Last week my team and I started packing for our clients who are moving. We had helped them declutter before they put their house on the market, and now the house has sold. So, we are back to help them sort through their belongings to decide what stays and goes and to which location. This is why it is a "complicated move." The items that are staying are going to be sold in an estate sale, since they are significantly downsizing. The items that are going will either go to a house they own or a storage unit in another city, or the condo that they recently purchased. The final phase of this job will be helpi.ng them unpack the condo, once the boxes we packed are delivered by the movers. We are keeping track of where everything goes by packing everything that goes to the house and storage in plastic tubs that are clearly labeled. The items being packed for the condo are going in cardboard boxes and are also labeled. Then, all the tubs are being stacked in one area of the garage, while all the cardboard boxes are stacked in another area of the garage. Certain items that can't be sold and aren't being taken are being discarded like expired foods and spices. We completed the downstairs and guest quarters of the house last week and will be going back next week to complete the upstairs. I have unpacked for so many clients over the years and am convinced that organizers do a much better job of packing than moving companies. The movers' goals are just to move the stuff and use as much paper and boxes as they can to charge the clients the most they can (in my opinion.) Organizers actually pack the boxes in an organized fashion and don't waste tons of paper on items that aren't breakable anyway. We clearly label the boxes, and we don't pack trash and other items that the client doesn't want to take anyway. It may take a little longer and cost a little more to work with organizers when packing for a move, but in the long run you save time and money when unpacking organized boxes and have a more organized and stress-free move.

     I thought I would get Friday off, but it got filled at the last minute which is typical of my schedule. My client who scheduled for this coming Monday asked if she could switch to Friday instead, but then decided she still wants to do Monday, also. I worked with the college professor that I wrote about last week. We went through the paperwork for another class that she teaches. The overflowing bin was condensed and now fits nicely in the bin. Yah!  It took us 4 hours to go through it all. Paperwork is by far the most time-consuming thing to organize perhaps only comparable to the thousands of beads I organized by color once. LOL. I advised my client to continue to micro-organize each folder as she teaches the classes in the fall. I think using an open filing system and bright hanging file folders to separate the different modules of each class while teaching each class will make the classwork more accessible (see pic.)
     This week I also organized for two of my long-time clients who suffer from chronic disorganization. I have organized every room in their house several times over the years, but they just can't seem to maintain the organization. So, I work for them a few times every year to bring order to their chaos. We all have our strength and weaknesses, so I am happy to provide this service which comes so naturally to me.
     My client today got the green light to take all of her adult daughter's stuff over to her house after asking her for two years to go through it with no luck. Can any of you relate? I have half a closet filled with my daughter's stuff that she didn't have room to take with her when she moved out last year. So, we filled my client's truck with everything of the daughter's we could find in the garage. There was a lot, so after straightening up the remaining items in the garage, it looked much better! I suspect that when I go back on Monday that we will be loading up her truck with all of the daughter's stuff inside the house. We then straightened up some of her craft supplies, and she found two books she had been looking all over for. So, that was another win!
     I finished the week off doing a consultation with a gentleman who is thinking about moving in the near future and needs someone to help him sell or donate his art pieces and furniture he won't be taking. He wants them to find good homes where they will be appreciated and not end up in the landfill, since they are very valuable pieces. It will be a new challenge for me, since I haven't dealt with such expensive art pieces before.. I need to start researching galleries in the area.
     Somehow between all these jobs, I found time to record video of my favorite organizing products that I will be sharing on my FB business and group pages, and I ordered lots of moving supplies. My team and I have a big packing job next week, so I'll let you know how it goes.
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