Organizationally Yours

Organizationally Yours Professional Organizer, Author, Speaker Learn the skills, techniques, tricks, and tools that you need to maintain an organized life. Rate: $50/hr.

“Organizationally Yours” specializes in residential organizing for families with children, seniors, moves, memorabilia/photos, the chronically disorganized, lifestyle transitions and ADHD. Find out why papers pile up, why clothes drift across your surfaces, why the car won’t fit in the garage, and why you can’t get it all organized. The Introductory Visit includes a custom assessment of the habits

, values, and routines that are sabotaging your home and life, along with personalized strategies and systems for creating a more organized home or office. Try the Per Hour options and get immediate ‘hands on’ help with clearing out the clutter and instituting maintainable organizational systems. Author of:
Organizing Solutions for People with ADD, Fair Winds Press 2006. NEWLY REVISED AND UPDATED AS: Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD, Fair Winds 2010
The Fast and Furious Five Step Organizing Solution, Fair Winds at Quayside Publishing 2010

“Organizationally Yours” is located in Acton, MA near Concord, Carlisle, and Groton. Serving Boston, Worcester, Lowell and Metro West Areas.

This laundry/utility/mud room serves so many functions that it is easy to see how it could become overwhelmed with stuff...
01/17/2020

This laundry/utility/mud room serves so many functions that it is easy to see how it could become overwhelmed with stuff. But my client did such a nice job of w**ding and sorting that now it is once again a very usable space! I should fess up that my industrious client, with the help of a family member, organized most of the paint closet days before we were scheduled to tackle this space, so I needed only tweak it a bit. Also, although we left one iteration of every commonly used tool (screwdriver, hammer, etc) in the utility drawer, we transferred the rest to another storage area and organized them in that space. We then went through every cabinet, cupboard, drawer, and shelf designating spaces for laundry support, pet supplies, outer wear, patio/garden support, and cleaning supplies. As you can see the room is not quite done as we need to move the computers and printers to the office –that task is awaiting the upcoming visit of the family member who set up the system. Once that is complete my client will again have a space to fold her laundry, and in the meantime this room is already serving as a vital and viable support space for the household! The last two pictures are a before and after of the toiletry closet in another part of the house. My client had put up the useful door rack, and sorted items into categories but the containerization was opaque essentially hiding the supplies. This lead to duplication and excess to the point where items sometimes fell out when one opened the door. A quick w**ding and change to clear containers with quickie labels solved the problem and will continue to make the closet easy to use/maintain going forward. One last note - we did these storage spaces together while my stoic client suffered from a bad back –so truly a courageous undertaking!

This Master Bedroom was completed in November, but it was only this week when I returned to do another project in the ho...
01/17/2020

This Master Bedroom was completed in November, but it was only this week when I returned to do another project in the home that the client told me I had forgotten to post the Before and After pictures! So here they are, just a bit tardy. The good news is that this Master Bedroom has not only been maintained since November, it has actually been improved (fewer items on the bureau top)! My before pictures here are limited because when I arrived the client had already begun a clothing w**ding/sorting project and the piles of clothes blocked access to most of the room. This enterprising client continued to organizing with me –bureaus, closet and under the bed- until every item in that room had been touched, sorted, and stowed. As you can see, we ended with a beautiful room and very organized storage spaces! And yes, I should have taken more pictures.

So in this companion to Office L my client once again cleared and w**ded until the room could return to its original pur...
11/03/2019

So in this companion to Office L my client once again cleared and w**ded until the room could return to its original purpose. After the walls are painted we will mount the TV that is on the floor. Just now in arranging these photos for posting it occurs to me that we should switch the big desk and file cabinet in this room to the office (see office L) and put the little desk in the guest room. My client only needs one desk, but it should be the larger one as guests won’t need much desk space. And it won’t be convenient to do paperwork in this room if guests are occupying it. Once again I don’t have a ‘before’ picture from across the room because I couldn’t get there. And again (!) I forgot to open the closet door for the ‘after’. And yes, it is organized. My industrious client had already w**ded her formal hanging clothes earlier in the year!

This small office, which does double duty storing out of season clothing, had become a bit of a catch-all room for stora...
11/03/2019

This small office, which does double duty storing out of season clothing, had become a bit of a catch-all room for storage. But because it only contained one small shelf, items were stored on the floor. This same method was used in another room in this house (see guest room L). Using the floor as a storage space is always problematic as eventually it becomes difficult to move around the room, which of course makes it hard to get to you stuff, which leads to buying duplicates, which leads to more storage issues and on and on in a vicious cycle. However once we got to this room (and its neighbor), my client was really great about eliminating the duplicates and going so far as to pare down her clothing to fit in this small closet! Even the interior of the desk is organized -I should have taken an after picture with the drop leaf down. At least I did get an after picture of the closet interior. Unfortunately, because it was hard to enter the room, I didn’t get a ‘before’ picture of the closet interior or across the room from the far wall. So at that is why there are two orphan ‘after’ pictures at the end of the series.

This is the same home as Living Room G. I forgot to take the before pictures (what else is new) of this dining room unti...
08/11/2019

This is the same home as Living Room G. I forgot to take the before pictures (what else is new) of this dining room until my client, assistant and I were about 90 minutes into the project. So I threw a stack of the now empty boxes back into the room to give a sense of its original state; you can see them stacked in front of the table. In the after pictures y you will notice some large chests and a blonde shelf that don’t appear to belong in the dining room. They are the remnants of one of the estates mentioned in the last post. My client’s husband is working his way through these items, but as much of it is paper –genealogies, old letters, documents and photos- it will take a LONG time (paperwork is brutal!). Nonetheless these boxes are at least tucked back out of the way. They can be moved out of the room when my client needs to expand the table for entertaining -something she can now envision doing given her brave and resolute attention to this project!

Here is a situation I see again and again. This family raised their children in this home so they have been there for a ...
08/11/2019

Here is a situation I see again and again. This family raised their children in this home so they have been there for a very long time. Furthermore, the family member I have been working with is both creative and talented in many areas -which of course comes with its commensurate large inventories to support those myriad hobbies, artistic pursuits and volunteer efforts. The house was just at that dangerous tipping point where all storage was filled when disaster struck. Three elderly family members passed away, and before their estates could be completely dispersed my client had an accident and the onset of some episodic illnesses! With all storage filled, three estates had nowhere to go but the living spaces. And although this couple valiantly settled those estates they ran out of good health, time and space before completely dispersing all the items. The living room got so full that I could not get across it to take a before picture from the back wall –that is why the last picture is an ‘after’ only. Yet my admirable client is bravely, stoically, tackling this house between surgeries and illnesses, sometimes working when probably she should be in bed. And despite those challenges she is cheerful and unflagging -and boy is she doing a great job! One particular -most clients are very concerned about where their items go once they don’t want them. But this client (other than being a laudably assiduous recycler) let go of those items that the family didn’t want or need without any limitations as to how I or my very able assistant disposed of them. Once she said ‘go’ she left it almost entirely to my discretion whether to toss, donate or consign. This made emptying the rooms extremely efficient. I am happy to report the family can now get some well-deserved rest as they relax in their light filled Living Room before we soldier on to finish the rest of the house.

As usual, I forgot to take before pictures of most of the projects in this home, but I did manage to snap a few of this ...
08/11/2019

As usual, I forgot to take before pictures of most of the projects in this home, but I did manage to snap a few of this work bench area which I found on my phone weeks after the project was completed. I texted them over to my client, who then surprised me by very kindly snapping and sending me some ‘afters’ .
This tool room just needed a bit more storage and tidying. But the main household Handyman and owner of these tools was out of town, leaving me and their very helpful spouse to do our best. So while my remarkably capable and autonomous homeowner built shelves and organized dry goods in the next room, I tackled this tool room using her guidance whenever I had a question. We couldn’t w**d, as the owner wasn’t there, but between us we were able to sort, categorize, contain and label. Wherever I knew them I followed the categories of the absent spouse –one I particularly liked was ‘Pneumatics’, but otherwise I had to rely on my best judgment. As usual I mostly borrowed from the aisle names in the hardware store –so plumbing, electrical, small hardware, etc. But let’s face it, although this space is now clean and organized, I assumed there would be a mildly frustrating period of adjustment when the absent owner returned and had to figure out what went where. But no inquiring phone calls so far, nor consultations on how to tweak and customize it more to their needs, instead I received these lovely after pictures!

This Client and I are on an exciting journey to re-organize the whole house. We had booked the days needed and completed...
07/28/2019

This Client and I are on an exciting journey to re-organize the whole house. We had booked the days needed and completed one project (Living Room L in an earlier post), when our fortunes and calendars suddenly seemed star- crossed. Between us we had to reschedule the next session three times! But my indefatigable client persevered and we finally got to the next room –the dining room (which in fact can be seen through the doorway in the earlier post.)
We tackled this room by relocating some items to the rooms they belonged in (clothes to the bedroom, office supplies to the office, etc), but mostly my client gave up a lot of items and rethought some projects that were weighing them down, bravely deciding that they weren’t worth doing after all. My client also came up with a plan for telling a loving family –no more gifts until the clutter is gone! It took us two days of uninterrupted work to clear this room so that it is available to entertain friends and family, one day less than I predicted and scheduled for. And all because my truly committed and courageous client just would not give up no matter what challenges (illness, house repairs, reschedules, unfulfilled dreams) beset them!

This is a second visit to this apartment. In an earlier session the client and I worked on getting unpacked and moved in...
07/28/2019

This is a second visit to this apartment. In an earlier session the client and I worked on getting unpacked and moved in. We attended to most of the spaces well enough, but with the bedroom, as I noted in the post, we really didn’t have the time to finish up and w**d thoroughly. And organizing is all about finishing. If w**ding isn’t finished, then one ends up with too much stuff = too much to maintain = doesn’t stay organized. And if there isn’t time to thoroughly sort, then items don’t have identified homes and every space devolves into another miscellaneous drawer or j***y pile. But as the client lives in Manhattan we have to pick our battles during my short business trips there. In an earlier post you can read my confidence that this dedicated client would finish this project. So, I was proud but not surprised when I was called on to revisit this bedroom. And I was delighted but not shocked to discover that my client had already done a wonderful job of w**ding and sorting much of it before I got there! You can see the post-its on those beautifully sorted drawers to keep them straight until the categories sink into long term memory. At the end of the post you can see that my client, thoughtfully looking at her space and inventory, even organized the drawers in the vanity to a fare-thee-well! It is both tedious and labor intensive to sort smaller items like jewelry and make-up, but as these pictures prove, my client stuck with it until the job was not just done, but very well done indeed.

This guest bedroom had become an easy dumping ground for interim storage. But unfortunately guests were arriving soon. M...
05/09/2019

This guest bedroom had become an easy dumping ground for interim storage. But unfortunately guests were arriving soon. Much of the contents of the boxes –many unseen under the bed and in the closet -were papers. Paper sorting is brutal, and though my client was committed and a trooper, we just did not have the time to sort them all before company was due. We did however make a good start, and transferred much of what wasn’t sorted to the office (keep things where you use them). We also emptied out several drawers, under the bed, and the closet, so that guests will now have a way to unpack and stow their luggage. Thanks to my client’s hard work the room is now restful, functional and ready for entertaining out of town visitors!

This hard working client was ready to let go of a number of items in preparation for an eventual house sale and general ...
04/09/2019

This hard working client was ready to let go of a number of items in preparation for an eventual house sale and general downsizing. It is going to be tough going forward because there is a large generous family with a culture of shopping and gift giving, so my client is going to have to either convince the family to gift perishables and experiences or have to go through the physical and emotional inconvenience of immediately donating most gifts. Frustratingly ill health further compromises my client’s ability to maintain the home. Fortunately her commitment to the project, her intrepid hard work, and her willingness to let go of no longer needed items has resulted in the de-cluttering of our first room! We are on our way to an organized and marketable home!

These pictures were not taken with the intent of using them as ‘before and afters’, but as I just got an email from a te...
03/14/2019

These pictures were not taken with the intent of using them as ‘before and afters’, but as I just got an email from a teacher asking for advice on organizing her work space, I am posting them in the hope that they will prove helpful.
I received the first two pictures in this series from another teacher along with a plea for advice on how to organize the non-clothing side of the closet for the unpacked teaching supplies scattered across the floor in a room she was setting up as a designated home office. I suggested getting everything off the floor and onto the empty closet shelves sorting as much as possible by putting ‘like with like’. This worked pretty well as you can see from the third picture she sent. The floor is clear and the stuff is stowed. As I was due to arrive in a few days, we determined that I would help with the rest then.
Upon arriving our first order of business was to measure the closet and shelving. We also perused the inventory and then set out to buy –cheaply at discount and dollar stores- a variety of containers that we thought might work. We held onto receipts as we knew we would be making some returns. Back at the home office we used the bins to containerize the various toys, craft supplies, and ‘manipulatives’ that she uses in her work. Cheap clear lidless shoe boxes were sufficient to contain most of the above. This closet also holds the family’s back up office supplies, so that was containerized as well.
Next we assembled a desk she had ordered and at my urging she purchased a file cabinet to place next to it. In the fourth and final picture you see what the closet looks like after we added the containers and removed the papers. All of her personal and work papers now live upright in the file cabinet along with any ‘paper-sized’ office supplies –folders, binders, computer templates for labels, etc. The only papers left in the supply closet are printer paper and construction paper which we stored efficiently and accessibly on stacking trays. Teaching supplies have been separated (where size allows) towards the bottom of the closet using the bottom shelves and a shoe rack which we bought and assembled for the purpose. The family office supplies are clustered towards the middle where it will be easy for her husband and other family members to see and reach them. This visibility along with our clear boxes, boldly labelled, will prevent the family from repurchasing items they already own.
This home was very organized, but teachers have a special challenge –their generosity leads them to purchase, on their own dime, items they might use in their classrooms, which they then have to store. And their profession is one of the last to rely heavily on paper. These are large organizational burdens that sometimes require a little extra help. As they are doing the work of angels, it has been my pleasure and honor to have so many of them among my clientele.

Address

17 Milldam Road
Acton, MA
01720

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 8pm
Tuesday 9am - 8pm
Wednesday 9am - 8pm
Thursday 9am - 8pm
Friday 9am - 8pm
Saturday 10am - 8pm
Sunday 10am - 8pm

Telephone

+19782640252

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