Home Organization Consultation Process

HOW IT WORKS

THE PROCESS

We have a consultation with you in your space to get to know you and get acquainted with the project area. During this meeting we discuss your goals, the purpose of the project area, your timeline and budget. We diagnose the root cause(s) of the situation bothering you and start mapping out your project. Suggestions are made regarding the level of service that could best suit your needs. We present our agreement and if the agreement is signed, the work sessions are placed in calendar.

The work is conducted according to the service contracted by the client and the action plan outlined. However, at the core of the organizing process, there are some procedures that are always followed:

Sort & Purge – All things in the project area will be evaluated and sorted. We will ask you to fetch everything you have around the house that pertains to the categories we are dealing with. You must be able to see all you have in context. Ideally, you’ll end up with a home for each item and one place per item category. During this part of the process, decisions are made regarding what you own: what stays and what goes. We’ll help you decide what to do with what goes (discard, donate, recycle, sale, consignment).

Allocation & Space Planning – Things get homes assigned at this point. The space is analyzed in order to maximize storage possibilities. Decisions are made regarding systems and containers. The space is measured to ensure solutions proposed will fit. We might use systems and containers you may already own if they fit the need, or alternatives will be purchased.

Containerization & Labeling – All items to be kept will be placed in the containers and systems proposed. Containers and systems will be incorporated into the space and labeled as specifically as needed.

Well implemented systems will be easy to maintain. Sometimes even the best laid out plans and systems require adjustments. We’ll be happy to schedule additional appointments to further enhance your space and systems.

Some clients benefit from scheduling recurrent annual appointments to swap out their seasonal wardrobe or have some help with their seasonal décor storage. Other clients like to have us recurrently to make sure they keep their multiple projects in check, or their filling systems organized and updated. These are good examples of maintenance appointments we can schedule for our clients.

The result will be a more functional and beautiful space. Your home should be a space that supports who you are, propels you to be the best version of you, and motivates you in the pursuit of your goals. Enjoy your uncluttered, organized, designed space!

Our process aims to bring your space from where it is now to something completely new, that is customized to your needs and completely done. The goal is for you to have a home that runs much more efficiently with better energy, with organization systems that are easy to maintain but that are beautiful to look at, as well.

A Word About the Assessment

Our process always starts with an assessment. This assessment is required for every client to engage our services. During this meeting, we determine your project goals and needs, we analyze the project space and take pictures. It is important to have a deeper conversation about what the organizing process is really about.
Many people want to know how long the process will take or how much the Organizer will charge for a project. Before seeing the space first hand, meeting the client and having a conversation about the goals and expectations, it is very difficult to make any kind of estimates. Even then, there can’t be any kind of guarantees regarding the time a project will take. Every project is different and so is every client. We have a tremendous skill set. We work hard, fast, deep and broad, but we have no control on how fast a client can work or how much will he/she be able to cooperate with us during the process. Many factors come into play during the completion of a project. These factors affect the rate of progress of the project. Also, the clutter that is being addressed did not just happen overnight. It is not reasonable to think it can be taken care of in a couple of hours (unless, of course, you ask us to bulldoze everything in site and start from scratch. That simplifies everything for sure! ).
There is a misconception that an Organizer is someone that will come into a space, wave a magic wand and the place suddenly will be magazine worthy. That is not the case.
We need a meeting with you in order to plan the project so that you understand the process involved. It is important for us to uncover the reasons behind the current state of the space and the real obstacles you might be facing to being and remaining organized.
It is also important for you to understand that we work WITH you, as you are the one who lives in the space and you need to decide about the items to be kept and the systems to be put in place. It is in your best interest to learn the skills involved in maintaining the organization achieved. For all this to happen, we first need to understand who you are, how you live, how you learn, what are your goals and where are you moving to in your life.
Also, please do not feel embarrassed about the condition of your home or try to clean up before our appointment. There is a reason you called us and we are not going to judge you! Besides, we need to see the space the way it really is, so we can truly assess the project.

DIY In-Home Coaching

This is a two-hour session where we examine all areas of the home and talk in detail about the issues bothering you regarding those areas. We propose solutions you can implement yourself to solve these problems. This process includes recommendations of products, systems and services that might assist you in solving the issues at hand or that will improve the efficiency of the space.
Included with the DIY In-Home Coaching:

Full home assessment
Action plan
Diagnosis of disorganization causes
Suggestions for systems to implement
List of products, systems and procedures to increase efficiency and functionality of the spaces
Summary of ideas and projects with links to products and services needed

Hands-On Organizing Services

When you lack the time, energy or desire to tackle your organizing project yourself, entrust your home to us and watch the magic happen! We still need to work with you to make key decisions and we want you to learn important lessons, so the results of the process are long lasting. Although it is very difficult to know beforehand how long a project will take, we can have a broad idea during the assessment based on experience. With this information, you can decide if you’d like to contract our services per hour or take advantage of discounts per blocks of time available for purchase.
Included with the Hands-On Organizing Service:

Project assessment
List of suggested products, materials and services needed for project
Hands-on organizing time (decluttering, sorting, purging, allocating, labeling)
Referrals to additional services or providers deemed applicable
Summary of project with ideas discussed, products/services suggested and pictures

Maintenance Services

Our ideal scenario is to empower you with the skills and the systems to have an environment that you can easily maintain. This does not negate the possibility that your systems might needs some tweaking as circumstances change in your life. That is perfectly normal. If you feel this is your case, or even if you feel you need help refreshing some of the lessons learned or need new skills, do not hesitate to schedule an appointment with us.
Some clients might choose to book recurrent appointments throughout the year to swap their wardrobe and take care of their clothes maintenance as seasons change. Others might decide they need help with décor set up and storage according to the season. These are examples of good reasons to book recurrent or additional appointments with your Organizer once your home is in top shape.

Off-Site Services

MSR also offers those extra services often needed to finish a project (but that are harder to schedule and that usually no one wants to deal with). We’ll be happy to take that off your plate!

Shopping time / research
Donations drop off / pick up coordination
Vendor research / coordination
Electronics discard

She arrived punctual, in her uniform with logo perfectly pressed, and with every tool one can dream of. I was nervous, would she judge? Would we get along? Was I ready to do this? Was she going to be mean? She was awesome, I liked her immediately. This was a person I wanted to work with. Then the magic began. Maristella was an inspiration. The work she does is not easy, but she loves it. The goal was met, we did everything we needed to do! It was a great experience and I learned this process that really gets me motivated & moving. Now, there are times when I lose that luster, but I’ve contacted Maristella when this happens, and she gets me right on track. I call that beyond responsive and Maristella does go above and beyond expectations. She takes great pride in her work. It’s a reflection of her.

– Christina, Fairview