Fall is a beloved time of the year for many. Finding warmth on a dark, chilly night; pulling out old sweaters; taking a drive to see the fall foliage; going to a pumpkin patch with hayrides and corn maze wanderings; nutmeg and spice-flavored everything…the list of “cozy” goes on and on. Here at The Whole Package Organizing, though, October is a special month for an additional reason: it marks the anniversary of our merge! As two professional organizers trying to make it on our own in 2016, we realized that working together as a team would be exponentially more effective. It’s been a momentous year. For longtime clients and those just finding us online, we’d like to reflect on what this year has brought us, and use that insight as a launching pad for new goals to set this coming year.
I. Simplify: In our own personal lives and as business owners, we’ve put a lot of thought and effort into how to simplify: simplify our organizing processes, create clear systems for clients and our families, establish top priorities, and edit any excess clutter. We’ve cleared out our closets and garages, streamlined chores, and experimented with the best apps to capture to-do lists. Mary was able to attend a retreat in Ecuador last November on Minimalism and Mindfulness, and we both participated in Joshua Becker’s Uncluttered challenge. There were personal milestones this year too: a big move for Mary and a new baby for Sarah, and these events only solidified our desire to simplify!
II. Professional Development: One of the best returns on investment was to join Utah Professional Organizers two years ago. We meet monthly for chapter meetings, do fun things like tour The Container Store, and listen to speakers or panels address topics relevant to our field. The association with these colleagues has been rich and rewarding, the education top-notch. We learn from each other, work together on big jobs, and perform service for the community. Tech-savvy Sarah currently serves as Administrative Director on the board, helping the group organize information online; Mary serves as Social Director, coordinating annual luncheons and a new mentoring program. With our membership comes access to recordings of speakers at the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) yearly conferences.
III. Service and Community Involvement: Since last October, there have been two opportunities to volunteer in service projects: Candy Cane Corner, organizing donated Christmas presents for families in need, and The Road Home. At their Palmer Court location, where the homeless are able to come off the street and live in apartment-style housing, our UPO team completely reorganized the donations center. What rewarding work! The Whole Package Organizing also raffled off organizing hours for Rocky Mountain Strings, and worked all summer to coordinate Millcreek’s Venture Out arts and crafts booth. WPO taught a class on Organizing Trends at the University of Utah’s Lifetime Learning program (teaching students above to fold in the KonMari style), and spoke at a Suzuki conference as well.
IV. Hands-on Organizing: We spent 1545 hours organizing for clients this past year. We’ve worked on kitchens, pantries, home offices, bedrooms, closets, family rooms, garages, basements, and storage units. We’ve helped families move, and more unpack. Our handyman built custom shoe shelves, music shelves, and specific storage areas in closets. We hired 14 extra organizers throughout the year for big jobs, carpooled to places as far as Oakley and Roy, and sent someone to work on a cabin for a client 4 hours away. We’ve handled life-sized terracotta warriors from China, belly dance costume collections, rooms full of sheet music, mountains of food storage, and enough papers to stack to the moon and back (okay, maybe not quite that many). WPO has assembled furniture, done laundry, swatched swaths of material, killed black widows in garages, categorized kitchens, rainbowtized books and clothes, and sold items for clients (including a golf cart!). We’ve sweated it out in attics and nearly froze in a storage unit in sub-zero weather. We have helped clients downsize, clear out estates, get ready for a renovation, adjust to a birth or death in the family, and…have gotten attached to everyone we’ve worked with. We love hearing about your triumphs, challenges, and personal updates, and can truly say over the past year that we have gained many new friends.
V. Future Goals: There’s much more to learn! We continue our education as professional organizers by following blogs, reading books on organizing topics, listening to podcasts, and keeping current on the latest debates in the organizing world. Our goals for the next year include finding more speaking engagements, continuing to participate in UPO volunteer projects, and unveiling our own service project for families who can’t presently afford a professional organizer. Stay tuned!
Thank you for impacting our business. We would love to help you find a more simplified, organized life. Leave us a line on our contact page and let us know how we can help!
