…“Tell me what is working”…  I always ask this question when I begin work with a client.  It’s natural for people to focus on all the areas in the home that feel cluttered and look unorganized.  However, I know that even when everything appears to be disorganized there is always something that we can build on.  It could be something small, like a key hook by the door or an ingrained habit to check mail daily. Once we determine what is working, we use those skills and habits the client is already comfortable using to tackle the areas of the home that are not working.  The best organizing solutions use and improve on the skills we already possess. Read on for 3 real life examples of how I have worked with clients to build on success.

The chef

On our first call, this client expressed her dissatisfaction with her pantry - “I get frustrated that I can’t find things and end up shoving stuff back in. It has never worked for me”.  She sent me photos of the pantry and a couple of things jumped out - great central location, a small rack on the back of the door that was being heavily used, existing turntables and one shelf organizer.  

Solution - Go with what is working but GO BIGGER.  A back of the door rack from Container Store made use of the entire door with generous baskets that hold 3 times the stuff the original rack could store.  We put in place a wider, deeper shelf organizer that can hold more cans and jars. We used the existing shelves and turntables but created storage ‘zones’ by defining exactly what each shelf stores.  All this project took was a phone consultation, a trip to the Container Store, and a 3-hour session to take this pantry from frustration to perfection. 

The crafter

This client is an expert user of needles - sewing, knitting, needlework, crochet - you name it and she can do it. She called me because the level of craft supplies had built up in multiple rooms in the house and looked disorganized.  I couldn’t help but notice that everything but the craft supplies in this home was perfectly organized but it did seem as though a craft store had exploded in her home.  However, she had mentioned her crafting workflow and that she preferred to knit in the family room and sew upstairs. Her habits gave us the inspiration to separate all supplies by those two main categories - sewing and knitting. As we sorted, I did the running up and down the stairs to group everything by these categories.  Once we had our main groupings, it was easy to use the existing organizational solutions in the sewing room to store fabric and tools.  We filled a wall in an underutilized room on the main floor with storage to hold all the yarn in a way that made it easy to see and easy to access. She texted me that she now loves organizing!

The academic

On the first appearance of this client’s home, it appeared nothing was working because everything was piled everywhere in layers of stuff.  But sometimes I learn as much from my clients as they learn from me. For this client, her determination and intelligence would be the key factors we could build on.  I quickly learned from her that the best approach was to plan and strategize each space BEFORE we went into that space and started touching the stuff.  In our strategy sessions, we would develop rules and guidelines for an area of the home that I could execute and she could review.  She felt less overwhelmed this way and we were able to work through spaces quickly.  Even better, she has maintained organization on her own now that she has a strategy in place that defines how each area of her home should function and what should be stored there to support that function.  

The road to success is a lot shorter when we can build on what we are already doing well. I’ve found that by looking for and naming what is working we boost optimism and motivation. This approach also leads to long-term organization because we are working with the skills and habits that already come easy to the client.  It’s not enough for me to leave a client organized…I want to leave them with the skills and systems to stay organized.