such as mail and periodicals to clutter the space.  It makes sense since kitchens often act as the central hub for most families and it is easy for clutter to accumulate.  Other areas where mail and periodicals often build up are in home offices.  This area functions as the locale where all mail comes to rest; prior to action being taken by some member of the household.  Oftentimes that action is delayed resulting in a cluttered office area.  Closets can also be a sore spot for clutter as it is “out of sight and out of mind”.

2.  In general, what does it take to live an organized life?

First and foremost it takes an initial desire and then a subsequent action on the part of the person, family or business that wants to be organized in order to begin the process of “decluttering.” When it comes to clutter, it creates a visual disturbance that can often be stressful, create unpleasant living or working environments and often lead to less than ideal performances in those areas or rooms.  To live an organized life, it takes a commitment and a process.  Once a person, family or business decides to become organized and goes through the process of the initial sorting of the cluttered areas (getting rid of unneeded items), it is necessary to organize items and tasks by frequency of usage and area of usage.  From there a thorough cleaning of the area(s) is essential.  Once this is done, a process to maintain the area must be established, something simple with some guidelines as to how it will be done.  Based upon the area of concern the process to stay organized will vary, but will nonetheless be a process.  And finally in order to remain uncluttered the process must be maintained and improved upon as needed.

3. There are so many products out there geared toward organization. Are they useful?

There are tons of organizing products, devices, software packages, gadgets, bins, etc.  Most of them can be very useful, but it all depends upon the needs at hand.  All of them have the potential to be great products but the level of their success is unique to each scenario and person or group involved.  They are definitely useful in helping to establish a system, which is the biggest part of staying organized - having a PROCESS.  If the product fits within the space intended, isn’t an eyesore and is easy to use, then the chances for staying organized are increased.  If it is difficult to use, doesn’t go with the décor or is difficult to maintain, then the chances of remaining with an organized lifestyle can quickly diminish.  So yes, organizational products are useful.  Just remember to keep the products and the process simple.

4.  The kitchen is command central in many households. What are som tips for keeping one orderly?

1)  Make sure that you have buy-in from the entire family.  If you have developed a great process to stay organized but you are the only family member doing so, then your efforts may unintentionally become undermined.  Seek the input of all family members to make sure it is a process that can be maintained.  2)  Make sure that everything has a place and everything stays in its place when not in use.  If you must have a place to drop mail, rest your daily planner, place your keys or keep your coupon booklet, designate a space for each.  Because the kitchen is such an open environment with not a lot of extra storage, it can easily become cluttered.  You should look for attractive options to store things that match the cabinetry, appliance finish or whatever other item in the kitchen that would allow it to blend.  However, do not make it such a complicated storage medium that is too difficult to use.  If it is too difficult to use, it will only be a matter of time before the area becomes cluttered again.  3)  Keep the countertops clear.  Unless you are in the process of food preparation or unloading groceries, your countertops should be clear.  If not, you may not have a great organization process to put everything in its place.  This can easily lead to a process becoming unraveled.  4)  Organize the interior of both the base and wall cabinets.  Purchase organizational devices to help improve the efficiency, storage capacity and ease of use for these areas of your cabinets. 

5.  How did you become a professional organizer?

I am not a professional organizer per se, in terms of having been through extensive course training specifically on the topic of professional organizing; but I have been deeply involved in the organization process with previous careers and within my current businesses.  My academic degree is in engineering and I have held responsibilities with prior employers in a capacity where extreme organizing was a part of my job function.  In fact while working with Milliken & Company, I was our facility’s leader in 5S which is a formalized organizing process to create a more efficient and disciplined work environment.  Our success here was one piece of the puzzle that allowed our company to win the coveted JIPM award (Japanese Institute of Plant Maintenance), one of the first companies in the US to earn this prestigious honor. With our current business (Shelf Genie), which stemmed from our first business (Handyman Matters), we design and offer solutions to homeowners to organize their cabinet space so that they can access items more easily and increase the usable space.  The nature of this business has naturally led to us being organizers of at least the kitchen and bathroom storage areas.

6.  Can you describe your typical client?

Our typical client is someone that owns their home and does not want to go to the extent of remodeling their kitchen.  Their cabinets are in good shape but they simply want to better utilize that space or make it more easily accessible by adding sliding shelves.  Our clients may have small or large kitchens and need to simply be able to access their items more easily because of the effects of aging or an injury.  They may want to add shelving in order to maximize the space so that they can store more items in their cabinets.  Or they may have a pantry that is so full and disorganized that they need a system such as ours to be able to effectively use their pantries.

7.  Can kids be taught the value of organization?

Absolutely, kids can be taught the value of organization.  We have to be careful so that we do not create an entire system of rules that is so rigid or strict so that kids cannot be creative, fun and unpredictable – all of which are a part of being a kid.  We simply have to instill a belief in putting things back where they belong.  We have to teach and live by example to enforce such a lifestyle.  Of course, that means having a clear cut system in place.  Kids, like many adults respond more to visual indicators as to how things are to be organized.  That is clearly evident in the colors of the toys they have for example.  Plus, kids learn more with age and experience so we have to be reasonable in our expectations.  For example, my three-year old daughter may understand that all the dolls are to go in the pink bin, but if I ask her to put the big dolls in the pink bin, the medium sized dolls in the green bin and the smaller ones in the blue one, she may not fully understand it enough to be successful.  In a year or two, she may be able to do so.  When we ask our kids to put the books back up, they need to know what and where and why (preferably an answer to why other than “because I told you so!”  Remember that we are in a teaching role.)  When we ask them to organize the toys, we must have created a process for them to follow, whether it is colored-coded bins or specific shelves where similar items are already stored.  And as their understanding and development grows, so too can their level of organizing.  With those things being said, we have to understand their limitations, making sure that we have reasonable expectations ourselves.

8.  How does your organizing process work and what tools do you use?

In helping home owners to organize their kitchens and/or bathrooms, we initially set up an appointment with a designer for a consultation.  We assess how our client is currently using their space and then ask them if they are pleased with how they have items stored, what areas give them problems and what they would like to be able to do with the kitchen or bathroom cabinets.  From there, we go over a proposed design with our product as to how they can better organize their space.  We then measure the space based upon that design and offer a proposal for our custom-built product and services.  Once the home owner decides to proceed with our services, we perform a detailed measurement and analysis of the space and then execute a product build for the sliding shelves.  Upon completion of the shelves, we schedule an install appointment with the home owner and then install the product and show the customer how to best utilize their “new” kitchen or bathroom.

9.  Are women more or less organized than men?

I have been around both men and women that are extremely organized and crazily unorganized.  It is my opinion that there is no clearly distinguishable difference in terms of who is more organized.  

10.  What advice could you offer Nashville homeowners who feel their homes are unorganized?

I would recommend that homeowners do some online research to learn more about organizing to understand the process that may be required to get from where they are to where they would like to be.  There are numerous sites out there that can help.  They can also purchase self-help books and magazines that can at least get the ideas rolling in terms of organizing.  If after doing such research, they feel that a professional organizer is needed, they can go to the Nashville NAPO chapter web site(http://www.naponashville.com) and call upon one of many professional organizers to help them with their needs.