The Jenna & Tosh Show
A glimpse into the process of working with a professional organizer; The types of questions you will be asked as a client; Where to start the organizing process.
On Wednesday November 4, 2020 I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity of being a guest on The Jenna & Tosh Show. It was a fabulous experience to be recorded for both their podcast as well as for their tv show on Rogers TV.
Jenna and Tosh kindly asked me to show them a small glimpse of the process I go through with my clients as a professional organizer when I’m organizing one of their spaces. I was able to show them a portion of the process by organizing one of Tosh’s kitchen cupboards.
Prior to the recording, while we were setting things up, we talked about organization in general. A few questions came up about the process. Since these were off-record, I thought I’d share them with you here.
Where to start with a professional organizer?
One of the first questions was: where is the best place to start in a home with regards to organization? It can be hard to determine where to start the process (with or without help) so here is what I had to say about that.
Each individual client is unique so it all depends on where you feel the most stress or frustration, which area looks the worst to you, or what area is most critical for your household to function.
For example, while the kids’ playroom might look the worst, the kitchen might need to come first if it’s the epicenter of your family; if you eat, talk, pay bills, sort mail, and do schoolwork in the kitchen, it’s a room that needs to be functional immediately! For others, areas such as their bedroom, basement or garage might be more important or central to the function of their household.
How long will it take with a professional organizer?
Again, this all depends on the client. Each space is different and the rate of organization often depends on how quickly a person can make decisions. It can also depend on how involved the client wants to be in the process.
I have lots of tricks up my sleeve to make sure that each session is productive. I keep my clients on task, but I never rush a person or pressure them into getting rid of anything. If you need a short break, there’s always something I can do independently to keep the project moving forward. I guarantee that in 4 hours you will see a major and tangible improvement!
Tosh’s tea cupboard “before”
If you haven’t already seen the pictures from the Pickle Planet post, here is the before picture of the upper cabinet we worked on. Prior to recording, we emptied the two top shelves (to save on time while recording) but ultimately emptied it all. Like I mentioned on the show, although overwhelming, the emptying process is a very important step.
After emptying the cupboard, we went on to group like-items together and then sorted them. I mention a few different ways to go about that on the show.
You will notice that I will ask you (the client) questions about what you have, if you use it or not, if it’s important for you to keep it or not. I don’t have ask these questions to my clients to be nosy or to judge. No, no, not at all. I ask you those questions to better understand you and how you function around your home. By having that information, I am better equipped to help you and organize your home with a system that works for you.
“My home is not perfect even though I’m an organizer”
While we tackled the cupboard, we talked about how home organization without kids is very different from when kids enter the picture and how having a system that works for you and your household is key.
When life happens and that the home routine changes, that usually means that the “system” you have may need to be tweaked as your family’s needs change. That is perfectly normal.
Now for the “after”
We were able to finish organizing Tosh’s cupboard shortly after the recording of the show and boy oh boy does it look different!
As you will hear or see on the show, Tosh only kept half (and maybe a little less than half) of what was in her cupboard. Ends up that most of what was stored in it actually didn’t belong there. All this was done using what the client had on hand.
I could have gone as far as adding containers, baskets, labels, etc. However, that is not a necessity when organizing a space. If you want me to do that when I organize your space, I can. If you want me to use what you have on hand, I can do that as well.
Are you intrigued about the process of working with a professional organizer? (aka: me 🙋🏻♀️) Make sure to check out the video on Rogers TV to see how I went about the process with Tosh’s tea cupboard OR listen to the podcast episode on your favourite app or on the Pickle Planet website.
If you ever have any questions, make sure to check out the Frequently Asked Questions section in the Services section on my website. You can always contact me via my social accounts or by email if you have any questions.
