My Interview with Lauren Davidson, Professional Organizer
ARoundTuit Organizing & Productivity
www.aroundtuitorganizing.com
To find an organizer near you, check out NAPO, National Association of Professional Organizers or NSGCD, National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization
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Q: What motivated you to start your Organizing business?
After the birth of our youngest son - number five in our blended family , I returned to my job in corporate risk management. I liked the job well enough, but wasn’t happy. Frankly, it just didn’t seem like a fair trade anymore, and I concluded that change was in order. I yearned for my “dream job”; one that is meaningful and challenging, where I could use my strongest and favorite skills. Equally motivating was my desire for improved work/life balance.
It’s worthwhile to note that I started out with a great support system; my father, brother, husband and several friends are all successfully self-employed. Although my mother is not self-employed, she is definitely a go-getter! All these people have definitely been an invaluable source of information, inspiration and encouragement.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your organizing work?
Professional organizing is a terrific way for me to capitalize on my strongest skills, and the ones I most enjoy using: emotional intelligence, practicality, creativity and resourcefulness. There is rhyme and reason to good organizing and coaching. I feel most successful when my work “unlocks” confidence and energy for my clients.
Q: What are the 3 common organizing issues/mistakes you see people making at work?
Mistake #1: Not assigning a specific “home” to FUO’s (Frequently Used Objects).People ask, “If I’m so smart, then why am I always losing my keys/cell phone/PDA/files/etc.?” When you think about it, this is pretty irrational thinking! Objects are misplaced when they do not have a “home”. It has nothing to do with intelligence!
Mistake #2: Never purging files.
Obviously, a company that never purges its files will eventually run out of storage space. Once that happens they have a choice: rent off-site storage, move into a bigger office or purge! Ask your CPA or go to www.irs.gov to learn what you really need to keep and for how long.
Mistake #3: Misuse of “prime real estate”.
By this, I mean your desktop, drawers, credenza, shelves and file cabinets within arm’s reach of your chair. Files, reference material, objets d’art etc. that are infrequently or not at all used (wonder: can you throw them away?) fall into the category of Distracting Clutter that does not have a home in your focus zone!
Q: Can you share a few of your favorite organizing tips for people to function better at work?
Aside from avoiding the three most common mistakes above, there are a few things I do that really keep me focused and on track. Of course, organizing is personal, and I have set up many systems that work great for my clients, but would be a dismal failure for me. Keeping that in mind:
1. I keep one daily to-do list, ideally prepared the night before and with a star next to the single most important item. I use sticky note sheets no larger than 3”x3”, because I know I can not possibly do more in one day than what I can fit on one of those pieces of paper (I write small if I have to). I cross off items as I complete them. It stands out and is portable (sticks to my monitor and steering wheel). Added bonus: Not only am I more productive all day long, but I feel great seeing what I got done.
2. I keep tabs on incoming paper and do my best to limit it. Desk space and storage are hot commodities in most offices. Thinking thrice before printing anything out and being ruthless about throwing away unneeded papers help a lot. We all have busy days and weeks when papers pile up faster than we can handle. Be easy on yourself and hard on the clutter by dealing with it as soon as possible. And have a desk trash basket that can hold at least one day’s trash.
Q: Tell me about one of your best client success stories.
My first client is a worldly and “together” woman, a highly accomplished and respected professional in her field. During the assessment she showed me around her office. She clearly needed a new filing system, and ways to improve workflow on and around her desk. What she showed me last, though, literally moved her to tears. Under a folding table, was what she called her “box of shame”: a banker’s box overflowing with papers and months worth of unopened mail. Next to the box were two large garbage bags filled with more of the same. “These piles,” she said with the embarrassment of someone who was revealing an awful secret, “represent all of my failures”.
What I did for my client is not ingenious, but it is something she was not able to do on her own because of her emotional ties to her piles of paper. One of the first things I remember learning as an organizer-in-training is to not deal with the backlog first. For this particular client, that teaching was heaven-sent. I gave her “permission” to not worry about the piles for the first few sessions. Once we finished with the filing system and workflow, she had gained enormously in confidence, and was able to start sorting and purging the backlog on her own.
[Ariane's Note: This is a VERY effective method. I also address the problem systems first to enable the client to stop adding to the problem. It's like stopping the bleeding and bandaging it before doing a complete physical.]
All clients are a success story in one way or another. For clients who try – and fail – over and over to tackle their clutter by themselves, each abandoned effort reinforces to them that they are not able to do it. A professional organizer can, in most cases, disprove this belief, by first giving clients acceptance of their personality and abilities, and then giving appropriate tools and encouragement to do the possible.
Thank you, Ariane, for giving me the opportunity to be featured on your blog!
