Poodle B. Organizing | Organizing, Clutter, and Hoarding Help!

home services the process Q&A about links contact

Recently I decided to change this tab from "Before & After" to "The Process." Why? Because organizing is really a process and I feel that "before & after" is almost a misnomer. If you watch any of the numerous style shows on TV, it's easy to get the impression that in 30 minutes or an hour you go from a trashed house or room to a beautiful, well appointed one. And that is simply not the reality.

Organizing is a step-by-step process that can take quite a bit of time and energy. What I would like to do is show that process on this page.

The project I will be showing is an office that needed some simple organization. In the first part of the project I worked on the books in the shelf. They were grouped by categories. In the second part of the project a new filing system was created.

Liz provided an invaluable resource to me as I set up my home office. She suggested systems, products and organizational tips that have been time-saving and very helpful in making bridges between home and office. Liz has been very flexible in scheduling and found creative ways to help us get my office organized and keep my stress level down. I found Liz to be trustworthy, consistent and reliable. The results are amazing!

--Margaret, Newton, MA

	STEP 1: ASSESSMENT. In this first step, we take a look at the project, typically the space or room, to see what's what. In this first step goals and the process are discussed.
	STEP 2: DISMANTLING After the initial consult, the first session usually gets messy. After we've discussed what and where we are working, we get to work. Things are taken out of the shelves, drawers, cabinets etc-- The dust flies and hands get dirty!
	STEP 3: CATEGORIZING This is the famous "put like with like" part of the process, meaning you put things that are same together. Piles are created during this step.
	STEP 4: SORTING In this step we usually go through the piles of what has been categorized. And yes, some purging takes place. Questions like; Do I really use this?, Do I need this? Is the information still up-to-date and/or can I get the information online?
	STEP 5: PUT BACK & LABEL Here is the fun part! This is when we get to put things back in place and labels are made. It is usually at this point where you can see the fruits of your labor. It's very satisfying when you put back the things you really use. And now you can actually see and get to things readily, essentially saving you time, money and definitely energy. This project, like many, called for the purchase of furniture. Often in organizing, furniture needs to be purchased but not always. Sometimes we can use what you already have and things can be re-purposed. For this project a new desk and filing carts were purchased. Shelves were already there.

site design by rubicat design and photography