How It All Started
Clients often ask how I became a Professional Organizer, and the truth is- it began long before I called it a career. Helping a friend with her overflowing file cabinet showed me that organizing isn’t just about neatly stacked papers and pretty labels. It’s about creating order, easing burdens, and opening space (both physical and mental) for people to thrive. That single project sparked what has become not only my profession, but also my calling.
The File Cabinet That Changed Everything
“I hate that file cabinet. It’s like a black hole: stuff goes in, but never comes out. It’s why I avoid working in my office.”
That was my friend, Renee, bemoaning the overstuffed, 5-drawer vertical filing cabinet commandeering her office space. From High School essays to her marriage certificate to dishwasher warrantees, it contained details of the past 20 years of her life. Yet she could cull none of it because papers had been indiscriminately stuffed inside and the bulk was just too intimidating to test.
It was the year 2000 when she asked me to organize it for her. Years of office work yielded an undaunted bravado for dealing with paper, so I said Yes to Renee’s request.
Oddly, I enjoyed sifting the papers through my fingers, finding common threads between the pages, and creating categories that would keep her papers in an easy to use system. After three days, we had pared her papers down to just three drawers of file folders.
Wide-eyed with awe, Renee opened and closed each drawer several times, admiring the uniformity. Papers sorted by category and date, resting in fresh manilla folders, each folder encased in its own green hanging file folder, and each identified with an easy-to-read label- “High School Essays”, “Certificates”, “Warrantees” to name a few.
“I love this file cabinet! I can find any paper I need! Carol, this is amazing!”
The Ripple Effect of Organization
Renee was elated with the results. So much so that she continued decluttering and organizing other spaces in her home, calling me when she had finished each one. “Carol, I just organized my linen closet . . . my pantry . . . my kitchen . . . I have so much more room now . . . I feel so much lighter!”
I was really struck by how having an organized home, and being able to do it for herself, seemed to give Renee more verve and vision for her life. Soon after we worked together, she became both a Realtor and more involved with animal advocacy, both which she still does 25 years later.
From Side-Hustle to Full-Time
It was Renee who prompted me to start a home organizing side-hustle. “Carol, what you’ve done with that file cabinet has changed my relationship with my office! People will pay money for you to do for them what you just did for me. There’s got to be a market for this!”
She was right- there was indeed a market for people who are good at organizing home spaces. Logging on to dial-up AOL, I found National Organization for Professional Organziers 1 (NAPO). I took a few classes, printed business cards, and pounded the pavement to start my side-hustle. In 2018 I took a huge leap of faith, quit my 9-year school administration job, and took my organizing business full-time.
Professional Organizing is more than a career for me- it’s a calling. Yes, I get to help people clear away clutter. More importantly, I get to show them that by keeping and organizing only the things they use, need, and love, anyone can transform their homes into spaces that truly uplift, support, and empower their daily lives.
1 As of 2017, NAPO changed its name to National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals