As a professional that’s been helping people get organized for over 25 years, I’ve learned a few things about working with clients. My goal has always been to provide the best, most personalized service possible so that my clients receive the quality organizing help they deserve. While there are several factors that go into delivering this type of service, the overarching theme is communication.

As an organizing professional that specializes in working with many chronically disorganized clients that are challenged by the organizing piece in their lives, my client/organizer relationships tend to extend over a long period of time. Being able to maintain an open dialogue is essential.

5 Tips for Ensuring the Best Organizing Help

1. Use Two-Way Street

The best relationships are truly based on a two-way street. While I believe in the “client is always right” maxim, there still needs to be open, honest dialogue. It’s important to be able to discuss expectations and boundaries of both the client and organizer. The client/organizer relationship is collaborative in nature, so being clear about needs and expectations will result in better service and organizing help.

2. Accommodate Environmental Preferences

Many of my clients are sensitive to their environments. Sound, light, scent, movement, and temperature can enhance or detract from a productive organizing session.  I’m always watching out for these types of issues, but it’s wonderful when a client lets me know about their preferences. This way I can be more aware of their needs so that they will have a positive organizing experience. Some of the preferences and requests I’ve encountered have included:

• Wearing solid, dark colored clothes instead of patterns and bright colors to accommodate visual processing sensitivity

• Being quiet, not talkative, while working to accommodate attention and focus challenges

• Playing upbeat music to create a happier mood while organizing

• Not wearing scented products due to aroma sensitivities

• Being less active with my body language (as in don't move hands wildly while talking) due to visual processing sensitivity

• Talking more slowly and loudly due to auditory impairment

• Adjusting the room temperatures frequently (windows opened or closed, air conditioner on or off, heat up or down) to accommodate body temperature fluctuations

3. Clarify Goals

The more the client invests in communicating and clarifying their organizing goals, the better help they’ll receive. Flexibility is an essential aspect to any project, especially when the projects are multi-faceted. Yet even so, giving some pre-thought to each organizing visit helps to get things moving in a good direction. There are times when my clients get overwhelmed and aren’t sure what they want to focus on. It’s useful to take some time at the beginning of the organizing visit to discuss possibilities and to figure out some options together. The clearer clients are about what they want, the better organizing help they’ll receive.

4. Practice Self-Care

I love organizing and particularly helping others to organize. However, not all of my clients approach organizing with the same love and zest. They have the desire for the results, but they don’t necessarily enjoy doing the work to get there. So even though I work to keep the atmosphere fun and upbeat, all of the decision-making can be fatiguing for my clients. To get the most out of their sessions, it’s beneficial when they practice pre-session self-care. This includes showing up well-rested, minimizing distractions(as in kids, email, phones, and pets,) or being properly fed and hydrated. Then during the sessions, knowing when a water, bathroom or snack break is needed is also important. I watch out for the signs, but it’s great when my clients self-advocate. Then I can better support them.

5. Do Check-Ins

One of the keys for getting the best help possible is to do periodic check-ins with your clients. These can be done before, during, after or in between organizing sessions. A simple, “How are you doing?” can yield a lot of important feedback. Some clients will readily express what they’re feeling and experiencing, while others need to be drawn out. It’s useful to do a check-in at the start of a session to set the intentions (goals and timing) for that day. Checking in several times while organizing is important too. Doing a wrap-up, check-in is also helpful. Touching base between sessions can also be valuable. A check-in provides info-gathering moments that make time for sharing feedback and incorporating needed adjustments. 

Do any of these tips resonate with you? Do you have any you’d like to add to the list? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!