What to Expect When Hiring a Professional Organizer

 What does a professional organizer do?

Understanding what professional organizers cayman do is critical to achieving your organizing goals. A professional organizer uses principles and techniques to teach clients organizational skills and design customized systems. The organizer helps the client gain control of their time and space by creating appropriate, customized organizing systems for the client and helps them develop skills to maintain organization.

Organizers come from a wide variety of backgrounds and professions and therefore offer a wide range of organizing services. While most professional organizers specialize in residential or commercial organizing, there are also niche services such as moving, estate organizing, organizing special populations (attention deficit disorder, chronic disorganization, children, seniors or students), event planning and public speaking.

Residential organization specialists typically offer services such as space decluttering, storage design, living space design, personal coaching, time management, filing and home office organization, and planning, packing and unpacking for moves.

Business organization specialists work with clients to improve and increase productivity, develop workflow systems, space planning, filing and paper storage, electronic organization, time management, creating streamlined inventory systems, space planning, and much more.

While many professional organizers cayman islands specialize in one or more areas, there are some services that most do not offer. Organizers typically do not offer cleaning or secretarial services, but they can often refer you to other companies that do.

Now that you know more about professional organizers, how do you find and hire them?

Finding a professional organizer is fairly simple. First, check the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) website www.napo.net for free referrals. You can also check local phone books or search engines for listings. Most organizers are listed as “Organizing Services: Household and Business” and will specify the type of organizing services they offer.

Once you contact an organizer, they will conduct an initial consultation in person or by phone to assess your needs, your environment and ask you questions about your daily activities and long-term goals. The assessment consultation may be paid or free, this varies by organizer, but they will inform you of their policy. Based on the assessment, the organizer may provide you with a verbal or written plan for the project, the cost, and develop a timeline for completion of the project.

If you hire a professional organizer who is a member of NAPO, he or she must agree to abide by NAPO’s Code of Ethics. The Code of Ethics is a set of guidelines for professional conduct with clients, colleagues and the community. As a NAPO member adhering to the code of ethics, a member is committed to serving clients with confidentiality, objectivity, integrity, competence and respect.

What happens next?

After the evaluation and agreement on all the conditions, the professional organizer will schedule an appointment with you to begin work. Your organizing project will require your participation and that of the professional organizer. The Professional Organizer will

- Physically work on site

- Assess your personality type, work style and environmental influences to create systems that best meet your organizing needs.

that best meet your organizational needs.

- Provide you with actionable suggestions, practical solutions and organizational methods.

- Act in a respectful and non-judgmental manner.

- Support and encourage you to achieve your organizational goals

- Provide you with resources and tools that will save you time and money.

As a client, you will:

- Partner with your organizer to work through all stages of the project

- Make decisions and be willing to let go of things

- Communicate how you feel to your professional organizer.

- Be patient with your progress, but proud of your accomplishments.

- Do your homework

- Maintain the work you have done

Now that you have a better understanding of the services provided, how the work is accomplished, and what is expected of the client, you can successfully launch your organizing project.