Red Letter Day FAQs

FAQs &
Free Advice

Jump to a category of questions:

Questions about Choosing an Organizer
Questions about Helping Yourself
Questions about Becoming an Organizer

I'm thinking about hiring a professional organizer. How do I find a good one?

Look for an organizer with a cooperative, nonjudgmental attitude who is willing to work with you to find the best solutions for your unique situation. Avoid anyone who seems demanding, controlling, or highly opinionated. You want someone who will work with you, not just tell you what to do, or worse, force you into decisions that you might later regret such as getting rid of things before you're ready.

If you want an organizer to work on a project for you when you are not present, such as packing for a move, look for an organizer who asks many detailed questions in order to discern precisely what you want. Since you won't be there, a competent organizer will want all expectations spelled out very specifically so that you will be satisfied and there will be no confusion due to miscommunication. Don't be surprised if an organizer is reluctant to work without you there: Organizers whose primary focus is coaching want to teach you how to be more organized and will be uncomfortable just doing it for you; also, most organizing tasks require decisions on the part of the client and are therefore ill-suited to solo work by the organizer.

If you are chronically disorganized (see Are You Chronically Disorganized?), look for an organizer who specializes in working with CD clients. Organizing with CD clients requires special skills and should not be attempted by organizers with no training or experience in chronic disorganization. Check the website of the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (www.nsgcd.org) for listings of professional organizers who have earned, at a minimum, the NSGCD's Certificate of Study in Chronic Disorganization (Level I). A Level II Chronic Disorganization Specialist Certificate and a Level II ADD Specialist Certificate are also available, and advanced programs go up to Level V. Note that the NSGCD listings require the organizer to complete coursework and pass an exam; the Chronic Disorganization specialty selection on the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) website (www.napo.net) does NOT require any special training.

I want to contact an NSGCD member, but the NSGCD website doesn't have the zip code search like NAPO's. What should I do?

You can use both websites to find just the organizer you're looking for. Start with the NAPO referral directory. Enter your zip code, the range of miles you want to search (e.g. within 20 miles of your zip code), and the specialty(ies) you're looking for (e.g. chronic disorganization). The search will return a list of members that match your parameters and are within the number of miles you specified. Print that list. Now, go to the NSGCD website. Start with the Subscribers & Professionals sticky note (yes, you are a member of the general public, but go to this section anyway). Click on Certificate Program and then Graduates. From there you can click through to lists of graduates of each of the certificate levels. Each list includes the member's state and country. Scroll down the list looking for your state, and when you find someone in your state, see if that person is also listed on your NAPO printout. If so, you've got a match: You know this organizer has the NSGCD credential listed AND is within the miles you specified on your NAPO search.

There is one organizer near me who charges less than the others, but she's new to the business. Will she be able to help me?

There are actually two questions here: whether an experienced organizer will always be better than a novice, and whether a higher rate is a sign of a better organizer. While experience might indicate that the organizer has sustained a successful business and is therefore good at what he or she does, a new organizer might bring enthusiasm and creativity that could make up for a lack of experience. Regarding the question of rates, choosing an organizer based solely on cost is not the best method. You will have the best chance of finding your ideal organizer if you consider how well the organizer understands your issues and whether his or her methods are a match for your needs, in addition to budgetary parameters.

I've seen professional organizers on TV, and it seems like they work really fast and they sometimes make people throw things away when they don't want to. Is it really like that in "real life"?

Like anything else on TV, what you see is not necessarily an accurate representation of reality. There are many excellent techniques that you can learn from watching shows like Mission: Organization or Clean Sweep, but it is important to remember that, for the purposes of the show, the job must be completed quickly. This usually means that a team of organizers works on the project, and the client is forced to make quick choices, which can lead to emotional reactions. In "real life," organizing takes longer than it does on TV, which gives the client time to come to terms with purging belongings. A competent organizer will not force you to discard anything: He or she might encourage or even push you to make decisions, but will not dictate what those decisions should be.

On Helping Yourself

I struggle with depression, and I just can't seem to make myself pay the bills. Is there any help for me?

Yes. J Many mental health disorders can cause problems with financial organization and money manage-ment—not only depression, but also AD/HD and bipolar disorder. Here is an essay with more info: Money Management Tips by Diagnosis

I am usually pretty organized, but there are a few things I just can't figure out myself. Do you have some quick tips to give me a little extra inspiration?

Sure! Some people are situationally disorganized: an occasional life event throws you off-track for a while, or some organizing projects just don't come naturally to you. Sometimes all you need is a new idea and you're off and running. Here are some tips to inspire your inner organizer:

OFFICE & PAPERWORK
• Have a plan for handling the mail each day. Toss junk mail immediately and parcel out the rest to its addressee or to the bill-paying area. By the way, that old rule that says "only touch it once" is antiquated. Make some sort of progress on the document every time you handle it, but don't let that outdated rule dictate your priorities.

• Know that checking email is akin to snake-charming. You're supposed to control the dangerous animal, but if you're not careful it will hypnotize and control you! Turn off the popup messages and audible notifications, and set your email to retrieve new messages only when you hit Send/Receive, not automatically every 5 minutes or so. Then discipline yourself to hit that button only a few times a day, and never first thing in the morning!

KITCHEN
• Kitchens are notorious clutter-catchers. Any open flat surface attracts piles of paper and stuff, and kitchen counters are the worst offenders. Prevent pileups with decorative floral arrangements or candle groupings—items that are difficult to pile upon. Once you and your family are accustomed to seeing nothing but that arrangement on that counter, kitchen dumping will diminish.

• Click here to jump to additional articles, including "Dream-Come-True Kitchen"

SELLING YOUR HOME
• Do your best-ever decluttering! Appearance counts far more than most people think. Sure, it's logical that a family getting ready to move will have a houseful of boxes and extra furniture . . . but home-buying comes from the heart, not the head. You want it to look like the home of their dreams, not their daily reality. Remove absolutely every non-critical item (and that means ALL the way out, not just stuffed in a closet or basement). If you must, rent a storage unit temporarily. Note that this is not a solution for getting organized—it’s a solution for temporarily relocating your stuff so you’ll have an easier time selling your house. Be ready to do another round of tossing and donating before you move into your new place! Bonus: Cardboard retains odors. Getting it out will make your home smell fresher to prospective buyers.

KIDS' STUFF
• Buy a stain pre-treater like Shout^® Ultra Gel or Spray 'n Wash^®Stain Stick that allows you to pre-treat stains up to a week before washing. Give one to each of your kids and have them "color" their stains every night as they're changing for bed. Even if the clothes land on the floor instead of in a hamper (one step at a time here!), your laundry time will be reduced. Bonus: When they get tired of spending time pre-treating their stains, they might decide to stop using their clothes as napkins!

• Storing things in boxes with written labels is a great way to organize, but what about kids who can't yet read? Provide them with boxes of their own, preferably plastic with flip-top attached lids, and help them to label the boxes with pictures (photos or drawings) of what goes in them. You could even tape a sample item--a Lego, a GI Joe—to the front of the box. Most young kids love putting things in containers, and this system allows them to organize and play at the same time.

TIME MANAGEMENT
• If it feels like you never get through your daily to-do list, try this. It's radical, but enlightening.

1. Write out your to-do list as usual.
2. Put the tasks in priority order, most important first.
3. Delete the bottom half of the list.

What? Oh, very funny, right? Seriously, if you never get the entire day done anyway, at least start with the top priorities. If you end up with extra time, you can always add those items back in. Now, think about what this tells you about your expectations: If you can never get the entire list done, but you can get half done, either A) you're a lazy, no-account schlump, or B) you're asking too much of yourself. Answer: B! If it were A, you wouldn't be bothering to read this!

MULTIPURPOSE IDEAS: APPLY CREATIVELY!
• Organize to avoid small print. This will become more important as you age! Example 1: If you use coupons, sort them by expiration date instead of by category. You can quickly scan your coupons for their products, but the expiration date requires squinting. Example 2: Sort laundry by temperature, not by person. Set up three hampers for Hot, Warm, and Cold (sized according to number of family members and frequency of laundering), and let the depositors squint at the washing instructions as they drop the items in. Bonus: No more combing the house to gather enough for a full load—you can tell at a glance when one temperature is ready to go.

• Give yourself a new mantra: Replace "ohm" with "homes." Everything you own should have a home—a place where it belongs when it's not being used. It should be the same place every time, and that place should be reserved for the item when it's not there. When you live this concept, you have a built-in meter for how much stuff you have room for, you almost always know where to find anything, and your family knows exactly where everything goes (that's one fewer excuse for not helping with chores!).

• Want more? Click the following titles for media coverage featuring Debbie Stanley:

"Dream-Come-True Kitchen" Woman's Day, November 1, 2006

"Organizing Your Home" Organization Nation (radio program), November 2006

"Secrets to Getting Organized and Staying Organized from America's Top Experts" Bottom Line Personal, February 2007

On Becoming an Organizer

What do I have to know to be an organizer?

ORGANIZERS NEED TO BE ADEPT AT . . .

Spatial Relations: The ability to anticipate how things will fit into spaces.

Paper Management: The ability to develop systems for storing documents, managing the flow of daily paperwork, and clearing out existing backlogs. As society becomes increasingly technological, organizers will need to be able to apply this skill to all forms of data, not just paper.

Time Management: The ability to discern the reasons behind time management problems in clients and to suggest positive changes that fit each client's lifestyle and personality.

Multitasking: Your clients will often have trouble keeping on track, so you will have to do it for them as you work. Also, as business owners organizers must be adept at not only organizing but also at the elements of running a business: basic bookkeeping, marketing, sales, and so on.

Teaching: It's not just what you know, but how well you can teach it to your clients.

ORGANIZERS ALSO NEED TO BE . . .

Nonjudgmental: If you secretly think disorganized people are lazy, sloppy, or dumb, you are NOT professional organizer material! Clients need you to be understanding, not critical.

Supportive: Your clients will rely on you to provide ideas, information, and especially reassurance that they are normal.

Knowledgeable: You need to really know your stuff to be an organizer, and you also need to be able to teach it. You will need to be able to adapt your style to suit each client's ways of learning, whether it's visual (by watching you), auditory (by listening to you), or kinesthetic (with hands-on practice).

Strong Communicators: An effective organizer must be able to convey his or her thoughts in whatever way will work best for each client.

Self-Motivated: When you are your own boss, there's no one to tell you what to do and when to do it—you have to decide those things for yourself and then follow through. Being self-employed takes a lot of discipline as well as a lot of confidence.

Do you have to have a college degree to be a professional organizer?

No. There is currently no degree program for organizers. Most of us have entered this field because we are naturally good at organizing, and many have experience in areas such as project or office management, interior design, accounting, or even real estate sales or a mental health profession. The only “requirements” are to be good at helping other people to get organized, whether it’s in their homes or offices, and also to be able to teach those skills in an empathetic way. If you’re the one your friends and family members always ask for help in reorganizing closets, planning events, or setting up files, and if you understand that disorganized people are not simply lazy, dumb, or slovenly, you might have what it takes to be a pro!

If there’s no degree program, how do you learn to do it?

Most organizers recognized a natural ability in themselves and were drawn to this profession because of it. You could begin by reading some books on different areas of organizing; if the concepts resonate with you, if it seems like you already know these things, or if you can think of a better way, you might just be a natural! Also consider how you have handled organizational duties in the past. Has your work included project management or file management? How are you at time management? What about event or party planning?

Once you confirm that you do indeed have organizational skills, you’ll need to learn how to translate your (perhaps innate) abilities into lessons that can be taught to your future clients. You can gain some of your teaching skills as a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (www.napo.net); member resources include a bimonthly newsletter, website, and annual conference with valuable workshops to help you increase your skills. NAPO has also begun developing a curriculum of classes for professional organizers, and many foundational classes are now available. This curriculum is expected to feed into a certification program that NAPO will offer to members in the next few years.

If you are interested in working with chronically disorganized clients, your best source of information and education will be the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (www.nsgcd.org), which offers its members a newsletter and educational teleconferences on a wide range of issues that organizers with CD clients face. The NSGCD also offers a certification program which includes a number of Certificates of Study (Level I), two Specialist Certificates, and further advanced training.

The most important way for you to learn to help your clients, however, is through experience, and that requires that you either become an employee of an existing organizing firm or that you start your own business.

I’d like to work for an established organizer. How do I find one who needs employees?

Look up the organizers in your area and simply ask them if they are hiring. You can use the automated referral system on the NAPO website (www.napo.net) to locate organizers near you. Until recently, only a few organizers in the country had employees—most were (and most still are) one-person operations. This is beginning to change, however, so if you meet an organizer with whom you’d really like to work, even if s/he is not currently hiring, check back periodically.

I want to start my own business, but I don’t know how. What should I do?

For those who want training in how to start an organizing business, we recommend the program offered by The Organizing Specialists. Visit them at www.webnow.com/theorganizingspecialists and tell them Red Letter Day sent you.

For training in organizing topics and business management, consider Red Letter Day's teleclasses and coaching, detailed in the Organizer Services section.

Aren’t there any books out there on how to become an organizer?

Yes, and you can learn some things from them. Just keep in mind that no book can address all of your individual questions and needs based on your skill level, interests, geographic area, and past experience. Before you choose a book, we suggest that you write down all of the questions you have, and be specific. You will probably want to know what you should charge, how to advertise, how to find clients, whether to specialize in a particular area, and a ton of other questions. Unfortunately, we haven’t found a book that can answer these questions specifically enough.

The National Association of Professional Organizers (www.napo.net) offers a teleseminar called "Introduction to Professional Organizing (PO-001T)" which "is designed for the individual interested in learning more about the field of organizing. The course defines the profession of organizing, introduces participants to the history of the organizing industry and of NAPO, gives an overview of how a professional organizer works, and explains the benefits of NAPO membership." If you're considering the field of professional organizing and would like to learn more from NAPO, The Organizing Authority^®, this class is a worthwhile and affordable investment.

Send email • 586-746-1428