The organizing business is adventurous, exciting, and sometimes suspenseful… one never knows what to expect when working with new clients.

Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to assist a senior of 84 years to move from her beautiful home to a Senior Living Complex. Moving items from an 1800 square foot home to an 800 square foot apartment is not always easy.

My lovely person was now a widow after being married for 60 years. Not only is she a widow but no longer have relatives. There was only one child born into this family and he died at age 40. This precious person was now alone.

The first steps in organizing are to sort, and purge… next step, locate a home for all items. Sally and I sorted, now it is time to purge. Remember we are working with only 800 square feet.

Subsequently I am suggesting we should downsize by donating furniture, pictures etc…However, Sally (not her real name) has a story for the 52” big screen TV… an item her husband really wanted so he could watch the games. Then there is the huge turtle shell that her son gave her for a gift. What about the coffee table, dining room table, chairs, pictures, and the list goes on. With each item, there was a story. With each story, there were tears.

Looking at Sally with tears streaming down her face, then looking around the room, which is not large enough… trying to decide what to do. This was truly a challenge! The things were no longer items or stuff. They were memories to touch and sometimes hold…which meant holding her son, or touching her husband.

Suddenly I got an idea! The apartment has two bathrooms, why not use one for storing things. Remember the huge turtle shell? You guessed it, hung on the wall in the guest bathroom. Each item neatly arranged, yet allowing space for personal use. Sounds strange, hey it worked! 

Now Sally has kept her memories and the apartment is organized (a bit crowded, but organized) as for the organizer, I can relax knowing my client is happy.

Perhaps I can go back in a year and visit Sally…maybe, just maybe, she is willing to downsize.

 When the tears will no longer says enough! 

Welcome to my world…where any mess can become flawless!

Most people dream that one day they will land that big account, get the acting part, or make it big! Clearly, this dream became a reality, by landing that big account! Recently I was hired by a large company to organize their workspaces, employees, and various areas in the building. By the way, the building is over 215,000 square feet.

After the exhilaration wore off, fear took a seat. I thought, “oh my!” What am I to do…where do I start?

There are many today overwhelmed due to the clutter and chaos in the home, office, or life… fear, depression, and hopelessness sets in. Usually we give up, by living with the mess, or hoping the day will come when it will be over.

Back to the story!

Naturally, one does not tell the client how one is feeling. Off I go with a big smile, knot in stomach and determination. After meeting certain staff members, calmness settled in. Now, where do I start?

Hmmmmmm…back to the basics, sort, and purge. Therefore, I jumped in remembering the basics… sort all items, identify, deciding to keep or not to keep (purge). Once completed the mountain became smaller and smaller. By the end of the week, the workstation organized, and supplies placed in proper order. Employees could locate items quickly and keep moving. Wow! Next step, the accountants, counselors, project managers, and so on. Soon it was the end of the month  How exciting to hear employees say “Thank You” never thought these offices, files or workstations could become this organized.

The job is not completed, keep in mind 215,000 square feet…however, the mountain is getting smaller, and the exhilaration has returned.

Moral of story… recall the basics… sort and purge. Purging simply means throw it away! Usually this step is difficult for most. If this is your case, get someone to help who is not attached to the stuff, and keeping purging. Soon the mountain of disorder becomes leveled, great peace settles into the home, or office, but most of all your lives.

Remember everything has a place…there is a place for everything!

The last blog was addressed to singles, of course married friends asked what about married couples that doesn’t have a Mr or Mrs Neat and Tidy.  Therefore, this blog is dedicated to those of you with spouses and children.

Once reading a book on wisdom principles, there was an interesting story regarding the author’s best friend.  He was seeking advice due to marital problems. The friend (whom we will call Jack, not his real name) could no longer tolerate his wife’s clutter. Jack stated their home was in utter chaos. Due to the mess, he was ashamed to have his family or friends come to their home. The author asked Jack did he love his wife. “Of course,” he said, but he could no longer tolerate the absolute disarray. Apparently, being organized was not one of her strengths, therefore, the author’s suggestion was to hire a housekeeper.  The friend followed the advice; his home became neat and tidy, and less stress on the wife and marriage.

Maybe some of you have a mate or significant other that is not as organized as one would like. There is a solution to the problem. You may hire a housekeeper as Jack did, or get the assistance of an organizer. A Professional Organizer will come to the home assess the situation with the couple and offer practical solutions. The organizer (if hired) will not only assist in the organization, but will offer realistic steps to follow to keep the home clutter free. Remember the old saying “It takes two to tango,” this is a true statement in this case. It takes everyone in the household to do their part in order for the home to remain organized

Solution…everything has a place; there is a place for everything. If a place has not been, distinguished here are a few suggestions:

1.  Clothes hung up in closet, or place in drawers or dirty clothes hamper.
2.  Dirty dishes in dishwasher, not in living room or bedroom, etc.
3.  Toys in toy box when not being used.
4. Video games placed in proper containers by television or inside entertainment center.
5. Books and magazines placed back on bookshelves or desk. 

Unfortunately, there are households that have a much more serious problem, called Hoarders. With a hoarder, nothing is thrown away and the home becomes a disaster area. The solution…get someone who is licensed to assist with the problem.  If you are, someone you know is dealing with a hoarder there are several great websites with information to help. 

We can all become Mr. or Ms Neat and Tidy. Hmmmmmmmmmm the question is… does one really want to?

 Stay tuned.

Recently I made a decision to try online dating. This of course was a first but my thoughts were…why not? For those of you not familiar with online dating this is the course of action. Fill in some personal information, likes dislikes employment and of course pictures. Personally, I do not like the picture aspect due to the fact there are times my photos are beautiful, then times they are not. When in reality I am a beautiful person inside and out, although some of my photos may say differently Okay back to the process…the company sends you information (which they call matches based on similar profiles, likes, dislikes, and of course PICTURES ;(

One day I received several matches and began to review profile and pictures. One man sends a photo of himself in his bedroom at his desk. (At least it appeared to be a bedroom) Any way the room was a mess! Hey, being an organizer, I did not look at him, I looked at the bedroom. Do you think this was a turn off? Absolutely! My thoughts…sir you need an organizer before you need a date or mate. I so wanted to write and say clean up your room or take a picture outdoors. Of course, due to the process of the system one is unable to make such statements in the beginning.

Moral of story to all singles young and mature adults looking for the love of your life… get organized.  Another way of saying it…clean up. Maybe some people like chaos and clutter, but nine times out of ten, ladies, and gentlemen most do not. Chaos causes confusion and eliminates the peace in one’s home

Okay a very simple process: 1. everything has a place 2. Place everything in its place.

Hopefully, this will help in your New Year of getting the love of your life. By the way, I am still viewing profiles looking for Mr. Right who is neat and tidy!

Several months have passed since the last blog. Now the computer is on, mind is clear and I am back in the game. Recently Flawed 2 Flawless went through a major transition. Business became very slow, almost to a halt. Bills were due; including much needed items at home…like food!

Naturally, I’m doing all the right things, attending networks, chamber meetings, contacting previous clients, but to no avail. The thought came; there must be something else to do, but what?

After wiping away the tears, saying no to self-pity, the decision was made to organize myself. Primarily to take charge of negative thoughts, eliminate fear and get out of the house. Therefore, I volunteered my time in the distribution department of a non-profit organization. This really helped because I was with people, laughing, working very hard, yet being fulfilled. During the great escape (from self), my gift of organizing kicked in. I organized the company’s shelves, books, storage rooms, employee’s desks, boxes, trashcans, etc… Flawed 2 Flawless came alive again. Living my passion in distribution, sharing my talents with others, assisting the workers and enjoying every moment of it.

One day the CEO decided the corporation should compensate me for all the great work. Wow!!! Money!!! If this person only knew, I was walking in purpose being paid for that whichI take pleasure in.

Are the bills being paid? We are on our way. Is the pay enough? Not really. Have I gotten my zeal and passion back? A resounding YES!!! Is quitting an option? No!!! In addition, creative ventures, innovative ideas, and new arenas have begun since the tears of yesterday. Simply stated, life made easier for others through organization…one of my gifts to humanity.

Moral of story…continue with your passion regardless of what else occurs. Sometimes life happens; however, stay in the game doing what you were destined to accomplish. Now, that makes Life good!

For companies large and small looking to save money and organize…thought this might be of interest to you. 

In his book Maverick, Ricardo Semler writes:

 ”We were in yet another meeting…when we came to the purchase of fifty thousand dollars’ worth of file cabinets. We didn’t buy a single new file cabinet that day. Instead we decided to stop the company for half a day and hold the first biannual file inspection and clean-out…Our instructions were simple: we told everyone to look inside every file folder and purge every nonessential piece of paper…I was one of Semco’s biggest file hogs, with four large cabinets and a request for two more. After our cleanup, I trimmed down to a single cabinet, and that was pretty much how it went throughout the company…The cleanup went so well that when everyone had finished, Semco auctioned off dozens of un-needed file cabinets.”

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm…something to think about

This month I wanted to do something different, therefore, the decision was made to share one of my client’s story.  This of course, gives me complete assurance I’m in the right business…where any mess can become Flawless!!!

 I’m a married working mother of two young girls and keeper of the dog so keeping a clutter-free house used to be a difficult task. I’ve read several books, blogs, HGTV shows, and purchased thousands of dollars of gadgets to de-clutter my house. The day that Ms. Elaine with Flawed 2 Flawless did her initial consult, I was embarrassed and shocked on just how crazy my home looked. However, Ms. Elaine didn’t judge or condemn me for the disarray rather she commented on my attempts to create some organization and prayed for release and healing. We had a total of three work days (with over 23 hours of labor) and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever completed. Not because the workdays were long or we moved tons of stuff, it was the emotional stress of releasing of things we didn’t need or use. Ms. Elaine was gentle and caring while she noticed when I was getting overwhelmed (as there were times I felt like a hoarder) and suggested we take a break. Now my home flows with love and energy, everything has a place and we spend five minutes before going to bed to make sure things are tidy.

Thank you Ms. Elaine for helping me and my family live in a clutter-free organized home. You are the best professional organizer ever!

Married & Working Oklahoma Mama

When my children were young, we use to watch Sesame Street. One of the characters was “Cookie Monster,” who would gobble up any and all cookies. Since becoming an organizer, I have run into a character similar to the “Cookie Monster” This character gobbles up everything thrown into it. What is amazing is how some much can fit into it. Like Cookie Monster, it seems to have a bottomless pit. Let me introduce to you the monster that is probably in everyone’s home gobbling more and more items…the “Closet Monster”!

Have one ever considered what is placed or better yet thrown into our closets. Whenever we do not know where to put an item or items, it is thrown into a closet or the garage. Most of the time it is usually the closets. For those of us that are parents, we instruct our children to put their items away. Can anyone guess where it is placed? Then we get a response, I have put it up. Can I play now? On the other hand, maybe it is a spouse that comes in on the cell phone or in a hurry. Guess where the item is thrown? Only to hear later ” do you know where my???  

Finally, one day there is a decision made to conquer the closet monster and get it organized. Why, because the family cannot find whatever….

Recently I worked with a client in organizing her home. Once the rooms were reduced from being flawed 2 flawless, we started on the closets. This is really, where the fun began.

We started on the hall closet. Wow! We discovered so many interesting items, including money. These are the words most frequently heard. “I’ve been looking for that.” After much discussion, the client and I were able to come to an agreement. Several items that were forgotten and really  not needed were donated. Items of importance were kept. Money found…used for a treat since it was an unexpected gift. Did I say gift? Exactly! By alleviating clutter, the client received an unexpected gift, and an organized closet.

So how does one rid the household of the “Closet Monster”?

1. Use the touch once principle. Do not place an item that does not belong and say I will get to it later. Nine times out of ten, you will not get to it later.
2.  If the closet is for designated items, only place those items in it…shoes, coats, toys etc…
3. If you have not worn it or used it in a year, get rid of it.

  Whew!!! Just made a major move to Dallas TX. Wow!!! Did I have some stuff,  especially being an organizer.

 Hey, tip for today…if you are planning to move start organizing yourself now! How, you may ask? Make a” to do list.” Start with changing address at post office by going online to www.ups.com. This will help save some very valuable time. In addition, contact major companies with new address…bank, credit cards etc. Contact companies in the new location, schools etc…

 The more organized you are in the beginning the smoother the move. Next, start getting rid of items you have not used in six months to a year. Donate some of those things to shelters, or charity organizations to help others. Gather boxes and make sure the boxes are labeled…kitchen, bath, etc.

You may say, ”Elaine, I’m hiring movers.” That is even better. Please make sure that you are organized before they arrive. If not, this too will present chaos. For example…hiring a babysitter or pet sitter. This way the attention is on the movers without distraction.

 Great news! I am settled in my new placed, and organized. In less than two weeks, pictures hung, boxes discarded, furniture (the small amount I have) in place and ready to entertain. Wine and cheese anyone?

 Have a flawless move. Where any mess can become flawless!!

There are times in our lives that we will go through transitions…this of course is not always easy. A transition can be…death of a loved one, unemployment, family changes, career changes etc….

Whatever the transition… there is hope

One of the most important things to remember…KEEP MOVING FORWARD. What does that mean? How do we do it?  

 For example…job lost volunteer your time. By giving to others, we give to ourselves. There may also be a connection that will lead to a job offer. Death of a love one or divorce take one day at a time, allow yourself to grieve but not to the point of despair. Most of all give thanks. There is always, always, always, something to be thankful for!

How does one write about transition? Because I have gone through most of the ones listed above. There were days that I felt as though I was living in a fog. Unable to see the next step or see down the road. There was a determination in my heart to do two things:

Keep moving forward…by doing one thing that produced progress

Every moment of everyday being thankful for what I had and not look at what I lost

Surrounding myself with encouragers. Not yes people, but ones that encourage and speak the truth in love.

Transitions can be used as a stepping-stone to take us beyond. It was for me. Flawed 2 Flawless Professional Organizing business was birthed and growing. Am I still going through transitions? A resounding yes. Yet applying the same principles listed above and going beyond.