So, one of our clients emails and calls with this request….can you come to my office this week…will send pictures. And she did. She sent about 5 pictures of her business office with request that we come for a 3 hour session (she asked us to stay 4) and just help with the clutter. She said she had reached a point where she couldn’t ignore it anymore and needed to restore order to her work space. Some background-she is an executive at a large organization, overseeing people and projects many of which come with lots of “stuff” that end up in her office. When we walked in the first thing we noticed is not only papers but all the items that had landed in and were being stored in her office. Our comment to her…your office is not a storage room! So we set to work removing all those items, placing them in a storage space and then we were able to get to work in her office. There were many papers and files on her desk and conference table leaving very little room to work. She has several filing cabinets, a bookshelf, and armoire for coats and other storage cabinets, so what was the problem? One filing cabinet was filled with snacks, tea and other such items; one cabinet had very old, outdated files; one storage cabinet had personal items. There was plenty of storage it just wasn’t being used effectively. Solution: Clear out the food from the filing cabinet and place in the cabinet above her desk; sort through the very old files and shred, leaving space to archive older but still needed files; use the filing cabinet under and next to her desk for the daily used, more current files; use the coat armoire for her coat and all personal items; use the bookshelf not just for decorative items but also for books and notebooks. All the components were there, items just needed to be housed at their point of use and by purpose. Result: She was left with a clear work space; items housed at their point of use and easy to access; a conference table that could accommodate people; clear floor space and most importantly a feeling that order was restored and work could be accomplished without the stress of too much stuff everywhere.

Take a look at these before and after photos…

“… I can't tell you how over the moon my family and I are with our newly organized spaces. I feel like it's my birthday!”
MS in Falls Church

 “A Sorted Affair managed to do the impossible-- They helped my teen girl scouts come up with an organization plan! After reading an article about teens lacking basic life skills, I wanted to get professional help to make sure our girls were prepared for high school and beyond. This was one of our most successful meetings! I’ve heard back from the girls and their parents. Mary Beth and Nicole gave them tools for organizational techniques, but more importantly, helped them visualize what they would gain by becoming more efficient!“ 
LF in Alexandria, Troop Advisor for Cadette Troop 901 

“…I did want to drop a quick note though – before we see you again at summer end-to thank you so much. You and your team just did a superb job with a lengthy project-top quality in every aspect. You are just amazing…”
AW in Arlington