Are you planning to move yourself or someone else this year? Moving is one of life’s most stressful and time-consuming events but it need not cost more than it should. Here are 10 tips to help you prepare for your move that will also help you save on your moving costs.

1. Lose The Weight. Get rid of heavy items you no longer use, need, or love. Long distance movers charge by weight.   Every other charge including fuel, origin and destination fees are based on a percentage of that weight.  A small box of books you haven’t looked at for years could cost you anywhere from $20-$40. Other heavy items to think twice about include: old appliances, the piano never played,  boxes you haven’t unpacked from the last move, older model TV/stereo stands and entertainment centers.
2. Get Onsite Estimates. Don’t ever accept a quote over the phone. Ideally obtain at least two estimates from reputable movers with active licenses so you can compare. Don’t forget to show them everything you are moving – easily forgotten areas include attics, detached storage sheds, basements, patios/yard,  balconies.
3. Consolidate.  If you plan to move items that you’ve long since kept in outside storage, consider consolidating with your existing items instead.  Long distance movers charge extra for second stops and why pay to move something you haven’t missed or used anyway.  If you need to, hire a local hauling service, at a much lower price, to move your stuff out of storage and back to your home for the movers.
4. Donate, Sell or Consign. If you have items of furniture that you no longer love, or won’t fit into your new home (the garage doesn’t count), consider donating them or if they are in good condition, you may be able to consign or sell them privately.  Beware, however, you will still need to pay to have heavy items hauled to a consignment service so factor this into your asking price otherwise you could end up losing money.
5. Get a Reality Check. If you are downsizing into a smaller home, don’t try to guess what will actually fit into your new home. If possible do a site visit and take measurements.  Otherwise, obtain or create a floor plan of your new home so you can visualize where you will place your furniture which will help you “get real” about what you need to let go of.
6. Protect Your High Value Items. It seems counter-intuitive but if you have your movers pack your most fragile items, they, not you, are liable for any loss or damage. In other words, the liability rests with the packer.  Damage and loss to items you own adds to the overall cost of a move.
7. Ensure your move is insured. If you are moving a long distance or have high value items to move, it makes sense to pay an additional fee for insurance against damage or loss.  Most established moving companies will offer insurance through a third party vendor. By law, all movers are required to insure their customers at a minimum .60 per pound of coverage but opt for the “actual value” or “full replacement value” options if you have items valued over $1000.
8. Pack Non-Breakables Yourself. If you don’t want to pay movers to pack everything, pack non-breakables such as books, pots and pans, clothing and soft home furnishings yourself. This will help lower the cost of packing which is usually charged by the hour. And remember, heavy items such as books should go in smaller boxes as you may have to lift them yourself.
9. Be Ready.  Or if you can’t be there on move day, consider hiring a move manager to help you plan and execute your move.  Most local movers charge by the hour.  If your movers have to wait around while you finish that “last minute” load of laundry, the meter doesn’t stop running.
10. Purchase gently used, clean boxes – if you are moving yourself, this is a big cost and time saver. Don’t waste time scrounging around for boxes at the grocery. They can sometimes carry insects or mold which could damage your other items.  Also, avoid purchasing boxes at storage facilities where prices are typically higher.   If you are hiring professional movers, check their supply prices first and get them to agree to charging you for only what they use, not what they bring.

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Are you planning to hire someone to help you with a home organizing project?

Do you know how to find the right service or individual for your needs?

Since this person will most likely be working with you in your home, do you know how to find someone who is both qualified and experienced as well as someone you can trust?

The blunt truth is that anyone can call themselves a “professional organizer.” There are no laws governing the use of the title.   However, there are a few ways you can increase the chances of finding a trustworthy, qualified and experienced organizer who is also a good “fit” for you and your goals.

Even though I own a a residential organizing and move management business,  we don’t work with everyone and not everyone is a great match for us.  Usually when someone calls us to ask about our services, it’s to ask what we charge or whether or not we do a particular kind of organizing. Both good questions. However, there are several more questions you should be prepared to ask when considering the services of a home organizer.

Whether you’ve finally decided to tackle getting your garage, kitchen or office organized, or you need help getting, packed or unpacked before or after a move (or remodel), or you simply are overwhelmed by the piles of paper and other clutter in your home,  finding the right company or individual for the job will mean the difference between feeling frustrated and disappointed or knowing when it’s all done that it was money well spent.

I recommend scheduling 20-30 minutes to chat with 2-3 organizers you are considering. Most should offer this type of consultation by phone, at no charge. Here are some suggested questions to ask when you have decided to hire an organizing or productivity professional.

1. How many years have you been in business? This is a good way to gauge how much professional experience an organizer has working with the public – not just friends and family.  There is a real difference between someone who just launched their organizing business and someone who has been operating for 5 or more years. This doesn’t mean a less experienced organizer lacks the skills to help you but it could mean they don’t yet have in place things like insurance, policies to protect both you and them or processes to be responsive to your needs.   It could also meant they don’t yet have the experience to assess the scope (time and labor) of your project. This is important to know if they are charging you by the hour.
2. How do you charge? You will want to know in advance if an organizer charges by the project or by the hour and whether or not they charge for an initial onsite, consultation.  You will also want to know how they charge if they bring in crew or extra help.  Yes, it is possible to find someone who can do certain types of jobs for $25/hour but it may cost you in the long run.
3. How long is your standard organizing session? Many organizers won’t work for less than 3 hours since they want you to see results, which will in turn make you happy. They know if you’re happy, there’s a likelihood you will hire them again.  Keep in mind that no matter how long you think something will take, chances are it will take longer.  This is because it is more than just the physical task of organizing. The rate at which you make decisions also plays a part in how long it will take. The more decisive you are about keeping vs. letting go of items, the quicker items can be staged for organizing, removal or disbursement elsewhere.
4. Do you work alone or with others? Having a well managed crew will probably mean the work will get done sooner and more efficiently.  Larger jobs, such as unpacking an entire home take more people. A smaller job like organizing a bedroom or closet may just take one organizer.  An experienced organizer will advise you on your options.
5. How do you work with clients who have a lot of sentimental attachments to things?
   This is one of the most important skills an organizer can have.  Most people, whether they admit it or not, are attached to possessions for various reasons. How the organizer responds to you may make the difference between you hiring them back or not.  Most professional organizers will not dispose of items without your explicit permission. Even if you believe you want to be told “toss it,” an experienced organizer will be able to guide you toward a decision you can live with and not regret later.
6. Will you donate items for me? This is a great added service.  Often, the very act of removing items from the home, is what that keeps people stuck in clutter. Don’t fall into the trap of saying, “I will take them myself.”  At the very least make an agreement with yourself and your organizer that if you don’t remove something by a certain date, that you will allow someone to move it for you.
7. Do you recommend and/or shop for organizing products and if so how much do you charge for your shopping time?   Experienced organizers are experts at finding just the right organizing product or tool for their clients, quickly and often for less than retail.  It’s a huge convenience to have someone pick out the right solution for you, much the same way an interior designer can find the right piece of furniture or even a plumbing contractor can find just the right fixture. At LET’S MAKE ROOM, we include shopping time in our packages.
8. Can you provide me with recent client references? Get at least two.  Ask the organizer to provide you with references for the same type of project you need to get done.
9. Do you have a contract or letter of agreement?  It’s always a good idea to have something in writing that confirms your mutual understanding and expectations.   Be sure you understand what the organizer’s process, timeline and fee structure is, including their cancellation policy, before you agree to work with them.
10. What is your cancellation policy? Most likely they will volunteer this ahead of time but if they don’t, ask. Most organizing companies or individual organizers will commit to doing your project to the exclusion of others. This means they are expecting to do work on a particular day and time for which they will be compensated. If you change an appointment at the last minute, it’s difficult if not impossible to reschedule that work at a similar scope and thus they lose income.  To protect themselves from this income loss, most organizers, LET’S MAKE ROOM included, charge for cancelled appointments with less than 48 hours notice.
11. Are you insured or bonded? Insurance for organizers is expensive which is why many don’t carry it. We do. It is there to protect both the client and the organizer from loss in the event of accidental damage to a client’s personal property. Bonding is important if the organizer is subcontracting for other services for which they are responsible in cases of theft.
12. What credentials do you hold? Since the field of professional organizing is not licensed by any State, the industry has become self-regulated, primarily by the National Association of Professional Organizers or NAPO.  NAPO was established in 1986 as a 501C-3 non-profit organization to promote and protect the integrity of its membership as well as the public who benefit from their services.  In 2007, NAPO created a process by which highly experienced organizers could be certified through a separate governing Board. The Board for Certified Professional Organizers or BCPO^®  recognizes and raises industry standards, practices and ethics through independent certification. An organizer who is a member of NAPO must meet a minimum standard before they can claim membership.  An organizer who is certified through the BCPO^®  is entitled to use the CPO^®  designation as evidence that he or she has met specific minimum standards, and proven through examination and client interaction that they possess the body of knowledge and experience required for certification.  Incidentally, I am both a member of NAPO and a Certified Professional Organizer.

Finally, if you are looking to hire an organizing professional the best place to start is by asking people you know who they recommend. You need not say why, you can just simply say, “I have some organizing projects I need done around the house.  Can you recommend someone?”

If you can’t find a personal recommendation, check out these three websites that can help you find a qualified professional in your area:

National Association of Professional Organizers

Certified Professional Organizers

Institute for Challenging Disorganization

Have you ever tried to put a jigsaw puzzle together?

I’m not talking about one of those 12-piece children’s puzzles but one with 1,000, 2,000 or 5,000 pieces.

Imagine now how much more challenging that puzzle would be to assemble if you’d lost the box it came in and you didn’t know what the final image was supposed to look like.

Now try assembling that puzzle knowing that several puzzle pieces of different puzzles got mixed in together.

Lastly, consider that puzzle, once assembled, is actually supposed to do something for you. Not just sit pretty on a table.

Get the picture?

Can you see why you may be feeling puzzled by organizing?

Organizing a room, any room, whether it be a basement, a bathroom a bedroom or a broom closet is like assembling that mega-piece puzzle.

So stop beating yourself up because you haven’t been able to get organized.  There’s a reason. It’s not easy and it takes time!

Here are the steps you’ll have to go through to get the puzzle assembled.

Envision the result. Get a picture in your mind of what you’d like the final puzzle image to look like. This is as much about functionality as it is about aesthetic.

What do you want to be able to do in this space that you can’t do now?

What would you enjoy about this space if it were organized and uncluttered in the way you envision?

What’s essential? And by essential, I mean what has to stay in the room for you to do what you want to do there?

Don’t consider the non-essential items just yet. That comes later.

Sort the puzzle pieces. In the context of a room, that means figuring out what you have. In a cluttered room, items appear to blend together. That’s because our brains are working harder to distinguish one item from the next. That’s also why it can feel so overwhelming to get organized.

When you are dealing with hundreds if not thousands of pieces, this can take time but it’s the easiest part of the process because all you’re doing is sorting.  Sort by type not by how you use it. For example, if you have 5 pairs of scissors group them together vs. “the scissors I use for wrapping gifts” or “the scissors I use for crafts.” This only makes the process more complicated.

Resist the urge to purge. You don’t need to make any decisions yet. And you shouldn’t because it will only slow you down.

Identify which pieces belong to the puzzle. Now that you are surrounded by like piles of puzzle pieces you’ll be able to see and more importantly decide which of the pieces don’t belong.

The key here is to only keep items that you use, enjoy or support the function of that space. Don’t be tempted to keep things because you “might” make use of them some day.

As you purge or decide to part with items,  get them into a box if they belong elsewhere but don’t move them yet. Wait till after you’ve sorted your space.  If you think your friend Jane could use it, put a label on it that says “call Jane” and set it aside. Don’t call her now. Try not to make this a barrier to your process.  Get everything you’ve decided to donate or dispose of out of the room as quickly as possible. This will help you move on to the next step.

What’s left should only be the things that fit with your “image” of what you want your room to be and do for you.

Do you want a den where you can read your favorite books and watch your favorite movies?

Do you want a basement where you can do your laundry, make simple household repairs and store and find your seasonal items quickly when you need them?

Do you want a home office where you can do your work without visual distractions and feel productive at the same time?

Remove the extraneous pieces. If there are pieces – that is objects – that don’t fit with your picture, then strongly consider letting them go. What’s the point of keeping a puzzle with pieces from another puzzle?  That’s like trying to connect puzzle pieces that don’t even belong together.

Once you have all the right pieces, now it’s time to assemble them.

Determine the location for each piece and the best way to hold the pieces in place.  Just as you would with a regular jigsaw puzzle the pieces need to fit the space as well as each other. The “best fit” is determined both by what function it serves in the larger puzzle, and whether it “fits” you and your habits.

I had a client who was on the petite side. She had this fancy hanging pot rack she got as a gift. Every time she cooked, which was often, she would have to climb up on to a step-stool to reach the pot she needed.  The rack may be a nice way to organize pots for some situations but not if you can’t reach them or worse, risk falling every time you go to make dinner.

Contain and maintain the puzzle.   Once the entire puzzle is assembled, it actually becomes whole.  It’s as if all the edges, tabs and grooves of the puzzle pieces have melded together to form one three-dimensional space.

Over time you can accommodate new pieces – provided they replace older one’s that have lost value and meaning. Otherwise your puzzle starts to break down and you’ll quickly find yourself back where you started.

No longer a pile of pieces, your completed space now reveals the image of what you had intended;  Your efficient kitchen, productive home office, peaceful bedroom, organized closet. You have transformed the puzzle into a place to live, work, relax and enjoy. You have solved your puzzle.

By “toss” I mean, dispose of responsibly.

When was the last time you purged your household files?

If your drawers are bulging at the seams, here are 10 types of documents you can purge from your file cabinets today and never look back.

1. Paid household utility bills more than one year old (Shred)
2. Old investment or brokerage statements – just keep the current month’s statement (Shred)
3. Medical receipts more than one year old (Shred)
4. Credit card statements from closed accounts (Shred)
5. ATM and store receipts for low value items more than 30 days old (Recycle)
6. Pay check stubs older than one year-old (Shred)
7. Business cards for people or companies you would never call or refer (Recycle)
8. Loan documents (those large, thick envelopes) when your loan has been sold or paid off (Shred)
9. Closed checking account statements and checks (Shred)
10. Greeting cards from people you don’t love, like or remember (Recycle)

TIP: Items marked as shred typically contain unique personal identifying information such as account numbers, medical record numbers or social security numbers. If you have more than a ream’s worth of documents, box them up and take them to a local shredding service. You can find one in your area by going to Iron Mountain‘s website or do a Google search for “paper shredding companies.”

You organized your toys into neat piles when you were just 5.

You love to move and change furniture around and re-design your living room often.

You’ve helped your friends and relatives get organized for as long as you can remember.

Sound anything like you? Great, but do any of them mean you would make a good professional organizer? Not necessarily. Being a professional organizer takes a lot more than just being organized. Take this quiz and see if you have what it really means to be paid for your skill as an organizer.

Answer YES or NO to each of the following 25 questions.

1. I am okay around spiders or droppings?
2. I can find anything quickly on the internet or a department store?
3. I can move heavy objects by myself?
4. I’ve trained, taught, toured or counseled people who were not my friends or family?
5. I cringe at the word miscellaneous (or have difficulty spelling it)?
6. I can easily spot personal identifying information on a complex document?
7. I like dogs and cats?
8. I can function well on less sleep?
9. I’m physically flexible and don’t mind crawling into small spaces?
10. I’m good at getting to know people quickly by asking the right questions?
11. I’m decisive but not pushy?
12. I can work outside in the rain or cold?
13. I’m just as good at organizing a cluttered garage as a gourmet kitchen?
14. I know how to comfort people at times of distress?
15. I am NOT a perfectionist?
16. I have multiple skills beyond organizing?
17. I can operate a hand drill with ease?
18. I know practically every product sold at The Container Store?
19. I’m good at negotiating?
20. I have excellent spatial perception skills?
21. I like people?
22. I have a great ‘poker face’?
23. I’m a great networker?
24. I never assume something is trash?
25. I know what my time and talents are worth?

If you answered yes to a majority of these questions, congratulations!  You may have what it takes to be a professional organizer. Want to know more? Consider joining NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers), share your comments or contact us at LET’S MAKE ROOM.

I came across these 10 Simple Steps to Staying Organized in Getting Organized Magazine.

Try to commit one or two to memory and start implementing them in your own life.

You can receive a digital version of Getting Organized Magazine, including these great tips by going to this link or copy and paste this URL into your browser:

2012 Summer

1. If you get it out, put it back.

2.  If you open it, shut it.  

3.  If you try it on, hang it up.

4.  If you get it dirty, wash it. 

5.  If you don’t use it, get rid of it.

6.  If it doesn’t fit, donate it.  (my add in….or consign it or sell on ebay if it is a great piece)

7.  If it’s expired, dump it. 

8.  If it’s junk, throw it out.

9.  If it’s a bill, pay it.

10.  If you schedule it, write it down.

What would it mean to you to have April 15th come and go next year as just an ordinary day? No stress, no tears, no panic. This month I have invited a special guest to share her best year-end tax tips.

Jodie Israel, MBA of JMI Accounting is both an experienced accounting professional and financial adviser to Fortune 1000 businesses and emerging businesses. I consider myself extremely lucky that I am one of Jodie’s clients.    Taking a little time now to plan and get organized will save you hours of  hair-pulling, stress later. Read on to discover Jodie’s year end tax tips.

It’s almost the end of the year and time again to get your accounting records in order for your CPA and your tax return.  Even if you’ve stayed on top of everything during the year, there still are some tasks to do to ensure you have things ready to close your books.  Every business is different so the tasks below should be used as guidelines.  Please consult a professional should you have questions or need more direction.

Tasks to Prepare for Year End Close

Get Organized:  Find all receipts for any deductions you want to claim.  Look everywhere – desk, car, wallet, briefcase, etc.  Remember that having no receipt equals taking no deduction.  Be sure to review personal bank and credit card statements to identify any business-related expenses.  Also review business bank and credit card statements to identify any personal expenses.  Pass this information along to your tax preparer.

Cash Receipts:  Make sure all business expense cash receipts are entered into your accounting software.

Reconcile Bank and Credit Card Accounts:  Be sure each month’s statement is reconciled to confirm all transactions have been posted to your accounting software.  This ensures your general ledger bank balance (the bank balance in your accounting software) matches your bank statement.  Fix any mistakes you find.

Petty Cash:  Reconcile your actual petty cash balance to the balance in your accounting software and adjust as necessary.

Invoices:  Make sure you have invoiced your customers for all goods and services provided during the year.  Anything that slips through the cracks is lost revenue.

Accounts Receivable:  Review the outstanding balance and make sure all payments are received within the invoice terms.  Compare the Accounts Receivable balance appearing on the Balance Sheet to the actual outstanding A/R.  If there is a balance outstanding on the Accounts Receivable report but the customer has paid, the payment was probably recorded incorrectly in your accounting software and needs to be corrected.

Accounts Payable:  Review the outstanding balance with your tax preparer to identify any bills that can be “pre-paid” and expensed in the current year.

Notes Payable:  Verify that the notes payable (loans) amounts on your Balance Sheet match the Note statements.  Confirm all notes are posted as liabilities and make adjustments as necessary for any notes paid in full or forgiven during the year.

Fixed Assets:  These are the larger purchases you made during the year, i.e., equipment, automobiles furniture, computers, etc.  Take an inventory of what you have and record the sale or disposal of any fixed assets you no longer own.  Confirm with your tax preparer any depreciation that needs to be posted.

Expense Categories:  Review all expense lines on your Profit and Loss Statement for illogical amounts.  For example, confirm that all office supplies are listed in the Office Supplies expense line and not incorrectly posted to the Auto Expense line.  Your tax preparer will categorize your tax deductible expenses and will need to know that the amounts for each type of expense are correct.  Confirm with your tax preparer if you can deduct all or a portion of the cost of your cell phone, internet, etc.  Also, if you are using a budget, you will want to compare your budgeted expenses to actual expenses.

Inventory:  Verify that your inventory balance is correctly reported on your Balance Sheet.  The easiest way to do this is to take a physical count and compare it to your reported value.  Confirm that the inventory is valued correctly and revalue as needed.  Your tax preparer will need the following:  January 1 inventory balance, the cost of inventory purchased throughout the year, the amount of inventory that was sold during the year, December 31 inventory balance.

Retirement:  Confirm with your tax preparer the amount of 401(k), SEP IRA or Simple IRA contributions you can take.

Payroll:  If you have employees, confirm that all payroll reports either from a third party or for payroll generated in-house are correctly posted to the payroll and tax expense lines.  Confirm all tax has been paid.  Ask employees to review their most recent pay stub to confirm the accuracy of the name, address, etc.  Generate, print and mail W2, W3, and all state and federal tax forms.

Outside Contractors:  If you have used outside contractors, confirm their 1099 status, name, address and tax ID number.  Collect W9 forms.  Generate, print and mail 1099 and 1096 forms.

Year-End Accrual:  Post any year-end accruals.

Depreciation:  Post annual depreciation expense.

Financial Statements:  Print all financial statements.

Back Up Accounting System:  Be sure to make a backup of your accounting software and store it offsite.

Tasks to Prepare for Next Year

Cash Flow Forecast:  Prepare a cash flow forecast for next year.  This will help you identify recurring and non-recurring income and expense.

Prepare a Budget:  Prepare a budget for next year.  Budgets can be a very helpful tool to make sure your business is on track.

Meet with Tax Preparer:  Meet with your tax preparer to identify any bookkeeping procedure modifications.

About JMI Accounting
Jodie Israel has experience in both the accounting and financial arenas, working with businesses of all sizes, from Fortune 1000 corporations to emerging companies.  She has an MBA degree and, as a QuickBooks Certified ProAdvisor, she has experience with all levels of accounting and bookkeeping.

I just hung up the phone with a client who I helped move to Seattle from Oakland.  She called me to tell me she was walking around IKEA shopping and was going to be going to a party later that night for which she had prepared a dish to bring with her. None of this sounds particularly life-changing, but in fact it was.

Two months ago I met my client for the first time.  Carol (not her real name) is a 70-year old woman, divorced with no children, who had been living in her home on a quiet residential street in Oakland for almost thirty years.  A year before our first meeting, Carol had decided it was time to retire and start fresh. Unfortunately, when we met she was no closer to her dream than she had been a year earlier.

She told me she wanted to travel and and socialize more.  She also knew she had to “simplify her life” because she had already signed a lease on a new apartment in Seattle that was half the size of her existing home.

Carol was an accomplished artist, graphic designer and marketing specialist.  She also loved to travel and over the years had collected various souvenirs, books, nick-nacks and other memorabilia.  Her home was musty, and the smell reminded me of my grandmother’s house.  She still had not gone through the items retrieved from her mother, who had died some years earlier.  The house had more furniture than would ever fit into her new home. She had some hard choices to make.

Carol grew up in the mid-west and moved to California to pursue her design career.  She later went on to work for a large bank and then, like many others, watched a lifetime worth of savings practically vanish overnight, the result of people she put her trust in that turned out to be anything but trustworthy.

Raised by a take-charge woman, a pioneer of the women’s movement, who returned to school in her 60s to earn her bachelor’s degree, Carol had clearly inherited her mother’s tenacity. She found a new job that while, less than satisfying, enabled her to save and retire with enough income to never have to think twice about her decision to “start fresh” at 70.

The first time I met Carol (she got my name from her Real Estate agent), she was clearly exited about her new home, an active retirement community she had discovered while visiting her sister who lived near by.  Carol had already started furnishing it and would periodically go there to stay.  Meanwhile, back in her home in Oakland, she was struggling to motivate herself to empty her old house.  She had yet to hire a mover (something I ultimately helped her with)  and was baffled about how she was going to get her old car out of the garage so that the remaining items in her home could be stored there until they could be liquidated, donated or removed.   (I eventually got it hauled away and donated.)

Time and money were ticking away as loudly as the clock above her kitchen door. The resulting stress was causing Carol to feel virtually paralyzed by the long list of “to-dos” I knew we needed to get done if she was ever going to get to Seattle.

We talked a lot but while we talked we worked. Room by room, shelf by shelf, drawer by drawer, Carol and I took what I heard another organizer once refer to as “a reverse shopping trip.”  A deliberate and at times painful process (more for my clients, less so for me) of deciding what to keep and what to leave behind.

Along the way Carol bravely confronted a lifetime of memories, regrets, harsh self-critical voices, not to mention some interesting and albeit, curious collections of bags, bottles, baubles and boxes.

Our journey together was part support group, part-family therapy, part art history lesson and occasionally part-game show, especially when she cheerfully would take on my playful challenge to edit a collection of travel bags while I timed her. (In truth, I never really paid close attention to the time – it was just the idea of making it fun that mattered.)

One day I had an assistant of mine come to help us move some of the heavier items out of the garage. In the process we came across literally hundreds of Carol’s drawings, paintings, designs and sketches from her days as an art student and professional designer. They brought memories of her childhood home in the mid-west, stories about her art school teachers, and doubts about whether she really had talent or not. She did and I suspect still does. As I often told her,  “once an artist, always an artist.”

Our work together moved between the sublime to the surprising when together we found items she had thought had long been lost to the practical, problem solving challenges that frequently come when you are trying to empty out a home (and garage) filled with a lifetime of memories.

One day, while sorting her closet, I pulled out a beautiful, eggplant colored coat with a red satin lining. She told me about the designer and how she used to love to wear it out but added with some regret, it no longer fits me.  When I asked her what she wanted to do with it, she said, “I want you to have it.” When I told her how much I appreciated the gesture, but that I couldn’t accept it, she told me, “You’ve been almost like a daughter to me. I never had a daughter of my own but if I had, I would have given her this coat.” I thought, this was the real gift.

Just like Carol’s beautiful coat, for a time our lives can fit us until eventually we outgrow them – they no longer fit the lives we have or want now.  Carol didn’t want that coat and she was ready to let go of it. When she opened the closet to find it again, it was like she had opened the door to a new life.

She moved through that door, not without difficulty and not without fear.   Helping her move through that doorway and watching her come out the other side, into her new life, is what makes me do the the work I do.  And I love it.

The famous comedian, Groucho Marx once said, “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.”

I grew up with a family of non-joiners. This got passed down to me in many ways. I never was a Girl Scout (or a Brownie) as all my friends were. I didn’t attend Sunday school.  I never played team sports, except one summer when I joined my camp’s co-ed softball team and they put me in left field hoping I’d never have to catch a ball.   I never joined clubs in high school. I didn’t even attend my high school graduation, although once I volunteered to MC a high school fashion show but was  replaced by a young Puerto Rican kid who wore jeans with sharp creases that I envied. My mother never ironed any of my jeans. She was too busy working a full-time job as a copywriter.

So when I started my own business, I learned quickly that getting business meant I was going to have to renounce my family’s anti-social culture and become ‘a joiner.’

The first group I joined was the one for my industry, the National Association of Professional Organizers also known as NAPO.  I have been a member of NAPO for almost three years.  Just learning  there was a group for organizers was a huge relief. It meant that I wasn’t crazy to think I could make money helping people avoid or at least reduce chaos in their lives.  I was always good at this, but getting paid for it? Sign me up!

Joining NAPO was a great way to embody my new organizer identity and meet other like-minded professionals who, like me, discovered their passion for helping people find the space in their homes, offices and lives to focus on what truly mattered to them.

After NAPO, I joined another related group called the Institute for Challenging Disorganization or ICD.  ICD started as a subgroup of NAPO in 1992 but eventually split off to become it’s own organization. It’s focus is education and research about chronic disorganization, more popularly known as “hoarding.” Their mission is to help people with chronic disorganization, but they are also a great resource for professional organizers and other related professionals such as mental health counselors.  ICD offers its members free teleclasses on a variety of subjects related to the understanding, treatment and support of people who have been impacted by this sometimes crippling need to acquire and hoard. For me, as an organizer, it has helped me better understand my clients tendencies toward disorganization as I believe the seeds of hoarding exist in all of us.

I am also part of a group called EBUG. For months I couldn’t remember what the acronym stood for so I just called it East Bay Uncommon Girls. It’s actually East Bay UNITED Gals though I’m not sure exactly what unites us other than we are all women looking to have some more fun and friendship in our lives.

EBUG, which currently claims about 200 members, was started by a group of four friends so they would have more opportunities to socialize and feel less isolated after a long day’s work.  EBUG is known as “the book club without the books.” It’s perfect for someone like me who hasn’t read a piece of fiction since Clinton was in the White House. EBUG meets roughly once a month for all kinds of interesting and fun member-led events such as chocolate and wine tastings, kayaking, outdoor hiking, palmistry and Tarot card readings, movie nights, barbeques and belly dancing.

I originally joined thinking it would be a great opportunity to network without the usual pressure to collect business cards but it’s turned out to be so much more. I’ve made some great new friends (who thought that would be possible in mid-life?) and after nearly 25 years of living in California actually feel part of a community, not a geographic one but a community of smart, savvy, fun-loving women. Now that I think of it, maybe that’s why it’s call United gals.

Earlier this year, I went to a networking event sponsored by the Mount Diablo Business Women, or MDBW,  a group whose mission is to enhance it’s members “business, social, professional, and personal well being.” I first learned about this group from someone I met at EBUG.

I confess,  I went initially because it was held at a really nice hotel.  I figured if the meeting was a bust I could still walk around the elegant, marble-floored lobby and pretend I was a guest. Instead, what I discovered was another great group of women, only these women, had taken the plunge to start their own businesses, like me.   MDBW is not so much about exchanging business cards as it is  about developing relationships and learning new skills and perspectives as fellow travelers on the road to success.  Besides, that the food is really good!

Then, this past September you could say I really drank the Kool-aid. I joined BNI.  BNI stands for Business Networking International.  It is the networking group of all networking groups. Their whole philosophy can be boiled down into their two word motto, “givers gain” or to give it a more street interpretation, ‘I watch your back, you watch mine.’

According to it’s website, BNI generated business referrals resulting in $2.8 billion worth of business for its’ members in the past year. It was founded in 1985 by Dr. Ivan Misner, an author, columnist and networking guru.

I joined BNI for one reason. I wanted more business.  The meeting format is not for the faint of heart. Some have even called it ‘cult-like.’ I prefer to think of it as enthusiastically supportive. Each group works on a one-profession-per-chapter model to eliminate competition or the perception of it within each group. Before I joined, I almost joined. Two years earlier I had learned about BNI from someone I knew through EBUG.  I submitted an application (yes, one needs to be approved by the individual chapter members) then subsequently withdrew it because I just wasn’t ready.

Membership really depends on your ability to make referrals, and that requires knowing people and being in situations to know more of them. It also means being a serious business owner. The cost to join is steep (about $1000 a year) for a sole proprietor but I expect to make back my investment soon.   So two years after I almost joined,  the stars aligned to let me know I was ready this time around.  It came in the form of another organizer who told me there was an “opening” for an organizer at my group, which by the way, meets at the ungodly hour of 7 a.m. every Tuesday. Still, I have to say that I am really glad I joined. Partly because I genuinely like the people – people’s true colors are vivid that early in the morning – and partly because they have a great track record of upholding the ‘givers gain’ model.  It’s like knowing you got the best seat in the house or got picked to play on the winning team.

Having never been on any team (with the exception of that camp softball league) I have to confess, in spite of my anti-social upbringing, I like it.  With all due respect to Groucho and my family, being a joiner, afterall, ain’t that bad.