Today I had the privilege of working with one of the families I have been babysitting for on and off during the last three/years. This family just moved to a beautiful new apartment uptown and they asked me for my help in organizing everything since it's quite a big job to move!
Though the family hired a professional organizer, they asked me to help the organizer since they know I had some experience in this and interest in the possibility of pursuing this as a career one day.
I ended up working alongside an incredible, dynamic and kind woman named Lisa. She was super open to speaking with me about her career path and gave me some pointers regarding the professional organization career as well as some general life advice. She has worked in various industries- she worked in Hollywood as an assistant, worked for Martha Stewart, organized events in NYC, worked in the Oval Office at the White House and eventually became a personal organizer.
The one thing Lisa emphasized to me was that you should never doubt your ability to do something or to work for a specific person. She said that if I am curious about working somewhere, just contact them! Not only did she said to be direct and fearless, but she encouraged me to start at the top first. Dream wildly, and see what you can do about making the dream a reality. I really agree with this idea, especially because I can be a dreamer!
Regarding the professional organizing career, I asked her what questions she asks clients when she first meets them. To this she responded that she tries to stay open-minded when meeting clients. She treats her job as a sacred one, since she is literally touching the lives of people every day. She has a tremendous amount of respect for the people she works for. She usually asks them if they have a vision for the space that needs organizing- do they have specific needs or desires? Lisa reminded me, that her job is making the space work for the client. She stresses that her work is always about the client; this is important to remember because it is easy to fall into the ego-trap of having the task of organizing another person's life.
When I was working as a family assistant this past summer, I was especially cognizant of this while organizing the family's summer home. What role did the area play in their lives? What items were they using - and how often were they using these items? The focus was on creating family-centric areas for working, playing, and relaxing.
Though I am not sure if I will ever become a personal organizer, it was quite a treat to be able to work with one today!
Though the family hired a professional organizer, they asked me to help the organizer since they know I had some experience in this and interest in the possibility of pursuing this as a career one day.
I ended up working alongside an incredible, dynamic and kind woman named Lisa. She was super open to speaking with me about her career path and gave me some pointers regarding the professional organization career as well as some general life advice. She has worked in various industries- she worked in Hollywood as an assistant, worked for Martha Stewart, organized events in NYC, worked in the Oval Office at the White House and eventually became a personal organizer.
The one thing Lisa emphasized to me was that you should never doubt your ability to do something or to work for a specific person. She said that if I am curious about working somewhere, just contact them! Not only did she said to be direct and fearless, but she encouraged me to start at the top first. Dream wildly, and see what you can do about making the dream a reality. I really agree with this idea, especially because I can be a dreamer!
Regarding the professional organizing career, I asked her what questions she asks clients when she first meets them. To this she responded that she tries to stay open-minded when meeting clients. She treats her job as a sacred one, since she is literally touching the lives of people every day. She has a tremendous amount of respect for the people she works for. She usually asks them if they have a vision for the space that needs organizing- do they have specific needs or desires? Lisa reminded me, that her job is making the space work for the client. She stresses that her work is always about the client; this is important to remember because it is easy to fall into the ego-trap of having the task of organizing another person's life.
When I was working as a family assistant this past summer, I was especially cognizant of this while organizing the family's summer home. What role did the area play in their lives? What items were they using - and how often were they using these items? The focus was on creating family-centric areas for working, playing, and relaxing.
Though I am not sure if I will ever become a personal organizer, it was quite a treat to be able to work with one today!