Hello and welcome to my channel! I'm Katherine Lawrence, and I've dedicated my career to professional organizing, decluttering, and downsizing.
For those eager to turn their passion for organizing into a career, I've got you covered. Dive into my specialized "pro organizer boot camp" and courses designed to give you a comprehensive understanding of the industry. From the basics of setting up your business to advanced strategies for growth, I share all.
For those who find themselves overwhelmed with chronic disorganization or even hoarding tendencies, please know you're not alone. I've worked with many individuals facing these challenges, and I'm committed to sharing compassionate, effective solutions that address both the physical and emotional aspects of clutter.
Lastly, if you're seeking one-on-one guidance, I offer personalized coaching sessions. Together, we can delve into the intricacies of the professional organizing industry, ensuring you're equipped to thrive.
Hi from New Zealand. I’ve just started my business and still working with friends for free and about to start actively marketing for paying clients. I never considered moving and unpacking as an option but now I can see how useful it would be. Great idea, thank you.
It's smart to offer a variety of services. This diversifies your skill set, your business resources and your income streams. It gives you abilities to pivot due to seasonal or market changes that your competitors may not have.
My entire house & garage! I suffer with major depressive disorder & chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia. Some days I can barely get out of bed. Because I have a dog most days I can force myself out of bed, not very early, but I do get up. I am so overwhelmed that I don’t have the wisdom to know where to begin. I feel like I am in quicksand! I have known about the sorting technique, it’s a good one…but I have many things all over the house. Kitchen should not really hard because everything kitcheny is in the kitchen. Paperwork is EVERYWHERE! I am ready, I want my home to be tidy again. Thank you.
Most of my clients are widows. I am a listening ear as they process their grief while helping them edit their husband's possessions and, in some cases, prepare for auction and moving.
New subscriber... excellent advice offered in the two videos I've watched so far. A sincere thank you... To say I'm overwhelmed would be a gross understatement as I'm dang near catatonic most days and this has been YEARS now. Many, many years. I am(?) a hoarder... I think. I undoubtedly was a hoarder with your typical filth and goat trails, no real 'living' room in this three bedroom home. And then something happened... it clicked. There was always so, so much stress attached to being awake, having to leave my bed, step over things, trip, fall, just to use the restroom, I went from hoarder to minimalist and began researching the benefits of the latter. No, not jumping on any presently dying fad, I was homeless for eight months prior to moving here, living out of a tent in Fort Bragg, CA. with no vehicle, only my bike, (bicycle), few possessions around me as you can imagine... and I was at peace. I looked back on that time with a longing which most might consider odd but I recognized the value of what I was going through while I was going through it. And... I was living peacefully with very little. I want that peace back. I'm 60 for another month anyway... I feel time running, running short. Stress, severe childhood trauma which has affected me my entire life, but instead of recognizing this, owning it, I... I enjoyed the damage it had done. Kinda. Until I didn't. Until I recognized I was responsible for wasting a life, mine, hurting more people than I can ever remember due to an inability to trust, commit, (I don't date anymore, haven't in years, but I, unfortunately, have never been dumped as an adult. Nothing to be proud of.) I lost my train of thought, I can't even remember if I had a point... =] You've helped a lot in your two five minute videos, and I mean this. I'm exceedingly thankful...
I wish so bad that I could afford to have someone to come into my house and help me but there is just no way with my limited income and bad credit. I am so overwhelmed with all the clutter and with my health issues (brain tumor and more) it is hard for me to clean it myself because I get sick really easy if I do too much and for me 5 or 10 minutes is too much most of the time due to my health. A lot of my family members work and cant help and I wouldn't want them to anyway because I don't want my family to see it the way it is. I hope I can follow your advice and get it done myself. My mom has tried to help but she has health issues herself and its just too hard for her. Maybe I can tackle my countertops and dishes in my kitchen first.
I wish so bad that I could afford to have someone to come into my house and help me but there is just no way with my limited income and bad credit. I am so overwhelmed with all the clutter and with my health issues (brain tumor and more) it is hard for me to clean it myself because I get sick really easy if I do too much and for me 5 or 10 minutes is too much most of the time due to my health. A lot of my family members work and cant help and I wouldn't want them to anyway because I don't want my family to see it the way it is. I hope I can follow your advice and get it done myself. My mom has tried to help but she has health issues herself and its just too hard for her. Maybe I can tackle my countertops and dishes in my kitchen first.
i used to do it and was sought after. now i cannot get my own little place under control and need everything for the 2bdrm theyll be moving me and my son in soon. ugh! i don't know where to start, have no help or boxes. just jesus
If it's not essential, don't move it or contact someone to pick it up for free (like on those free Facebook sites). Living a more minimalistic lifestyle is immeasurably easier...
Ummm🧐 Hell~O! It is much easier to clear and clean anything that belongs to someone else. The owner has emotional attachment tied to these pieces. Even litter and debris. As it’s a true addiction. I always have to wonder how many of the shows cause further descension amongst families. As the true process needs full concentration and dedicated commitment to psychologically change.
Yes, a psychological change completely changes how someone relates to the things in their homes. Otherwise family members either need to step away for their own mental health or wait until the person is removed from the area...
Same question as I always have in kitchen organization videos: where's the food? Canned goods, dry goods, cereals, coffee, snacks, and on and on. i just moved and boxes of stuff are up the walls in the kitchen. My new kitchen is probably the same size as this one. I could fit everything you mentioned, but then the food would just be sitting out on the counters and there would be no room to cook. Help!
I suppose you do not have a pantry? If this is the case you will need to create a pantry by adding shelving to a spare wall. It's such a shame that kitchens are resigned without pantries as if anyone would have a kitchen without food storage. Some of my clients have had to take over a coat closet or adjoining room to create a pantry...
Looking forward to watching more videos thank you. I've added home organising to my real estate business and at the same time to help my local community, especially when they are downsizing.
Hi Katherine - thank you for these videos. They're very clear and helpful! I've really excelled at the decluttering part and having all sorts of guides for decision-making. That's where I'm focusing now. I'm still in the first few hundred hours of working with paid clients. Thank you again!
My kitchen is not very suitable to know where to put things. Deep unusable drawer. About 3 more rather useless drawers. Bottom shelves made very awkward.
That is unfortunate! I've seen a lot of poorly designed kitchens. Sometimes it's better to create storage on nearby walls, on counters, or below cabinets.
I’ve done a couple of downsize jobs, and two garage clean outs. I’d like to do more, but not sure how to get more jobs. I’ve put it on Nextdoor and everyone at church knows what I do. Any ideas?
I live in a small town but my service area is mainly a few large suburbs so I price my services within the range of the larger market as most of my clients are in the city or larger suburb...
I live with my mum and she has been hoarding since i was a child. My house was never “nice” but it was functional and clean. Now it is an absolute state, impossible to clean and actually makes me unable to use certain rooms in the house (the dust triggers my asthma) my mum is definitely an emotional hoarder which makes even conversations about removing stuff incredibly difficult and often leads to arguments. I have tried to chuck stuff secretly (even my own things) and she refuses and will take stuff out of the bin to bring back in the house and go through. Im now an adult considering how im going to leave my mum when i get my own house, when we cant even invite people over because of how embarrassing it is. Any tips would be highly appreciated ❤
Family members with hoarding behaviors are incredibly difficult to live with because they will choose the "stuff" over their own health and safety and that of other family members. It is sad, but you'll need to protect yourself and set strong boundaries. Sneaking things to the dumpster, attempting to clean-up typically result in fights and may be counterproductive in the short term. I have asthma and moved out of my parents home at 18, they never cleaned and had hoarding behaviors that got worse over time.
I am just beginning this journey. It will likely be a side-gig. I have helped my best friend, other friends get organized in various areas/rooms in their homes. Hmm, not sure what niche to fall into to. Kitchen org speaks to me. I am about to tackle a laundry room/storage area for my best friend. It haunts her on a regular basis.
You got this! Defining a niche will help you market to potential clients. Still, Professional Organizers take on a large array of projects, though some like to do more storage solutions like closet design and staging. In contrast, others focus more on decluttering and supporting their clients with clutter control.
Always get permission from your client. I find it's easier to take lots of close-up pictures - inside closets and drawers, or a photo of a particular product - than large spaces since for me I do not decorate my client's houses.
Katherine, please help, I need your advice! I’ve got an object to de clutter. My uncle had a hoarding disorder no one knew about. Now he is being treated and I am at the very beginning of the process. Smell. He is a smoker, and I am allergic. After I went there once I brought this smell home. How you deal with smells. It seems it’s there, in the walls. I’ve put some essential oils, sprays, nothing helps. I’m wearing masks, protecting clothes and gloves. And still.. that smell. My only obstacle. Please, give me some tips. Or maybe there is a video I could watch?... Thank you! Love your channel.
I have not done a video on this one but I know exactly what you are taking about! The smells will not go away until every soft item is removed from the home - rugs, clothes, curtins, linens, and so on and the house is professionally cleaned. That's a big task I know and I'm not sure if you're uncle is returning to the home, but often in these cases those items are a complete loss and need to be thrown out. Even charity shops will toss out or refuse smelly clothing donations. I did use baking soda to successfully remove smells from books - myspacematters.com/vintage-home-library/ In regards to the smell on you - I have used essential oil in my mask and oil blends on me and under my nose. You may also need to upgrade to a respirator amzn.to/4b8B3dC - I would change out of your clothing right after leaving the house, don't even get in your car with it and bag it up in a plastic bag, and/or wear a cover up - amzn.to/3Qdfv7y If it's just too much, you could hire cleaners who specifically work in hoarded homes. If you need help with an overall project plan, I'd love to connect with you over a coach call - calendly.com/spacematters/30-minute-coach-call Good Luck!!
Disappointed. These tips are for your TV show and business. The 'tips' are common sense. Thanks anyway. I hope these tips help someone else that needs to promote a TV show episode or get my business started or enroll in a class
Great idea throw in the dumpster my treadmill that i use then my new recliner TV stereo cabinet with vintage records . Next my dining room table and 4 chairs with couch . Next bed dresser and all the clothes . Followed by 8 boxes of tools . That’s just for starter .
The one touch thing is whenever you have an item and you are using it and when you are done using it you take it to where it goes immediately when you're done so you dont have to touch it again.
How long will your virtual appointments be? I know some organizers run them like 3 hour sessions, but I tend to do one hour coach calls. I do try to book 3 or more appointments when I start with someone because I want to do check-ins... so you could price that as a package, but my customers have been purchasing mainly 1-hour time blocks. I would try it a few ways and see how your customers respond...
I want to fix my own hoarding and my clutter issue my self. I started the buried in treasures program but I still feel swamped. Very complex thing. Don't know if I can change but it would be better. Might take years if ever. I don't know. My hoard is at a higher level. At least I reached a high level in something. Oops. Better start somewhere somewhere
I've had those calls... a week before a pending eviction, but unfortunately there are not many choices at that point and a junk-removal company will get called in to clear the home. Professional organizing works best over many months as we sort and support clients towards behavior changes...
If you can help me, a friend wants me to help him once again. His place is overwhelming, he never picks any thing up, He collects anything and has many collections..I am disturbed just writing this. Someone living like this is terrifying and i also realize I resent being expected to be the one to deal with this. Please Katherine, if you can offer any advice I would be relieved and more than grateful.
From my experience, I do not think people change without a lot of work and therapeutic help. It's just up to you if you want to help or get involved. I've helped many people, but I have also let others face the consequences of their choices or find help somewhere else. Sorry for the late response... I've had several jobs this past week! Spring cleaning!
I've been in a large home for 12 years. Now, I've given myself 60 days to get rid of 80% of the accumulated and move into a retirement place. What a nightmare. The last time I did this brutal downsizing is when I moved from one city to another city. Back then. I only kept what I could get into a 10x10 Storage unit; I had a sale, and I rented a dumpster. My possessions have a bigger hold on me now. It's going to me rough.
I appreciate this! I work in mental health and see these challenges in my patients. Any bit of help really goes a long way to helping shift their perspective. Well done for being true to yourself and your values. ❤
I should have added to the question about the need for strength. I occasionally hired someone strong when I knew furniture needed to be moved, but most of the time, even though I’m small and not strong, it was only a problem once: I lifted a small but heavy box exactly the wrong way and threw my back out for the first time in my life. Really, really embarrassing. Remind your audience to lift smart!
I enjoyed both of these videos- a nice pair that really got what organizing is like. I was a member of NAPO in the DC area when joining just involved paying a small membership fee, and worked part time for five years (also a teacher). I loved the interaction with my clients, and creating order out of disorder. Amazing to think the concept of decluttering first wasn’t yet a thing! Luckily I never had a client with out-of -control stuff. One personal note?- you are so approachable and great to listen to? and I’m sure to work with? But to people who are older? The uptalk is distracting. I suspect you and other young people don’t notice it, though, or do it too. 😊
I never even knew I did uptalk until I listened back to my voice when I was editing (which is terrifying) It's something I'm trying to work on, but since I don't notice it until I'm editing it will be an interesting process. I just qualified for AARP, so thanks for calling me "young" I've been spending time with my gen-z nieces and nephews and must have picked up their affectations.
