HIRE A PRO ORGANIZER OR ORGANIZING COACH?

• This is a great question and it really depends on your needs and what you want! Lets break down what a professional organizer can do for you and what an organizing coach can do for you. Here are a few things to think about when trying to make that decision.

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZER

• Their job is organizing, not cleaning or decluttering your home
• They know all the theories and strategies in repositioning, space planning and efficiently organizing items to create as much space as possible
• They set up systems to help optimize space and functionality in home

ORGANIZING COACH

• Their job is to help you bring awareness to your clutter and its causes - focusing on the root of the clutter, not just the clutter itself
• They teach you the theories and strategies for space planning and efficiently organizing
• They know how to ask questions and give suggestions to help you create your own organizational systems that will work for your particular situation and habits
• They will teach you new habits to maintain and adjust systems if needed

3 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN DECIDING WHICH TO HIRE

• Time
• LESS TIME: A pro organizer with a team could come in and complete areas in just a day or two depending on project. It's fast and doesn’t require much from you as their client.
• MORE TIME: A coach is going to slow down the process and allow you to do it yourself to learn the skills which takes more time. It requires more of your involvement and attention.
• Budget
• MORE MONEY: A pro organizer/team will cost more money. They often bring product and because they are doing all the work, it's more expensive.
• LESS MONEY: You can really get more bang for your buck here. It costs less money because you're doing most of the minimizing and organizing on your own with your coach helping, teaching, and supporting you through the process.
• Your Involvement
• LESS INVOLVED: This is the perfect option if you just want someone to come in and take care of it for you. They may ask you some questions about items that you want to keep or not, but for the most part, you won't be an active participant with a pro organizer/team.
• MORE INVOLVED: This is a great option if you want to be involved, want to learn, and want a little more control during the decluttering and organizing process. With a coach, your involvement is crucial (because this type of structure won't do much if you're unwilling to learn and implement the principles the coach is teaching you).

WHICH IS RIGHT?

• A better question is: Which is right for you? It all depends on your timeline, budget, and the amount that you want to be involved.
• I've worked for companies and clients as a professional organizer and have watched it help so many people. What they do is so needed and serves a lot of people! I personally shifted the services I wanted to offer because I saw so much value in TEACHING others these principles rather than just doing it for them.
• Think of the Chinese proverb: "Give a man a fish and feed him for a meal. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime." I saw so much benefit in teaching my clients to fish (teaching to organize) rather than just giving them a fish (organizing for them).
• I know that life doesn’t stay the same for long and wanted my clients to have the skills to change and adapt their systems as their life circumstances changed and evolved.