Friday, February 06, 2009
Organize Your Life: Pair helps clients become more productive
By Kim Margolis Staff Writer

CENTERVILLE — Barb Warner and Lori Firsdon run a business based on helping clients organize paperwork and get rid of clutter in their homes and offices.

But a Mother's Day card a client received from her daughter is one item they'll likely let the client keep.

In it, the daughter thanked her mother for becoming more organized and being able to spend more time with her.

"Once we work with somebody, the feeling they have coming away is that there is a tremendous impact," Warner said.

Three years ago, the women started Encore Professional Organizers in Centerville. Both women were organized in their personal and family lives. Upon finding that a group called the National Association of Professional Organizers existed, they realized their skills could make a business.

Bringing in a professional organizer is not about perfection, they said.

"It's just being organized enough," Firsdon said.

"Because we're efficient, it gives us permission to relax when we need to," Warner added.

Taking over

Client John Kuck heard Firsdon and Warner on a radio program and was impressed, but he hesitated calling them. He thought organization was something that he should be able to handle himself. After all, he had run a successful contracting business for 26 years.

But he needed a push.

"When they came in, they actually put (a system) into place," said Kuck, president of J.L. Kuck General Contractors in Englewood. "I'm so busy I don't have the time to do what I want to do."

When Firsdon and Warner arrived, they did an initial assessment of Kuck's office. Then they moved all the files he needed frequently to the drawers in his desk. The things he needed less frequently were transferred to drawers in a shelf behind him. The more likely it was that the item would be used, the closer it was to him.

Their work is not done. They plan to return to help him with a filing system for open accounts. Sometimes, he'll do a job, a client won't pay.

"They worked with me, but they did take over — in a good way," Kuck said.

Giving clients skills

They first ask the client what their goals are. An elderly person might want to take inventory of personal items before they downsize to a smaller home. A business person might want to get out from under a pile of e-mail.

"We focus a lot on what is going on upstairs," Warner said. "It's not just about the boxes." They help clients organize personal effects like greetings cards and family photographs.

"We ask them, 'What would you want to take if there was a fire?' " Warner said.

"They want their photos, but I say, 'How could you do that if there are 16 rooms in the house and there are photos stashed in all the corners?'"

They've saved their clients' time and money by calling doctors' offices about alleged unpaid bills that actually were paid or by figuring out what a Medicaid letter meant.

They've literally found wills on the floor and cash in various parts of houses.

With business clients, the focus is on streamlining the office to meet goals.

"You want to be productive? I'm going to be brutally honest," Firsdon tells clients. "You're just busy. You want to make money? Then get rid of the stack of Wall Street Journals."

More advice includes not opening your own mail or answering your phone if you have an assistant. Use a notebook instead of an electronic device you don't understand.

Another cardinal rule is not to skip the small stuff.

"If you can take two minutes or less to accomplish something, take two minutes to do it now," Warner said.

By the time they're done, the client's desk is so orderly that some people have mistakenly thought the person left for a new job.

"Part of the reason why people hire us is it gives them permission to dispose of things," Warner said.

Encore Professional Organizers

Who: Lori Firsdon and Barb Warner, founders

Phone: (937) 619-3181

E-mail: lori@encoreorganizers.com  barb@encoreorganizers.com

Web site: encoreorganizers.com

Get rid of clutter

These four questions will help determine if an item should stay or go:

What is the worst that would happen if I got rid of this?

If I did not already have this, would I go out and get it?

Can I find this information somewhere else?

Is this item helping me reach my goals?

Commonly found items

Uncashed checks

Expired gift certificates

Medical records/bills

Insurance forms

Photographs