Organizers and coaches are in helping profession industries. Our clients reach out for our help in a variety of ways from navigating challenges to organizing space, thoughts, and time to discovering new perspectives. We are passionate about helping our clients succeed and grow. I was curious about what early influences encouraged my colleagues to enter their profession. To understand more I reached out to this generous, compassionate group of organizers and coaches – Andrea Sharb, Aby Garvey, Ellen Delap, Yota Schneider, and Seana Turner. I asked them, “What childhood influences led you to enter a helping profession?” Their responses are inspiring. My deepest gratitude goes to each of them for sharing their personal stories with us.

I asked my colleagues . . .

What childhood influences led you to enter a helping profession? . . .

Watching Others

“My parents were definitely the biggest influence.  As a child my mom volunteered in my school and for various non-profits.  As I grew, I watched both mom & dad volunteer at church and for organizations like the United Way.  Now in their seventies, they still value volunteering and still give countless hours in support of organizations and causes important to them.  I watched and learned.  When I left my previous career to become a full-time mom I began a regular practice of volunteering myself and the volunteering provided for a very natural progression into a helping profession eight years ago.”

Andrea Sharb, CPO-CD®, ACC®, COC®, CPO® – Professional Organizer & Productivity/ADHD Coach

Cultivating Interests

“I don't recall any particular person or outside influence that led me to enter a helping profession. Instead, I remember being innately interested in two particular helping careers, teaching and nursing. As I child I also loved organizing my closet and rearranging my room. Today I have combined two of those early interests, teaching and organizing, into a career that allows me to help people learn new skills and make meaningful changes in their lives.” 

Aby Garvey – Professional Organizer, Author & Online Class Instructor 

Modeling Values

“From as early as I can remember, serving and helping others has been a focus of my family.  As a child and teen, my parents always suggested ways for us to be involved, including Girl Scouts and Candy Stripers.  In college there were many ways to ‘give back’ including Gold Key Guides giving tours to perspective students.  My parents were committed community members, modeling involvement.  Giving back and philanthropy are a family trait.”

Ellen Delap, CPO® – Certified Professional Organizer, Productivity Consultant & Blogger

Overcoming Adversity

“Where do I begin? Maybe with the heartache of growing up with a twin sister who was handicapped. I spent my childhood trying to somehow set things right for everyone. That turned out to be quite an impossible goal and a heavy burden that I had to contend with my entire life. Eventually, and after many years of inner work, I realized that helping isn't about setting things right for others. Instead I could use my skills, creativity, and personal experience to help my clients own who they are and blossom.”

Yota Schneider – Life Coach, & Mentor & Blogger

Practicing Joy

“I was lucky enough to have adults in my young life who gave me the opportunity to bless others: by bringing a meal, holding a door open, sharing clothes, or simply visiting a homebound person. What I observed is that few things lift our spirits like getting our focus off of ourselves and onto someone else! Discovering that the very thing I LOVE doing brings pleasure and relief to others is frosting on the cake.  It is the unwritten law of the universe – in doing what we do best, and sharing it, we find our deepest joy.”

Seana Turner – Professional Organizer, Blogger & Life Coach

It’s fascinating how deep the desire to help runs and the obvious joy we derive from helping others. What have your experiences been? Are you more comfortable giving or receiving help? Are you equally comfortable in both roles? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!

From the perspective of being a professional organizer for more than twenty years, I consider my field to be one of the helping professions.  There are many ways I assist my clients, which involve helping them with their “stuff.” I use that term loosely because it isn’t always the traditional physical things of life that are part of the work. The “stuff” extends to emotions, time, transitions, and more. While the list is extensive and ever changing, I’d like to share a recent sampling of how I’ve helped.

While my clients have a wide range of needs, I specialize in working with individuals who struggle with chronic disorganization. I have extensive training and certification in chronic disorganization through the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD).

What are some of the ways organizers help their clients? Depending upon your perspective, as you read ahead, you might identify ways that you might benefit from hiring an organizer. Or perhaps, you’ll discover new options to provide organizing help to others. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

10 Ways Organizers Help Clients With “Stuff”

1. Assessment Stuff - Organizing involves doing and thinking. Assessing is done at various stages of the organizing process. It’s always done before work begins, so we can understand the organizational areas that need attention. Assessments don’t end there. They continue once the work begins. Each organizing visit includes an assessment before, during, and at the end to help clients stay focused, adjust the scope as needed, and acknowledge their progress.

2. Physical Stuff - No matter how much the digital era has infiltrated our lives, we still have an abundance of physical things to manage, maintain, evaluate, and organize. From papers to clothing, toys, and gadgets, helping to organize the physical possessions of life and the space we live and work in is a major part of the work I do.

3. System Stuff - With all of this stuff, we need systems to manage everything from paper flow to recycling, donation, or return centers. Those are some of the ways I help my clients organize.

4. Emotional Stuff - There are distinct boundaries between organizers, coaches, and therapists. You might more readily equate “emotional stuff” with a therapist’s work than you would with an organizer’s. I’m not a therapist, and I respect the professional boundaries. However, organizing and going through “our stuff” can evoke a range of emotions. While I don’t counsel, I am there to support my clients during the organizing and letting-go process, which can be an emotionally charged experience.

“Organizing involves doing but also thinking.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™

5. Maintenance Stuff - Even after all “things” are organized and in place, there is often a need for periodic maintenance, especially with the chronically disorganized population. This can involve clearing spaces, closets, or surfaces that were previously organized. It can include processing and filing papers, updating financial records, or switching seasonal clothing. Scheduling maintenance builds in time to reroute and restore things to their designated homes and evaluate changes that might be beneficial.

6. Project Stuff - Instead of ongoing, overall organizing help, some clients enlist help for specific projects. This can include everything from organizing a closet to house linens, clothing or gifts to setting up a unique paper management system for college applications, committee work, or writing projects to making lists and packing for a trip. The help needed is often short-term, clearly definable, and has a distinct beginning and end.

7. Routine Stuff -There are times when clients need help with managing routine items like making calls for research, setting up, reviewing, or canceling accounts, scheduling appointments, logging receipts, updating check registers, processing mail, creating lists, or writing correspondence.

8. Resource Stuff - More often than not, I’m asked about specific resources for my clients. Their requests range widely, from help finding the best places to purchase organizing products, sources for donating furniture, companies that remove junk, and therapists who specialize in compulsive buying. I’m constantly collecting new resources, generously shared from other professionals, friends, and family.

9. Time Stuff - Many clients are overwhelmed by their overflowing calendars. Their schedules can feel as cluttered as their spaces. The busyness also affects their thoughts, which can create mind clutter. For many clients, I help them evaluate their time commitments, establish their priorities, work on planning, and design a more comfortable version of the 24 hours they have each day.

10. Transition Stuff - A favorite aspect of my work is the long-term relationships that develop. Especially because of this longevity, I have the privilege of helping clients navigate the organizational aspects that life’s transitions bring, such as marriage, birth, graduation, job changes, children leaving, children returning home, moves, divorce, loss, and death. Transitions are dramatic periods of change. Being able to help clients organize during the tumult gives them some sense of control, normalcy, and comfort. 

I’d love to hear from you. Are you thinking about enlisting help from an organizer? Are you an organizer who helps others? Perhaps you’re in another helping profession. Which ways to get help with “stuff” resonate with you? Introduce yourself and come join the conversation!

We all have dreams, don’t we? One of mine, which has taken almost a decade to come to fruition, has recently been realized. My office area was transformed from a crazy hodgepodge of furniture into a beautifully designed office space created and organized just for me.

Guess what? It didn’t happen quickly or on its own. I needed lots of help along the way. It was a learning process that required patience, persistence, creativity, and collaboration with others. To all the fellow goal chasers and dream seekers, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Which “help” tips resonate with you? Who and what has helped you in the pursuit of your dreams? Some things helped me. Read on and then join our conversation.

Dreams Need Help – 8 Tips

1. Dream Help

Having someone to support, expand, mull over, and tweak your dream is essential. We all need at least one dream buddy to share our journey with. My dreaming partner was my wonderful husband, Steve. He encouraged me to own the dream and not limit my thinking.

2. Letting Go Help

In preparation for my new space, I needed to review and edit my office contents. Letting go of some physical items was part of this process. As a professional organizer, I’m good at asking others those classic letting go questions like, “Do you want it?” or “When was the last time you used it?” or “Is it worth the real estate, energy, and maintenance?” However, I found it helpful when someone else (such as my husband or daughter) posed the questions to me. Hearing the questions out loud from an objective person helped me become more decisive and enabled me to let go of the unessential.

3. Design Help

Putting specifics to my dream meant I first needed to understand how I wanted my office space to look and feel. Words at the top of the list included purple, sparkly, organized, happy, fun, spacious, and calm.

For visual inspiration, I perused my Pinterest boards (mainly Oh, So Luscious Color!, Oh, So Colorful Spaces!, and Oh, So Organized Office!). My husband listened to my ideas, incorporated them into the design, made the best use of the space, created lovely three-dimensional drawings, and helped me select materials and colors.

When everything was installed, the family agreed it was truly a “Linda space.”

4. Heavy Lifting Help

Some dreams require brawn. Mine sure did. I needed physical help with manufacturing, disassembling my office, moving furniture, and installing the new cabinets and countertop. I could not have done this without the muscle team, who included Steve, Nick, Allison, and some talented vendors. Thank you.

5. Patience Help

Patience was mostly an inside job. I had to remind myself that all things worth doing take time. They will and can get done, but adjustments for when they happen will be necessary. It’s the when that can be most trying when pursuing a dream.

6. Discomfort Help

I’m not proud to admit this, but I was extremely out of sorts during the twelve days we had to disassemble my office and temporarily relocate it to the living room. This gave me an entirely new appreciation for what my clients experience regularly. It feels terrible when our environment doesn’t support us.

My living and working areas were in disarray, which made it extremely challenging to function and focus. Fortunately, my family was there to help me navigate being uncomfortable by encouraging a positive perspective and keeping me focused on the goal. My husband gently reminded me, “The chaos will only last a short while.” My daughter, Allison, used a different yet equally effective approach. She said, “Mom, change and chaos are good for you.”

7. Organizing Help

It was joyful being my own client and organizing my new space. Before organizing “stuff” back into the office, I appreciated the emptiness of the space. I felt calm seeing the uncluttered surfaces that had almost no visual noise. As I put things away, I was selective about what deserved a “home.”

Only what I loved and used most returned. I’m still deciding the fate of the many small toys (imagine a miniature Mr. Potato Head or glitter-covered Eiffel Tower) that have always been part of my office decor. A few toys have returned. Before more come back, I’m waiting to see how the space feels with less.

8. Cheerleading Help

Family and friends provided a great deal of encouragement along the way. The high fives, ooohs, ahhs, and “It’s going to be great!” helped me to stay vision-focused and excited. When it was time to select cabinet knobs, I created a quick survey on Facebook. People weighed in on their favorite knob option. The feedback was wonderful. I am grateful for the many cheerleaders who have supported me along the way. Special heartfelt thanks to Steve, Allison, Cassie, Mom, Yota, Peggy, and Elisa for their extra enthusiasm and support.

My space is no longer just an office. It’s now a well-designed space for possibilities, creativity, problem-solving, thinking, planning, writing, teaching, communicating, and being. Thank you to all those who helped nurture and encourage my dream.

What has your experience been when pursuing a dream? Did you go it alone? Did you enlist help from others? I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Do you have a hard time asking for help? Especially for those who are more accustomed to giving than receiving, enlisting help can be particularly challenging. I was curious what my colleagues in various helping professions thought about this idea. I asked Sue West, Kim Oser, Geralin Thomas, Ellen Delap, Andrea Sharb, Helena Alkhas, and Yota Schneider, “What was a benefit you received when you recently enlisted help?” While their responses ranged from general to specific, in each case, the benefit they got was a welcome and unexpected surprise. Their enlisting help discoveries are inspiring and encouraging. My gratitude goes to each of them for making time to reflect and share.

What was a benefit you received when you recently enlisted help? . . .

 Great Collaboration

“Asking for help meant that I couldn’t do it all, yet I wanted to! Time and again, I‘ve been proven wrong. Earlier this year, I was talking with a colleague about wanting to create a time management workshop, but with a different perspective. I was stuck. I was asking for advice, and instead, I got so much more. We created the program together and in record time. We learned from and used respective strengths, e.g., networking for workshop hosts or operational details. For workshop participants, the content was richer, and our interaction brought greater engagement. One question and look at all that’s happened! Yet again!” 

Sue West, COC®, CPO-CD® – Certified Organizer Coach & Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization

Great Support

“It is so easy to take everything on ourselves but it is not always the best solution. We often get tripped up by our fears and go nowhere. I recently was looking to start using an unfamiliar social media resource. I did some research and then contacted a colleague whose success with this resource I admired. I not only learned ways to use it but her help knocked down the fear and enabled me dive in. It is amazing how much easier life can be and how you can achieve greater success when you just reach out for a little help.”

Kim Oser, CPO® – Certified Professional Organizer, Productivity Coach & Blogger

Great Expertise

“Recently, I was contemplating a client-discount for large blocks of time booked with a team of subcontractors. I asked my accountant for ideas on how to approach this and make it a win-win-win for me (the owner of the company), the client, and the sub-contractor.  She immediately did the math and delivered the bottom line:  if/when I discount clients, my subcontractor's percentage of earnings increases while mine decreases unless the sub-contractor decreases her rate as well. That is extremely useful knowledge to have when planning projects, budgets and team members' rates.”

Geralin Thomas, CPO-CD® – Instructor & Consultant for New Professional Organizers

Great Partnerships

“Asking for help has always been natural to me with my team player attitude. When you ask for help, you are signaling to others that it’s not only okay to ask, but everyone’s work and life are all the better for it. Others respond and also ask for help as well. Professionally I ask for help in tasks that I am less familiar with, such as technology or software use. I like to be very specific about what help I need and create a timeline that will work for everyone. This strategy has created great partnerships.”

Ellen Delap, CPO®  – Certified Professional Organizer & Family Manager & Productivity Consultant

Great Accountability

“I’ve been considering offering a group coaching course for ADHD adults for well over a year. I even have a number of individuals interested in participating. I noticed recently that I was having trouble moving past the conceptualization phase. I therefore enlisted the help of a fellow coach who I thought would share my enthusiasm for creating and offering this course. The benefit of asking for help in this situation is accountability. Working with someone else and breaking down and assigning tasks needed to get the course rolling is helping me move beyond conceptualization and into realization.”

Andrea Sharb, ACC, CPO-CD®, COC, CPO® – Professional Organizer & Certified Coach 

Great Savings

“From the babysitter to the graphic designer I have learned the hard way not to try to do it all. While I'd love to take care of things myself, I realized that I was spending more energy, time and money when I didn't enlist help. I finally listed all the activities that would cost me more, both personally and in my business, if I didn't delegate or outsource. Now, I keep a list of resources (free & paid) that I go to on a regular basis. I am more focused, more productive and more relaxed. My favorite help is the grocery delivery service.”

Helena Alkhas – Professional Organizer & Social Media Virtual Assistant

Great Solace

“I was raised to be self-reliant to a fault. Through life experience, I had to learn the art of asking and receiving. My most recent experience of asking for help was last October when my father was suddenly hospitalized. I traveled to Greece to be with him. He declined within three days of my arrival. I found myself in a decision making position that I wasn't completely prepared for. I had to find the fine balance between asking for what I needed without becoming a burden. I gave up expectations and allowed people to help in small ways that were easy for them but made a huge difference to me. Looking back, I know that it was because of this network of "helping angels" that I was able to maintain my focus, stay centered, and see my Dad through his final journey. I feel blessed and grateful.”

Yota Schneider, Seasons of Change Certified Master Coach – Life Transitions Coach, Workshops & Retreat Facilitator, Blogger, & Mindfulness Meditation Practitioner

Enlisting help is the topic we’ll focus on this month. I love how the stories shared by my colleagues are a great way to begin our dialogue. What resonated with you? Do you easily ask for help or do you tend to do everything yourself? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation and share your thoughts about enlisting help successes, challenges, and ideas.