This article was submitted by one of our Network Decluttering Coaches, Danie Smallwood.
Picture this. You’ve got clutter, it’s driving you batty, and you want to bring in help.
You tell a friend how you’re fed up with the clutter and it just keeps coming back, and your friend mentions, “Hey, you should consider hiring a Decluttering Coach! It’s so convenient, they work over Zoom—!”
And you don’t even hear anything else beyond that because… I mean, let’s be real. A Zoom-based coach can’t help. Doesn’t your friend understand you need real help – carrying boxes kind of help!
Doesn’t it just make more sense to hire a Professional Organizer?
Should I work with a Professional Organizer or a Decluttering Coach?
Maybe your family is tired of you asking them for help with the clutter. Or you live alone. The in-personal Profesional Organizer makes sense for these scenarios.
But what if it’s not an “either-or” question?
What if “Should I work with a Professional Organizer or a Decluttering Coach?” is really the wrong question?
And what if the right question is “How do I find the right people to support me?”
Because you are absolutely right – there are some limits to what a Decluttering Coach can do if they are only working over zoom. They are certainly not duplicating the work of a Professional Organizer from the other side of a computer screen.
A Decluttering Coach is a teacher, a mentor.
They’ll help you plan, stick to your plan, and brainstorm new strategies if that plan doesn’t work. They’ll help you stay motivated, create habits to declutter and sustain the change. When your motivation flags, they’ll help you stay focused on why this is important to you.
A Decluttering Coach does soooo many things to help you bring your uncluttered life vision into reality.
But if they’re working virtually, they won’t be carrying boxes, it’s true.
They can, however, help you use in-person help wisely, whether it’s that neighborhood teen, some nieces or nephews, or a Professional Organizer.
A Decluttering Coach teaches you the skills you need to declutter and build your OWN decluttering muscles, rather than relying on someone else’s decision-making or judgment.
So when you do bring in additional in-person help, you’ll be working efficiently. You’ll have identified exactly the goal you want to reach, and not be paying for someone else’s time while you are making decisions.
An hour with a decluttering coach might save you a full day of help or more from in-person services – which can be a lot of money saved. Not to mention – we don’t all have the energy or ability to schedule a full day of working with someone in person.
Everyone’s needs are different, and Decluttering Coaches don’t work in a one-size-fits-all world. It’s easy to meet an hour every day or an hour every few weeks or even months. Decluttering Coaching sessions are so flexible and customizable precisely because they’re over Zoom – no travel fees or minimum time because of travel.
And if your needs include in-person help (as many people’s do!), they’ll help you find it, prepare for it, and get the maximum value from your money and your time.
The Bottom line
This process is about helping you create a home that functions and feels right to you. And a Decluttering Coach will help you find the tools, skills, and people to get you there.
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2 thoughts on “Should I work with a Professional Organizer or a Decluttering Coach?”
Yes I need Decluttering help. I also need help in my closet. I don’t know where to turn. When I approach my closet I just turn my attention elsewhere.
Think about what you want / need to do. Put like-colors together, remove winter clothes determining what you will keep and what you can pass on, same with shoes, jewelry, slacks, capris, or skorts…
As I restack , I am able to SEE what I have and that small section looks better .