Q: What is a professional organizer?

A: A professional organizer is trained to provide information, resources and expertise to help clients get organized.

Q: What can I expect when I hire Order in the House?

A: Well, to a great degree, that depends on you. First, you decide that you want to get organized! Then you call Order in the House. Now the hard part is behind you! You and I will meet for a complimentary one-hour consultation to discuss your organizational challenges, look at the physical space to be addressed, and find out what is and is not currently working for you. A truly successful outcome cannot happen without this part of the process – if I offer a solution without first getting to the root of your organizing challenges, then the solution probably won’t work for you. Once we’ve discovered what the problem is, I will get to work on some solutions. I usually provide two or three options so that you can tell me which will best fit your lifestyle.

Q: Do I have to be there for implementing the solutions?

A: Again, that depends on you. You can be as involved or as absent as you want to be during this process. Some people want to be there for everything and partner with me through the process. Others want to go away and come back once I’ve finished. Either is fine.

Q: I’ve tried to get organized so many times before, and a couple of times I thought I had been successful. But I never stay organized. Hardly any time passes before things are a mess again. How will this time be different?

A: The problem might be that you’ve confused “tidy” for “organized.” If a room is tidy, it can look organized even if it’s not. And you’ve found out the hard way that things can get untidy very quickly if there’s no system for keeping it tidy. Even the best organizational solutions have to be maintained once they’re created. At the conclusion of your job, I will walk you through all the steps to successfully maintaining your new system. Some people feel comfortable taking it from there. Others prefer that I return on a regular basis and help them with the maintenance. I’m happy either way – as long as you are!

Q: My house or office is such a mess that I’m embarrassed for anyone to see it, even an organizer!

A: First of all, you’re not alone. Everyone thinks their mess is the worst I’ve ever seen. If organizing came easy for you and you had lots of extra time on your hands for such tasks, you wouldn’t be hiring a professional organizer. That’s what I’m here for. Secondly, I work according to the NAPO Code of Ethics, which calls for strict client confidentiality. I will not discuss you or the work I do for you with anyone.

Q: Do you take “before and after” pictures?

A: I do like to take “before and after” pictures with a digital camera. It’s fun to see the progress that was made. I will leave them with you so that you will have the pictures for your own personal use. Occasionally I will ask a client if I can take pictures to put in my photo portfolio. But whether the client says “yes” is totally up to them. The photos that I use in my portfolio and web site are not identified in any way, so no one will know where I took the photos.

Q: What geographic area does Order in the House serve?

A: Basically, intown Atlanta (inside the perimeter).

Q: How much will getting organized cost?

A: Because each client’s needs are different, there is no way to estimate that until we have our consultation. Fees are charged on an hourly basis. Your overall cost will depend on three basic variables: (1) the scope of the work (2) how much you will be involved in the process and (3) whether or not you will need products such as shelving or containers in order to implement our plan. We will discuss these variables during the complimentary consultation.

If you have a question that was not answered here, please contact me me and I’ll be happy to answer your questions.