Busy stay-at-home mom has a tiny little secret…

Our client is a mother of three young children. She is involved with her children’s activities and the responsibility of a large family home. Her house is very well maintained and is decorated beautifully. All seems to be in order with the exception of a tiny little secret. In her basement is a ‘guest bedroom’ that is not actually used for guest but to store all her ‘stuff’.

Project
The mystery room was safely locked away so no one could access it. She had successfully maintained her house effectively and decorated with detailed care but the mystery room had become a thorn in her side. It was the one area where she could not ‘conquer the clutter’. She called Downshifting – Professional Organizing Solutions with two goals in mind (1) to help her overcome the hurdle that was this anomaly in her house and (2) help her create a dedicated craft area that her daughter desperately wanted.

Strategy
After an initial needs assessment and discussion as to what the ‘dream room’ would look like, we got down to business and began to de-clutter and purge the stuff. We emptied the room of all its contents. Set out ‘dispose of’, ‘donate’, ‘keep’ and 'find a new home' sorting boxes. All donations, recycling and disposable items were taken out of the house and disposed or distributed to charitable organization. <insert link to Giving back – residential section > Downshifting – provides this disposal service at not extra charge.

Once the area was cleared only those items that needed to be in the room were replaced. All other items found a permanent home elsewhere. In addition to reclaiming the guest bedroom we collaborated with our client to complete a small project – creating a dedicated craft area. Once again, Downshifting provided suggestions as to the most effective use for the space, container solutions and room configurations. The client then purchased containers and completed that part of the project on her own.

Results
The ‘mystery room’ was redesign for its original purpose. With the small monetary windfall that she received from her returned items, she purchased lovely bedding set that finished off the ‘guest bedroom’. In this case, there was both a collaborative and a personal coaching component to this project as we helped the client finish the craft area. It is important to note that our client was perfectly capable of organizing her house by herself (as was evident in the rest of the house) but with the added encouragement, suggestions and physical help from our organizing professional, she was able to complete the two dream projects.

<Corporate Testimonial>

Insurance Claims Manager Purges after 37 years…

Our corporate client is a 37 year veteran in the life insurance industry. With 9 different job postings and a few years from retirement she decided now would be a good time to divest herself of some paper…2000 lbs to be exact.

Project
In conjunction with the Occupational Health and Safety department of a London-based insurance company, Downshifting – Professional Organizing Solutions ran an organizing contest. Our client entered a company-wide contest to find the Messiest Work Space Contest <insert link to Business Packages >. Her boss and staff were delighted that she won! Our client had accumulated a large amount of paper, files folders, binders, reports and books from her many postings. Our client’s priority was to let go of files that she had kept through the years. In one instance, we found a letter that she wrote in 1971! In our initial analysis we found out that her boss’ main priority was to ensure that all ‘public files’ could be easily accessed and in a permanent place outside of her cubicle.

Strategy
It was essential that we convince our client to purge unnecessary files, relocate files that belonged in other department, destroy files with corporate policies that were no longer current and re-evaluate inadequate filing systems. We established a comprehensive and easily retrievable filing system. Downshifting provided guidance and support to make those tough decisions. Filing cabinets were relocated outside her cubicle; a detailed reference system was put in place, file holders were installed above her desk to help her streamline projects and in the process cleared off her surface area.

‘Prime Real Estate’ (within hands reach) was cleared and files were then prioritized in level of importance. Less importantly, but still needed, public files were then set up, just outside her cubicle to make them more accessible to her boss and co-workers without having them ‘too far away’. Detailed discussions with the Professional Organizer on paper flow and process management translated into customized, simple yet effective process improvement solutions.

Results
The client regained ‘prime real estate’ in her office space. Files were trimmed down and easily accessible. A new ‘in-box’ system was implemented to avoid file backlog. Re-located filing cabinets provided her boss and staff easy access to common files. A huge load was taken off of her shoulders because she now felt that she could take steps to develop a transitional, succession plan in preparation for her retirement in a few years.

<SOHO Testimonial>

Small Business Expansion means big business organizing…

Our client is a home-based entrepreneur and Marketing Specialist who found himself in the lucky predicament of having too much work. Faced with a need to organized his messy office, separate home from business files and more importantly, find more storage space for his new files our client contacted Downshifting – Professional Organizing Solutions to help.

Project
An expanded client base meant that our client was going to have to organize his space for maximum usage. A secondary priority was to create a more efficient system to take and retain client notes. Old files, existing client files, lack of filing space, minimal storage space, double duty use of a work space/packing centre and a lot of computer cables were just a few of the challenges. This eyesore was making our client’s spouse consider moving the office to the basement. However, a disorganized space did not necessarily mean that a larger space was needed or that it needed to be an eyesore anymore!

The project was daunting but with two huge benefits: the office had floor-to-ceiling built-in storage units and easily adaptable office furniture pieces.

Strategy
After a detailed discussion and subsequent analysis of how the current process works, our client worked with Downshifting – Professional Organizing Solutions to completely empty his office and started from scratch. We create task-specific areas (shipping, storing marketing materials, print area); we proceeded to build a filing system that would work for him and his assistant. By using rolling filing cubes, we were able to provide transportability so the files could be used on a larger workspace (when the need arose).

Results
Downshifting was able to create a more streamline look and provided a filing and reference system where one did not exist. Purchasing stylish but useful containers maintained the esthetics of the workspace. Redefining the function of a few furniture pieces facilitated the addition of extra containers which in turn provided extra filing space for future clients and projects. Collaboration with the client helped us develop customized workflow systems.

Client Testimonial
"Creativity and productivity are more easily accomplished in a user-friendly environment that Margarita helped me create. She furthered my motivation to be more organized in all my business endeavors and tasks." - Kirk Lowe, Freedomarketing, www.freedomarketing.ca