The title of a professional declutter and organiser is still fairly unknown in the UK, whereas in the US it is a fairly accepted profession.
I love that I am part of the wave of organisers in the UK, teaching others what the job entails and the benefits of using an organiser in your home.
I get asked frequently what type of people I help and the honest answer there isn’t just one type of person. What I do for them though is the same. To calm the chaos in their lives and homes.
I thought though as that isn’t necessarily all that helpful, I would instead tell you about the 3 main types of people I help as an organiser. Hopefully one will resonate with you, or perhaps you will be a mixture of all 3?
Hoarding Tendencies
Those that have a real clutter problem, don’t just find it hard to let go of things that most of us do like gifts, expensive items or items with memories attached, they find letting go of anything really difficult.
It is more than just being frugal and wondering if you might need it again one day when knowing really you won’t and it certainly isn’t laziness or untidiness.
It is usually a much deeper issue. Whether it is a disability, mental health issues or some trauma from the past that causes true hoarding tendencies.
When it comes to helping those that have a true clutter problem, in most cases, going to their homes and completely emptying it and forcing them to let go is not the solution. In fact, it is likely to make the situation much worse.
Instead, I provide weekly coaching sessions where we focus on one small area of their home or rather a particular section of items e.g. cleaning products. We spend time creating a system whilst also always working on why they find clutter so difficult. Systems not only have to be easy to maintain but also retrain their mindset to not then find a new patch in the home once this area is full.
It is about building confidence in the clients decision making and building trust with me that I only want the best for them and will not push them into anything they aren’t ready for.
As you can see, those that throw around the term hoarder are probably not a hoarder at all and instead just struggle with letting go more than the average person but not to the point where it takes over their lives.
Too Busy, Overwhelmed and Stressed
I would say this is the category that most of my clients will fall into. Within this though, the reason for coming to me may still be very different.
Often, someone will reach out because they feel completely overwhelmed by the clutter and don’t know where to start. They don’t have the time to give the project what it needs and their home no longer feels calm and stress-free anymore.
Some of those people will have no problem letting go of their items and it is the organisational system that is letting them down and not helping them maintain their clutter and have an organised home.
Others will happily stick to a system if they had one or you give them one but find it hard to get over the common objections of “it cost a lot of money” “I might use it one day” “Oh but that was from that one time when we went to the beach…”
No matter which person I see the approach will be the same.
To make a plan for what they would like the space to be, create a system that they will be able to maintain alongside their lifestyle and organising style, declutter in one go with of course my support and guidance and then put it all back in its brand new shiny system.
If only it was as simple as that in reality. Of course, these few seemingly simple steps take a lot more effort than it first seems and exactly why many feel daunted by the project at hand, especially if they have tried to sort out that space before and the clutter just returned.
I guess the difference is by accepting the help of an organiser, you have the benefit of not guessing what system will work for you and if you end up storing clutter again or not. They will do that research for you and ask all the right questions.
These are my favourite category of people to work with as you can make such an impact on a family’s day to day lives in such a relatively short amount of time.
Organised Beauty
This is the stage I would love to be at and will be once my children have decided to all move out and won’t touch anything anymore.
We have all seen the beautiful Insta-worthy homes. The ones with colour coordinated libraries and pantries to die for. Whilst in many homes this is not practical, those with an eye for detail, have the time and patience to maintain such a detailed system may ask an organiser to come and make their space systemised, organised heaven for them.
This is usually pantries, wardrobes and craft rooms however baby’s nurseries are becoming more popular as, well they don’t move around much when they are born do they?
Many families these days need organisational systems to be quick, functionable and easy to use, however those that love to organise and have that very particular look may ask for one area of their home to be completed at a time so that it isn’t too overwhelming to maintain.
These are always hugely fun projects as I can be as creative as possible.
The Good News?
Even if you have read through and thought none of these categories quite hit the mark, it is likely you lean more towards one and cross over into another. By chatting to an organiser and being honest with what is causing you stress in your home, they can usually put together something that will help you and that is because we are used to working with people at any stage, so a hybrid won’t be a problem either.
There is never a reason to be embarrassed, ashamed or guilty for your home. As organisers we have probably always seen worse and to be honest, it is genuinely something they love to do and get great satisfaction making a difference so the worse it is the more they know they can help. I know that I can speak for myself with this anyway.
An organisers soul aim is to create a calm and welcoming home that fills up your energy after a busy day and that saves you time to spend on the things you really want to do.
I hope this helped shed some light on who an organiser helps and whether you could benefit from these services too.
If you are reading this and it has prompted you to make a change and would like to have a chat, you can contact me here or find me Instagram for more hints and tips. If you fancy giving it a go on your own and jumping on any motivation, download my free guide to declutter success here and see how you get on.
The Organised Co. 