“Where did I put that phone number? Arrrgh… it was just here yesterday.â€
“It’s seven pm and I haven’t called any of my prospects, where did the day go? Dang it!â€
“Another baseball game dad, you missed another baseball game? You said you’d be there!!!â€
Have you or anyone you know ever said or, thought any of these thoughts? Sometimes spending time to just get organized solves a lot of problems. However, it’s a catch 22 isn’t it? Where do you get the time to be organized when you’re so disorganized?
As most of you know I work with professionals in a wide range of industries in the Phoenix (Arizona) area and figured I could try to help some of you get to the bottom of your organizational problems.
Let me introduce you to Jennifer Furrier. I have known Jennifer for a few years now and have been to a few of her presentations. She is the founder and owner of Essential Organizing. Recently I had the opportunity to interview her to learn more about what she does and also how she can help some of you become more productive! Her work has literally changed many lives!
AMG: Thank you Jennifer for taking my questions. Let’s start with the basics. What is the basic idea behind your work?
JF: These days, it seems like everyone is too dang busy! We have so much going on in our lives, I fear we’re missing out on the good stuff in life. Along with this, research shows that we’re wasting an average of one month each year because of disorganization. I’m sorry, but I have to say that again- ONE MONTH of time is wasted every year because we’re not organized!
This is really what drives the basic principle behind the work that Essential Organizing does… Being better organized enables us to be more productive-meaning, we’ll get more done in less time, and what this equates to is more time and less stress throughout our fast flying weeks.
AMG: What kind of people have you helped recently?
JF: There seem to be two types of clients we’re working with. The first are those who used to be organized, or are organized in certain aspects of their lives but not others, and have hired Essential Organizing because they have lost control. It’s often a result of fast business growth in a short period of time, realizing they need a better system to manage the different types of duties or are sick of going in on Saturdays to make it better, only to find one week later, things are back to how they used to be.
The other category of clientele are those who are not detail oriented people, hate paperwork, don’t like dealing with mundane tasks such as filing, (not that anyone loves it), and would choose working with people over sitting in the office any day. Both groups recognize that their quality of life, earning potential and big-picture dreams directly connect to their level of organization and efficiency in their workdays.
Both groups want a simple system they can easily maintain. Everyone we’re working with is in control of their bottom line, and the industries we most commonly work with are financial planners, real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and small business owners.
AMG: Do you do offices only? How about homes and personal organization?
JF: About 15-20% of the business is residential organizing, (pantries, closets, home offices, bedrooms, etc). This is how Essential Organizing first began- organizing homes where people were just overwhelmed and ready to refresh their home, clear out clutter and simplify. Home organizing is awesome, and the changes can be dramatic. You really get to know your residential clients since it’s a much longer process than organizing offices. And you should see the amount of stuff that people get rid of- it’s incredible! It really is liberating for people and I love being with them to go through that.
I never like to tell people directly, that they should get rid of something, but I do have a magical way of helping clients realize the energy, stress, time and even money that “stuff†drains from them…I have yet to get a phone call with someone panicking because they wish they didn’t purge something, or ended up needing it but didn’t have it. (Yes, this can be a friendly hint to anyone who knows they have stuff to get rid of!)
AMG: Will you follow up with your clients after you’ve put a plan together?
JF: We follow up with our clients within the first two weeks to see how things are going, and then typically check in with them every few months after that. I like to tell clients that from here on out, let Essential Organizing be their productivity and organizing partner. If they ever have questions or issues, call us so we can talk through it. It’s great to hear that down the line, people are still using the systems we put in place, or that their desktop is still clear and they haven’t resorted to piles yet.
One thing with becoming organized is that, you are likely going to make a mess again. Come check out my office in the middle of a workday and you may see lots of papers scattered across my desk… but the catch is, I can recover. If my neighbor says they are stopping by in 5 minutes, I have places to put things, and I don’t mean gathering everything into a little pile on the floor or on top of the file cabinet, but in a home where I know I can easily find it again when I need it.
AMG: How do I get started?
JF: If someone is thinking about taking the next step with getting control of their time, space and information, but doesn’t know where to start…without sounding bias, I’d consult a professional! The office organizing that we do has a proven ROI of 300% in 120 days. It begins with a needs assessment where we come out to the home or office and we evaluate everything from workflow to how time is spent during the day.
This process involves a lot of listening on our end, to really understand what someone’s needs are and what they wish to get out of hiring a professional organizer. We work hands-on with the clients to achieve their ideal setting for a productive environment, and people are often surprised to find that on average, 7 hours is all we need to get an office organized, with systems in place so it’s realistic to maintain over time.
Thank you Jennifer taking time out of your busy day to answer these questions. Please feel free to contact Jennifer at (480) 688-0920 if you have any further questions.