Organizing Client: young teacher: Problem areas were master bedroom, child’s room, paperwork
Client’s Fears: 1. Not being able to part with things that brought back memories.
2. Her child would resist letting go so it would be too much of a struggle getting the child’s room organized.
3. Nervous about having someone she doesn’t know in her space and possibly judging her harshly or not understanding
Erin struggled with organization her entire life. It got to the point where it was affecting family relationships. She was very nervous when I arrived and even thought about canceling. Bravely, she let me into her space, showed me around, and shared her story. I painted a picture of what her space could look like and we started organizing a small area of the kitchen and a box of paperwork. Erin learned what papers weren’t necessary to keep so she didn’t worry about shredding most of what was in the box. She said that because I was there to help her focus and be supportive, she was able to make decisions a lot faster. Everyone around her questioned why she was paying someone to do what they would help her do for free. After the next appointment where we completely organized her bedroom, (Erin already bought the necessary supplies and did a great job carrying out the plan for the bathroom before the appointment) she figured out that I was able to help her in ways her relatives and friends could not. She said it was worth the money because her bedroom was organized through a process where she didn’t feel bad about herself or didn’t have to explain why she kept something. In other words, a professional versus friends made a huge difference.
Erin was nervous before every appointment but knew she would feel so much better by the end of the session. She didn’t allow her nerves to get the better of her. As for her daughter, Erin was in for a surprise. We started out deciding on stuffed animals in her daughter’s room because it was the one area she thought her ten-year-old daughter would have the biggest problems with letting go. I suggested adding a shelf to display the stuffed animals she was keeping; however, this would require deciding which animals to put on display. This made it a lot easier for her daughter to let go of two trash bags full of animals because she understood how much more she was going to enjoy the ones she kept. Once that was done, her daughter left on her own and we finished the job. The huge smile on her face when she saw her room organized was a wonderful thank you. Because her play things were well organized, she couldn’t wait to start playing.
I know it’s hard to have someone you don’t know in your home. But if you’ve spent years saying that some day you are going to get organized. The evidence shows you need someone from the outside to give you a plan, focus, and a helping hand.
