Disorganized Friend

Valuable Lessons from Disorganized Friend

By Lisa Montanaro

Tracy, demonstrating the intuitiveness that I have come to know is her classic style, guided me to the field of professional organizing in 1999. My husband, Sean, whom I also must give credit to for helping guide me to professional organizing, used to tease that what I was really excellent at was planning lives. Indeed, his slogan for my not-yet-created organizing and coaching business was "Montanaro, Inc. - We Plan Lives."

Tracy was surfing the Web and discovered the National Association of Professional Organizers website, as well as that of the local New York Chapter. I thought, "People pay to have their lives organized? Amazing. I then spent a lot of time researching the profession, as well as brainstorming how and when I could "legitimize" my organizing skills by launching a business.

I attended a one-day conference sponsored by NAPO-NY, "Putting the 'Professional' Into Professional Organizing." It was there that I learned what is involved in running an organizing business and what sets a professional organizer apart from someone who merely likes to organize. I realized that I have been organizing people's lives on an "amateur" level my whole life, and that my organizing and coaching skills transcended my work as a lawyer, educator, mediator, administrator, writer, public speaker, and performer. Becoming more excited at the prospect of launching a business as a professional organizer, I decided to "practice" on Tracy, one of my closest friends.

Tracy and I met through our high school chorus, and were co-stars of our high school musical. I had been providing organizing and coaching services for Tracy for years: assisting her with writing letters to creditors, planning her vacations, reviewing her resume and cover letters, preparing her for job interviews, etc. It seemed only natural to start my career as a professional organizer with my number one consistent informal client, my disorganized, but brilliant and wonderful, friend.

No, the reason I chose to do organizing work for Tracy was because it just felt natural. Success. In 2002-2003, I assisted Tracy and her husband Mike with the first-time home buying process. Over the years, I have repeatedly provided organizing assistance to Tracy. We have delved into time management, space planning, bill paying systems, paper management, and organized the master bedroom, master bathroom and home office.

Tracy is an extremely intelligent, self-aware woman who has made great strides when it comes to organizing, and benefits greatly from working with an organizer. My clients may not have had the benefit of a parent, teacher, mentor, work colleague, or friend that could serve as a role model with regard to organizing skills. Some of my clients are organized at home, but not at work, or visa versa. Some are organized physically, but their time management skills are lacking.

Due to her background and intelligence, I knew one way to reach Tracy was by helping her to examine the psychological side of being disorganized. She is an avid reader (as well as one hell of an editor, proofreader and writer!) and has digested a plethora of organizing books. While many outsiders may only see the benefit Tracy has received from being the guinea pig that I practiced on early on in my organizing career, I have truly benefited too. I have been able to follow her struggles, research, revelation, and education process, while honing my skills and developing my unique approach to organizing systems. This organizer-client relationship with a close friend proves that you can mix business with pleasure and not only have the friendship survive despite the business relationship, but improve the friendship and business because of it.