HALF THE BATTLE - An Organizing Emergency

Many things can be “Half the Battle” – Motivation is one of them when it comes to organizing. 

 

A call from a potential client – that had been a referral – ended with the thought that I just received an organizing emergency call. This client was not having a ‘serious, unexpected, and/or dangerous situation requiring immediate action’ but once a person decides that their chaos is no longer acceptable, emergency can be the best word to describe how they feel.   This client had motivation and it’s always best to act quickly since motivation can be fleeting.   

Regardless of the reason that prompted her enthusiasm, I happened to have an open session available the following Monday so we scheduled a 6hr speed session for the garage. Normally I don’t recommend tackling something this large in a single session but the client and the spouse were hard workers so I took a chance and it paid off.

The garage had become a transitional space for things when they returned to the home after a significant home repair that required relocation.  Upon moving back in to their home, they were short on time due to work schedules and the birth of a second child and then of course now that they had 2 children under the age of 4, they had no time to deal with the stuff.

To make a speed session work, everyone has to be on the same page and work together.  This actually helps my clients in the long run because they often touch something from every category and tactile reinforcement of visual or auditory information is beneficial for long term memory.

A speed session has the same process as a normal session, just with a little more energy (aka caffeine). 

·       When removing the belongings, put them in general categories – Holidays, Camping/Travel/Sports, Tools/Hardware/Repairs, Archives, and the like.   Remember not to over think it – simple groups are better.

·       Readjust shelving to be more efficient – adjusting heights and styles by matching similar types and eliminating wasted space will make for a more visually organized space often eliminating the need to purchase a matching set of shelves.

·       Consider what needs to be access quickly and often and prioritize your space allocation.  Garages work well for the ‘Costco Pantry’ but if it’s not accessible – what’s the point?

·       Restoring the inventory to the shelves in logical locations where access makes sense – daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal items.  Consider bins, trays, and/or boxes to contain things and labeling where needed.

At the end of the session the clients knew where everything was in the garage, donated 1 car load of stuff, had 1 short homework list of ‘things to do’, and were smiling knowing that their car would fit in the garage that night.