I Want to be a Professional Organizer

How to Become a Professional Organizer and Becoming a Professional Organizer

To become a professional organizer and have your own organizing business requires wearing many hats and learning skills that until now may have been more of a hobby or a passion for you than a career move. Perhaps  you are considering becoming a professional organizer or starting a productivity business. Perhaps you are’t sure where to start.  Why not embark on an organizing career in an organized way – start with these resources to familiarize yourself with the basic philosophies, skills and systems.

Books Written by Professional Organizers

Read books by professionals whose approaches and areas of expertise distinguish them in the field. Start with prominent experts like Barbara Hemphill, Julie Morgenstern, Peter Walsh, and David Allen. Expand your studies with organizing gurus who hold unique perspectives
or focus on specialized clients or niches. Peruse the Board of Certified Professional Organizers’ recommended reading list to acquaint yourself with fundamental titles and join Metrozing’s “Optimizing Your Organizing” classes to gain access to a comprehensive organizing bibliography.

Go to the Head of the Class

Do you learn best by listening? Visit the NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) and ICD (Institute for Challenging Disorganization) websites and explore teleclasses and webinars taught by professional organizers. Listen (over the phone or on your computer) and learn about systems and strategies, psychological obstacles, and niche aspects of the organizing profession.

Conferences for Organizing Professionals

Education, networking and motivation are just three of the benefits of attending organizing conferences. You’ll be dazzled by the camaraderie of professionals as enthusiastic about organizing as you. Attend compelling keynote and educational sessions to gain a variety and depth of knowledge. Then, spend quality face-time with global experts and colleagues representing diverse specialties. The more you mingle and ask questions, the sooner you will build rewarding professional relationships and gain confidence.

NAPO and ICD hold annual educational conferences, and individual NAPO chapters, including NAPO-SFBA and NAPO-WDC sponsor popular regional conferences.

The Next Best Thing to Being There

Can’t wait to start learning? Why not time travel to past conferences? Purchase, download and learn from recordings (via MP3s, CDs and DVDs) of past sessions. Aim for breadth in scope, or focus on a single topic presented at multiple conferences to gain novel perspectives. (There’s more than one way to organize a closet or an inbox!) For $20 or less per session, you’ll get a huge return on your investment. Find past NAPO conference sessions at http://www.vwtapes.com/.

(Window) Shop ’til You Drop

Thoughts and behaviors are crucial to organizing success, but products (from software to storage tubs) can play pivotal roles in improving productivity. Take yourself on field trips to price, evaluate and experiment with organizing products. You don’t have to go into debt – just test products to know what’s worth recommending or rejecting. After all, a connoisseur of closets must know all the options, from shoe storage and shelving to hooks and hangers.

Blogs and Social Media

As an aspiring professional organizer, don’t live in a bubble. Keep current on trends and get outside perspectives by reading popular organizing blogs. And don’t just read them, but share your comments and questions. Sample Erin Doland’s Unclutterer.com, Jeri Dansky’s Organizing and Decluttering News, Julie Bestry’s Paper Doll, or Krista Colvin’s The Whole SHEbang. When you find bloggers whose style and content you enjoy, scan their blogrolls to identify the blogs they love, and explore Alltop‘s directory of top organizing blogs.

Rub elbows with your colleagues to share ideas and get new viewpoints. Get social on Facebook and Twitter, follow other professional organizers, and check their lists to see whom they follow. Link to articles and blog posts, share your opinions, and engage with others to ask questions about organizing and productivity topics.

See Organizing’s Big Picture on the Small Screen

Augment your reading, listening, and networking with the dynamic visual appeal of video. Surf sites like YouTube for organizing-related content and check to see if your colleagues and favorite writers have their own video channels.

Television programs devoted to organizing can help you develop a repertoire of techniques, but remember that TV is an entertainment medium where hard work sometimes takes a back seat to dramatic narratives. In real life, organizing a home takes much longer than 60 minutes, and you won’t have large crews of beefy laborers providing support.

Coaching for New Professional Organizers

Hire a professional organizer who specializes in coaching new POs to develop and grow your business according to the industry’s best practices. Yes, it’s a significant investment, but coaching provides personalized insight and helps avoid common novice mistakes. Ease any concern over a conflict of interest by selecting a coach whose organizing practice is in a distant locale, and get coached by phone and email.

New Organizer Starter Kit

Please click here if you would like to purchase a starter kit for your business and be a professional organizer with all the tools and support to be a successful one!

Whether you are an experienced Professional Organizer or just starting out and looking for information on how to be a Professional Organizer, I encourage you to go to our New Professional Organizer‘s section where you’ll find resources, products and all the information you need to become a successful Professional Organizer.

I hope you enjoyed this post and I invite you to leave your comments below.

Good luck!

About Geralin Thomas

I'm an organizing consultant located in the Raleigh area. "Metrozing" (my company's nickname) specializes in helping chronically disorganized clients. If you, or someone you care about, needs help organizing an office, home, time or life, we can help! Or, if you're interested in becoming a professional organizer, please explore the many ways I can help you build a better professional organizing business that is sustainable and sensible via phone-coaching sessions. We can socialize on: Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter [@Metrozing] and LinkedIn. Or leave a message on my office phone: 919 380-7718 Looking for resources? Click the "SHOP" button located in the upper right corner of my website.

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