An Organized Approach

Prior to Adriane's visits, my family and I had just completed a long-distance relocation and had received my more than 10,000 lb. of our "stuff" from a container and from storage. The mess of boxes was overwhelming and paralyzing. Adriene found and brought along assistant home organizers (both of whom I liked as well), and over the course of three four-hour visits we tackled my kitchen, my closet/bedroom, and my basement and linen closet. Her organizing ideas (for example, storing things closest to the point of use) were really helpful, and I love the way my kitchen is laid out; everything is within reach from where I (and my kids) need it, and just "makes sense" for the way I cook. My closet has never been even as close to as organized as it is now. While there is plenty of clothing in there, everything seems to have all the space it needs; there are no jammed or unreachable areas which will eventually "break down" over time into a mess. I have had no trouble maintaining the order, which was always a problem for me after my attempts at closet cleanouts in the past. Before hiring a home organizer, I was a bit fearful the person would be pushy or critical and pressure me to get rid of things I wasn't sure I was ready to let go of. Adriane was easy to work with, respectful, never judgmental or pressuring, and let me make my own decision about each item. As it happens I have found plenty to let go of (and I feel great about it); so much so that disposing of it all is a project unto itself, and Adriane was again very helpful with suggestions of what to do with what items. I have been making slower progress on my move-in/clean-out since Adriane's departure, but her ideas and principles have stuck with me and have been very helpful as I put things away. I plan on truly completing my unpacking (instead of, as often happens, leaving those non-urgent boxes in the basement to get around to at a later date i.e. never), and I look forward to having Adriane return to help me finish off the job.

Adriane led the way without being pushy. She has systems that made the process easier. She’s an expert organizer, pleasant, and has a good sense of humor to help lighten things up. Adriane’s patient approach was supportive and not judgmental. I was at ease in her company. When I made the decision to invest in a professional to help me purge and get organized, I was immediately relieved when Adriane said “Don’t worry about a thing - help is on the way.” She is a real dynamo.

Went very well. No problems.

Adriane is a miracle worker. She was extremely sympathetic and understanding while, at the same time, getting the job done. Again and again she went above and beyond in her gentle care for my mother combined with her practical, highly efficient, and fast way of working. This job was way bigger than any of us thought going in but Adriane rose to the occasion and conferred with me every step of the way.

I think most of us think that we can organize by ourselves, if we just took the time to do it. I know that's what I thought, but the truth is that I could straighten up my office, but I never really got it organized so that it was completely efficient and that I could easily find the things I was looking for. Adriane Weinberg of An Organized Approach, is amazing! For her rating grade I wish I could have given her an A+! I just love the way she thinks! She suggested ways to organize that I never would have thought of. Her systems are not only functional and easy to use, but the real test was after she left, its actually easy to keep it organized! I love going into my office now. I can find things easily and my productivity has improved, I'm not wasting time trying to find the things I need. She also helped organize a couple of closets and WOW what a difference, functional and looks good! Thank you Adriane!

Adriane came to my home in response to a phone conversation we had to help me get rid of years worth of and quot;stuffand quot; in my basement and to organize what remained. She taught me a systematic approach, which we followed from day one and when I would get off track she'd gently prod me to stay focused. I didn't want to waste any time getting started once she arrived so I asked if there were any supplies I could get ahead of time. She asked me to obtain a few things to help with the project (boxes, paper to wrap donated items, trash bags, markers, etc.). I had a cutting table already set up in the basement so we used that as the staging area. I would hand her items to be donated and Adriane would wrap them and place them in the boxes. At first I didn't want to get rid of some items, but after some discussion and thought I realized I would never use them so out they went. The more we got into it, the more I got rid of. We had discussions over lunch, as well as at other times about my goals and objectives and how best to accomplish not only my and quot;basementand quot; project, but other projects I wanted to work on in the future. Adriane always arrived on time and we proceeded to work anywhere from 6 to 7 hours a day. I wanted to make a lot of progress quickly so we worked for 3 days the first week and then continued for several more days over the course of the next few weeks. I made at least 10 to 15 trips to donation sites with and quot;largeand quot; boxes of items, as well as filling at least that many, if not more and quot;lawn and leaf sizeand quot; bags of stuff to be thrown out. It was hard work but the end result was worth it. ADRIANE IS WORTH HER WEIGHT IN GOLD!!!!! She not only taught me a lot, she got me moving and motivated and I have used those skills with a few other projects around the house. I still have more to go, but I know that I can call on her services again if I need to or I can use the skills she taught me to do it on my own. The important thing is to keep up with things and not let them go so I don't start collecting a lot of junk where it becomes too overwhelming again. THANK YOU ADRIANE!

Adriane cleaned, decluttered and organized my house with me and my family. She was very hands on and helped my family become focused on what is important: people not stuff. Adriane taught our family to work together to keep the house in a working organized order. We went from clutter and frustration to uncluttered and organized. I highly recommend Adriane for effective, concise, and amazing organization for home or office.

She goes to the home and works with them for six hours at a time. As they sort things, she teaches them how to organize their home as they sort. When she arrived initially, there were only narrow paths leading through the home with no place to eat, sit, or sleep. First, she helped them by focusing on the kitchen to maintain their health. Next they moved to the bathrooms, followed by the bedrooms. Other family members eventually helped them move. While there was a lot of clutter remaining, we were all impressed by the the work that Adriane had accomplished with my relative and the reduction in the amount of clutter, and my relatives ability to maintain the areas that they worked on. It was much easier to help this relative move since Adriane was a part of their life. She simply has this attitude of persistant patience that helped my relative get this done.

My home was cluttered and disorganized. Adriane did an overall evaluation of my entire house and then allowed me to pick where we'd start. We got started in a smaller room and then needed to tackle the basement. This was a huge undertaking but I had to have a new furnace installed and it was necessary to clear out a bit in order for the heater contractors to do their work. I had her come as often as I could afford. The only rating that wasn't excellent was her price and to be quite honest...I'm not sure if that's fair. I believe the cost for anyone to come in to help clear out and organize is fairly expensive. Her experience and expertise were a great asset for her dealing with someone that felt the need to save many things even if they no longer had use. She handled the situation where emotional connections were getting in the way of clearing out with care, compassion and most importantly...common sense. I had set my sites on several rooms and goals. Those goals were attained with her help. I wish I could have afforded to have her come for a longer period of time...and I still may have her come back when I'm able. I'm still working but progress is much quicker when she's there to work along side. Adriane not only assisted me with the task at hand but also taught me systems and techniques to guide me going forward. She's very organized, methodical, patient when she needs to be and yet pushes when she needs to to help you get the job done. She doesn't just want to clear out your house...as she said, that wouldn't teach her clients anything and in several months, they'd be faced with the same problem that brought her there in the first place. I was very pleased with Adriane's knowledge, expertise and professionalism. She will be able to help you with clutter clearing, home and office organization, staging and senior moves.