A Day in The Life of a Professional Organizer

Most people think professional organizers spend their days neatly folding t-shirts, creating Pinterest-worthy pantries, and labeling everything they lay their eyes on. 

And then many people have no clue what we do or how we do it. I cannot speak for other organizers, but in my world, no two weeks are the same, and each day is varied and busy, but most importantly, it's productive! 

Let me tell you how my life is so much more than folding t-shirts and making spaces pretty...

Morning Routine: Getting Organized

My morning routine is all about getting organized (if you can believe that!). If I don't feel prepared in the morning, it will throw my entire day off. 

So I wake up each morning by 6:30 am and begin my morning routine of chores, which includes taking care of my four pets, emptying the dishwasher, making a pot of coffee, preparing my kid's and my lunch boxes for the day, and making sure my boys are awake and getting ready for school (and also keep them from killing each other). 

I then check my emails, texts, and any post-its I left myself as reminders for the day, make myself a decent breakfast, and get dressed in my work attire if I will be in a client's home that day. Each day is a workout, and I can get pretty dusty and dirty, so I dress accordingly. 

If my kids have sports that day and have to go straight from school, I also pack their sports bags to take with me in the car, plus water bottles and snacks. 

I pack up my workbag with lunch and lots of water, drop my kids at school or the bus stop, and arrive at my local storage unit. This is where I store all of my work supplies like ladders, sorting baskets, donations to be dropped off, and my personal inventory of organizing products that I use for client projects. 

It is a super convenient location, which helps with my morning and evening routines. Then, I will travel to my client's house, arrive by 9:30/10:00 am, and work until around 3:00 pm. 

During this season of life with young kids, my sessions on-site are usually in 5-hour increments, give or take an hour, depending on the job and my availability that day. Also, depending on the job, I may have an assistant work alongside me. My clients are usually not present, and if they are, they are busing working from home or taking care of other things. Occasionally I’ll work alongside them but I always check in with them when they are needed for input.

Afternoon Tasks: Sorting, Organizing, and Planning

My days spent in client's home are full of sorting through lots of client's belongings, categorizing them, space planning and designing how everything will fit back in (like a puzzle), and ultimately labeling them. This is not all done in a day, so each day is a different task and often a different client. I follow my own organizing process no matter the space, with my R.E.A.L. acronym. 

On any given day, I can be found sorting through clothes in a primary or children’s closet, organizing kitchen cabinets and drawers, cleaning out bathrooms and linen closets, tackling toy-filled playrooms, decluttering basements, and hanging wall organization systems in garages. Sometimes it’s a finishing-and-details day with the final arrangement of products I’ve brought for their space, and applying custom labels from one of my many label maker options. Some days, I get filthy working in garages or basement storage rooms; other days, I can stay cleaner working in the pantry or bathroom. But no matter what, dust is created because I am pulling everything out of a space in order to completely reorganize it. I absolutely love the variety in my days and weeks! I thrive off of juggling different projects while also actively onboarding future clients. 

Usually, around 12 or 1 pm I will take a 15-minute break to refuel because I am on my feet all day long and usually in motion, too. I get well over 10,000 steps in on a typical workday. During my break, I will eat while I catch up on e-mails and texts. Since I don't have a desk job, these can pile up. I always wear a smartwatch so I can be reached in an emergency, even when I'm up high on a ladder and not near my phone. 

I wrap up organizing around 3pm, always planning time in my schedule to pack up my car and to put my client's space back into a livable situation until our next session if the project is not yet complete. My goal is to leave "organized chaos" throughout the duration of the project. Then, I usually stop at my storage unit to unload my car full of supplies, donations, and trash before picking up my kids at school or the bus stop, going straight to after-school activities, or heading home. 

If my boys have playdates out instead, I can take care of a few things like administrative work, cleaning up my storage unit, or taking a breather before picking them up there. Sometimes, the playdates are at my house, and my boys are old enough (10 and 7 now) for me to get some work done while they play at home, too.

Evening Schedule: Errands & Admin 

After 3pm, if my kids are otherwise occupied with friends, I can start on my administrative work for the business. Since I run my own home organizing business and don’t work as an employee for another, I have the entire backend of the business to run in addition to the hands-on organizing I love to do. If my boys are at sports, I can get work done in my car while waiting or running errands if the stores I need are nearby. I am really good at planning out my trips and what I can get done in the shortest amount of time or with the least amount of driving. I supplement my personal inventory of products with customized shopping for each client’s space so I have shopping and returns to make regularly. I speed up the shopping process by shopping online whenever possible and placing orders for store pick up.

Once I am home, we have dinner, usually bulk-prepped by me earlier in the week, although this is usually just for my husband and me - so I have to fix my picky kids their own dinner because they don't want what we eat! Then, I will usually do administrative work from 9pm to 11pm or later if I am behind (due to life or more on-site sessions that week than I prefer), with maybe one night during the work week to relax or actually get to bed at a more decent time.  

I am constantly working on improving this schedule, but I'm an entrepreneur with lots of goals and things I want to work on, so it's not going well. :)  

My admin work at home involves updating my customer relationship manager (CRM), invoicing clients, communicating with current clients and leads via email and text, working on marketing, blog posts, and newsletters, updating online platforms and photos, engaging online, space planning and designing for projects and researching and placing online orders for product. I’ll also communicate with clients about their ongoing projects if we didn’t have a chance to speak that day.

This evening time is also reserved for virtual consultations with new clients who can book directly on my calendar. I do have some tasks that I outsource (like accounting and some marketing), but even those still require some of my attention for them to be ultimately executed by others. Lastly, I'll send a text confirmation to my client for the next day's session.

As a professional home organizer, I really love what each day brings me, and I never get bored. While each day is different, I follow the same routine because being organized and prepared is the key to success for me. In any given week, I will work in client's homes anywhere from 2 to 5 days per week (3 to 4 is ideal with an admin/errand day) unless I am on vacation or my kids are off from school.

I love that I get to create a work schedule that works for me and my family. I can juggle up to 3 active clients in a week - everyone is always at a different phase of their projects while juggling potential clients in different parts of the sales pipeline. On days I am not in a client's home, I am shopping for products, running personal errands, keeping my storage unit and my office space at home organized, and doing administrative work that I usually have to do at night. 

What I love most about my day-to-day is that the days are full - I love to stay not just busy but productive - and my days are full of tasks that I love to do. I love the hands-on physical aspect of my job - decluttering and clearing out space and organizing it all in a peaceful, pretty, and practical way. 

I get the most satisfaction from helping my clients achieve their goals for efficiency and order in their homes, and I love watching them feel better in the end. It's my why! While I don't love administrative work, I do enjoy running a business, and sitting down at my computer is usually a welcome break from all the time being on my feet. :)

Do you want to learn about how Organized by Meg can transform your whole Denver area home…and your life? Join our mailing list to get inspired and grab your behind-the-scenes guide here.

Sending you organized vibes,

Meg