Organizing your home and creating an organizational system that actually works can be a massive undertaking. It often requires removing everything from its existing resting place and installing new storage solutions, sorting and decluttering, and filing, shredding or otherwise disposing of items.
Facing this process alone can be daunting, and family and friends can’t always be relied on for an objective eye—especially if you’re trying to downsize their stuff. Professional organizers, on the other hand, are professionally trained and certified experts who will bring specialized knowledge to the table, including hoarding situations, organizing and downsizing seniors and people with disabilities, and other scenarios that may require sensitivity, compassion, and professional guidance.
If hiring someone to organize your home seems too indulgent, consider that hiring a pro organizer is no different than hiring any other kind of home professional like a plumber or an electrician. You wouldn’t repair a faulty fuse box on your own, and tackling a major reorganization might be no different depending on your abilities and interests.
A professional organizer can help you in the short- and long-term, with some (including TSI) offering services such as:
- New home set up
- Downsizing to a smaller home
- Move day oversight
- Space planning
- Packing and unpacking
- Home downsizing, clean out and decluttering services
- General organization
If that alone isn’t enough to convince you, here are 6 additional reasons to consider getting professional help:
- It can be overwhelming to tackle a major reorganization alone
- You’re facing a major life event
- You need objectivity
- You need someone who won’t enable your pack-rat ways
- You need an expert’s input
- You have a tight timeline
Let’s explore these reasons in more detail:
1. Getting organized can be overwhelming to tackle alone
We get it. For most people, going through your own belongings—facing your abundance of things, your possibly questionable choices, your inability to part with your kids’ creations, or your insufficient storage—and being forced to make decisions about how to store everything is objectively terrible and overwhelming. If you find yourself hitting a wall when it comes to evaluating and organizing your belongings, this is a time when it might be beneficial to consult with a professional organizer.
2. You’re facing a major life event
Whether it is a long-distance relocation, marriage, divorce, birth, death, or another type of transition, major life events can make getting organized next to impossible. There is already so much on your plate, and asking you to dedicate time and energy to getting organized at a time when you are celebrating, grieving, or caregiving is a lot. Professional organizers can help take some of that work off your shoulders and lighten your load—literally and metaphorically.
3. You need a fresh set of eyes
When you look at your belongings, you see memories and prized possessions. When a professional organizer looks at your belongings, they see them at face value. Their dispassionate view of your treasured items makes it easier for them to provide an impartial voice that can help you part with things you really don’t need anymore, as well as create the organized space of your dreams—or at the very least the one that you truly need and that’s easy to maintain.
BONUS: Their professional distance makes their suggestions seem less like a personal attack than if you were to seek assistance from a friend or family member, so subconsciously you may take their ideas more seriously and not feel hurt or reject them without consideration.
4. You need someone who will not enable your pack-rat ways
Speaking of the downsides of seeking assistance from friends and family, while it is certainly a low-cost option, they may not be the reliable resource you anticipate. These people may have the same trouble parting with belongings that you do, or they may have a hard time saying no to you or being firm on getting rid of items you really don’t need to keep. They also have other commitments and may not be able to dedicate the time necessary to complete such a large task.
A professional organizer is someone you have employed to help you for a set number of hours. They will come at the arranged time(s) and help you stay honest about your stuff. They also have lots of education and experience working with hoarding situations, seniors, people with disabilities and in other scenarios that may require special handling.
5. You need an expert’s input
While you may be or may know some exceptionally well organized people, you and they do not have the education, experience, and resources that a professional organizer has acquired.
These pros have been certified and have spent years in the field learning and making contacts. This means they will know where to find the best products and solutions to suit your needs, and they’ll have access to a network of resources such as contractors, as well as be knowledgeable about where to donate or sell specific items. Because of their knowledge and contacts, they can often help you with or at least help facilitate junk removal, donations, etc.
TSI TIP: In addition to an expert eye, they also have professional discretion. New and potential clients may feel hesitant, embarrassed, and worried about being judged for their clutter, but professional organizers have seen it all and won’t bat an eye at whatever it is you have lurking in your drawers. This is a job to them and there is no room for judgement.
6. You have a tight timeline
Decluttering and organizing is a time-consuming process no matter how many rooms it includes. It can also be the kind of task you are very invested in initially, but your motivation can quickly peter out as the piles grow, leaving you with a messier home than you started with and no organization system set up. In some situations, this is fine and you may have the time to wait for motivation to find you again, but in others it is not going to work.
If you are moving or remodeling, for example, you will have to get organized ASAP. A professional organizer has the skill set to get you decluttered and organized on schedule, and can help create a timeline (including setting deadlines you have to stick to, if you are someone who will ignore ones you set for yourself).
If you’re not sure whether to hire an organizer before or after your move, consider that decluttering and organizing your home ahead of time means a cheaper move in the long-run. You may also want to keep your professional organizer throughout the entire process—some organizers, such as TSI, also offer services such as:
- Moving day oversight, so you can focus on your family
- Assisting you with both packing and unpacking.
- Setting up storage systems and room layouts
- Organizing drawers, closets, basements, attics, etc.
- Layout design that will identify the most functional and aesthetic placement for your items
Learn more about our Professional Home Organizers & Decluttering Services.
Conclusion
If you’re debating whether or not to bring in a professional because you feel like it’s something you should be able to handle on your own, take a moment to consider how hard it is to create an organization system that works for you and your home without consulting with someone. You have other things to do, and you don’t have time to dedicate to a massive undertaking without help, so don’t be afraid to ask for it.
Professional Home Organizer Services
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About the author: Stephanie Rosenlund is the Director of Strategic Solutions at TSI, the long distance move and shipment provider for thousands of businesses, families, and individuals every year. Stephanie knows all the tips and tricks to make your move or shipment simple and specializes in freight shipping and interstate relocations. In her free time, she loves exploring the world with her husband and two kids.
