Don’t Open What You’re Not Prepared to Close
After I have finished a consultation with a new client and we are ready to start working together, I am often asked, “what should I start working on before your team arrives?” I know this comes from wanting to use our time to her maximum benefit, so I will advise, “It’s not necessary to do anything, but if you must, don’t open what you’re not prepared to close.”
I say this because an unfinished organizing effort on a problem room, can actually make the situation worse. Getting organized always requires pulling things out, spreading them out, and seeing exactly what you’ve got. If there’s no plan for redistributing these things, it’s easy to get discouraged, and leave them out with the intention of getting back to the mess. Somehow that never rises to the top of the priority list. Consequently, the important stuff with once familiar locations gets mixed with the more questionable stuff and you’re worse off.
Finishing what you start can essentially be solved in one of two ways:
- Take on a smaller project, like a junk drawer or a small stack of papers.
- Make the necessary preparations for a large project, so that you can leave and return to it reliably.
Let’s say you want to take on a larger project, like a cluttered guest room. Here are some ways to prepare, so you can always finish what you start.
Staging area. If a room has filled up over the course of days, weeks, months or even years, it is a mistake to think you can organize it in a couple hours. If possible, set up an area outside the room, where you have some comfortable space for processing, including a completely clear table.
Lidded boxes. Getting organized and staying organized are two separate things. Start by sorting like items into clearly labeled cardboard boxes temporarily. That way, when you need to leave the project, sorted items will still be all together and findable. Lidded boxes mean that you can stack them vertically and open up horizontal space to work.
Exit zone. It’s simple physics. If there’s a large volume of stuff in the room, then a sizable volume needs to come out of the room. Designate clear areas for items to toss, items to donate, items to sell, and items to go elsewhere. Again, temporary labels for these areas keep mistakes from happening and they save time when you return to the project.
Timer. It possible to get more done in a focused hour than an unfocused day. Set a timer, move quickly and stay on target. Only answer phone calls that are emergencies. Otherwise, there are very few things that can’t wait an hour. When you wrap up, work towards leaving things in a manageable state to return to.
General to Specific. Don’t start making systems before you get a full handle on the quantity you are keeping. Quantity dictates systems. It is much easier to finish what you start, if you are focus on just one category at a time. That’s why it is always best to start by sorting things into general categories, eg. Office supplies, keepsakes, décor, loose paper, tools, etc
Even if you do take on a smaller, more manageable project like the junk drawer, many of these same rules will apply, if you want to reliably finish what you start.
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In the past several years, I had emptied 4 separate dwellings, my grandmother’s apartment, my mother's house, my mother-in-law’s house, and my mother’s next apartment.
Intrigued by the notion of death cleaning and the painful memory of the cleanouts, I too began to consider what I might choose to leave behind.
So, what began with a trial run, (a thorough clean out of my eldest son’s childhood bedroom) I was ready to accomplish something far greater.
When my kids learned of my intention to launch an attack on the mother of all clean-outs (the basement), they worried what this might entail both physically and emotionally, So, to my surprise, a plan was hatched for a consultation with organizer, Matt Baier!
Meeting with Matt, with the support of my husband, and in the presence of the madness (furniture from various owners, cardboard in every size and shape, school supplies from a lifetime of working in classrooms, and twenty-three plastic bins containing the details of my children’s lives)... felt like the perfect storm.
As we continued to mine through vessels of pottery, glass, random art supplies, remnants of carpeting, wood, and fabric, costumes, tubs, screens, windows, and a life-size stuffed man we called Ned, Matt was busy outlining a tactical plan of action. Meanwhile, as we stepped amid multiples of objects including, but not limited to, kitchen appliance, toys, exercise equipment, electronics, glassware, three TV’s, VHS tapes, cartons of emergency meals packed since 2001, and mountain of debris that hadn’t seen the light of day in years, Matt’s resolve only grew stronger.
Unequivocally, meeting Matt was the lifeline we needed to pull us up from the weight of what we no longer needed in order to pass it all on to those who could benefit from donations.
So with a plan in place, come that Wednesday, a team of three remarkable women arrived at 9:30 a.m. to bring order from the chaos, in two short days.
The process from day one would have been impossible to imagine. But these three incredible workers managed to remove everything from the basement in systematic stages, but not before passing each and every object, large and small, through my hands for my simple proclamation: keep, donate, trash or sell. Although daunting in scope, with each passing minute, the sorting really was simple, fast and surprisingly painless! Granted, I was a motivated purger, so nothing gave me more happiness than shouting: donate with as much gusto as I could muster!
These women were absolute angels. They were physically and mentally strong, determined to complete the work on time, and committed to organizing and reorganizing with thoughtful intention and microscopic precision to the work of sorting and discarding. In no time, as the basement grew unbelievably spacious, these three, then assembled new industrial shelving to accommodate clear, labeled bins (all provided by Matt) to create a visually consistent and clean appearance to this new system of organization
Through it all, Matt and his crew demonstrated common sense, sensitivity, practicality, wisdom, efficiency, an uncanny ability to problem solve and think on their feet, professionalism, most of all, kindness.
Included in the package was the capable Junkluggers crew. They arrived to haul it all away from my backyard: first to their charity center, then, to a consignment shop and finally to the dump to deposit my trash.
What a relief to watch them pull away with most of my basement firmly ensconced in the bed of their truck.
One week post clean out, I process the experience a little more each day. The sense of well being and gratitude I feel is immeasurable.
Thank you Matt!
We decided to use Matt Bowers organizers based on recommendations and meeting with Matt Bowers himself.
All of our expectations were met and more. His team of experts were great. They were true professionals in every aspect of the word. Always on time, very knowledgeable and experienced and very accommodating. All through the project they were very attentive to our needs and opinions. And not less important were always punctual and industrious.
Our house is so much more functional now and better organized while we managed to get rid and donate a huge amount of stuff that was just occupying space.
We highly recommend Matt Bowers Organization
Noni and Giora Davidai, New canaan CT
Matt and his team were very professional, responsive to my needs and were able to accommodate my aesthetic into their work. But most importantly they were fun to work with and I felt completely at ease discussing my challenges with them. They truly listened. I would recommend them for any project without reservation.
After several other moves, one of which we were only given a 24-hour notice to move all household items into storage, items were just boxed without labels. Since we had no idea where certain items were, duplicate items bought and used. Along came another move, and we continued to box and move those items again. Finally, we needed to combine similar items to reduce the clutter! The team worked so well, always exceeding my expectations by getting this massive project done! It is wonderful to be organized again and able to find items with ease.
The process with the Team is simple, and you work at your own pace. No one will pressure you to get rid of items. Also, there is a great option to donate items. We were fortunate to have boxes and boxes of kitchen items, household, and bathroom items neatly organized or donated to a charity. We can not thank the team members enough for all the work that they did.
We find so much more clarity with an organized home. The flow of our home is peaceful, and we no longer staring at clutter or rearranging boxes to get them out of view!
Matt's company came highly recommended by several local Realtors. At first, I was a bit concerned about the pricing seeming very expensive; I quickly realized that it was worth every penny and soon became a seasonal client.
The team arrives so prepared and professional; they know just what to do and I can be as involved as much as I choose; or not all. They just get the job done.
Just as an example, I had over 15 file boxes of papers and Matt's team organized and reduced it down to only 4 well organized drawers.
Our personal items were sorted, organized, donated or stored neatly throughout the house.
Matt's team was a life saver for my family. I would highly recommend their service; The results are well worth the investment.
Imagine An Organized Home