When Professional Organizers Laura Lawrence and Vicki Winterton, Co-Hosts of “The Organized Woman Show” offered to help me organize my home office I said, “Yes, Please!” We were already acquainted because they have been to Startup Princess events and so I already knew that I’d love working with them. Vicki is also a Startup Princess Fairy Godmother. Both Laura and Vicki are experts in their field and express themselves in a calm, confident way.
We set up a time over the phone for them to come assess my home and make an action plan. I was a little nervous to let them come over but they assured me that everything would be fine and put me at ease. I purposely didn’t “clean up” extra for them to arrive because I wanted them to see what my house looked like on a regular basis so I could get their ideas. We walked around my house and I told them what areas were trouble spots for us- mail collection, no laundry room- just a laundry closet= no place to sort/fold clothes, a toyroom in the basement that gets little attention and is constantly a mess, and my “office” which is also a guest room that I never work in and have been meaning to “move into” someday (I typically work on my laptop in my living room).
Vicki and Laura asked me a lot of questions such as “how much time a day do you work on your business?” , “how much time do you spend doing other tasks?”, “what activities do you do in your office?”, “where do you keep all of your supplies?”, “how long do you anticipate living in your home?”,etc. Then they made a plan based on my responses and presented it to me.
The first thing they suggested is to spend the majority of my time during they day in the basement where my office, toyroom, and family room/homeschool areas are. Currently I have been going down to the basement for part of the day but moving everything down there for work/school/play is a good idea. It’ll be a transition to get used to but it seems more focused and organized for myself and my kids.
We talked for about 20 minutes about what they would help me with and what I would need to do on my own. I appreciated their approach and how they clearly defined expectations so we would have a successful experience working together. We decided that we would spend the bulk of our time together setting up my office but that they would give me direction and guidance with my mail, toyroom, and laundry.
They suggested that I gather all of my “business” stuff from around my house (sadly I have some everywhere- bedroom, kitchen, living room) and put it all in my office/guest room in the basement. While this seems basic, I just haven’t done it yet and it was good to have it on a task list. They also suggested that I purchase a shelf for my guest closet and store all of my Startup Princess supplies in clear bins on the shelf. Currently I have a lot of scrapbook and craft supplies that I don’t use so I’ll be clearing those things out to make room for my business things.
When the ladies finished they made an appointment to return and outlined what things I would need to have done before they returned. I received an email after our visit with links suggesting products to purchase that would be helpful in the areas we had discussed. All of the products were affordably priced and well selected. When the I’m working with Laura and Vicki I feel nurtured and supported without judgment. I look forward to our next visit! Thank you ladies!
I invite you to learn from Laura and Vicki on their Organized Woman Show, download past shows here. If you’re in the Utah County area, Laura and Vicki are available for consulting and organization support. They are also on Twitter.
