PSSSTT..do you know The Number One Mistake People Make When Hiring an Organizer?
I witness this problem, time and time again. Not that I necessarily carry the title of Organizer, yet, close enough.
Imagine You have a challenge, such as needing to be out of your condo on a certain date. Unless you share the details with the Organizer, it may very not turn out like you’d expect.
A few weeks ago, I was working with a client who had a condo closing on Thursday. It was Monday. She texted to ask if I could help her a few days before said date, to finalize last minute moving details. I jumped at the chance to work and we set up a time for the morning of. Little did I know she wasn’t prepared.
In retrospect, I didn’t ask enough questions and certainly not the RIGHT ONE!!
I came to her door at 7:30am sharp. She was in the shower so I took the dog out to do her business. Reaching for the leash, and poop bags, I took a look around. There were several cupboards stacked with canned food, I peeked in the frig and freezer-sure enough, loaded. Piles, stacks, and scattered items were strewn all over the place, as I walked from room to room.
You can imagine the horror on my face. Like a bad "B" film. People are yelling from the audience, "Get out!"
We had five hours to pack, load the two vehicles, drive one hour each way to the new abode, broom-clean, and for her to be seated on the other side of the table from the buyer, papers in hand.
In life, things take far longer than we think they should. Processing through your house, room-by-room, deciding what needs to go, choosing the pick up and delivery method, then reorganizing the remaining goods is so much to deal with, no matter how much time you think you have.
When you start with a Plan, a great Plan, or even a Good one, the project goes so much smoother.
Start with the end result and work backwards, to get the Plan Outline in place.
The decided beginning is the Question:
“What are you trying to accomplish and by when?”
By the way, we didn’t get the packing, delivery, unpacking, and cleaning done in time. I stayed behind, while she raced to the closing. It took me an additional hour and a half to finish the job. By then, I was plenty sweaty, not to mention disgusted (with myself, mostly.)
I swear, NEVER AGAIN will I not have a clear plan in place.
Please comment below. I’d love to hear your experiences with a project gone awry because there wasn’t a Plan.