When my family and I moved to the Triad, we downsized into a furnished home. A moving double-whammy. In Virginia, we had a basement and attic that we had filled, and here we have neither on purpose. We love it here and love our sweet house, but getting settled was overwhelming to say the least. We still hadn’t unpacked all of our boxes 6 months later. We needed help, and so we contacted Jill of Organized Jill, professional home organizer extraordinaire, and thank goodness!
We know how amazing Organized Jill is first-hand.
Organized Jill and her team are incredible. First, we started with a pantry re-design, then she and her crew organized the garage where everything had gone that we couldn’t fit into the house. It was PACKED. Then we did a new closet design for our son so that his mountains of books could finally find a home. And finally, she just helped me tackle that wall of boxes that were piled in our bedroom (I’m cringing writing this…). But when I tell you I felt paralyzed?!? I just couldn’t seem to get it done, and Jill was who I needed to help us (literally) get through it. Now I feel we can LIVE in our home. We can breathe.
I cannot recommend Jill enough. She knows how to help with any project, big or small.
Jill joined me for a Q&A recently to chat more about her incredible services.
Q&A with Organized Jill, Professional Organizer in Winston-Salem, NC
I love to talk about organizing whenever I get the chance, and it’s nice to have an opportunity to share what we do. Even though Professional Home Organization has been around for many years, I think it is gaining more awareness with YouTube and tv shows like The Home Edit and Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. But there is still a lot of education that we are working on to make sure consumers understand the difference between our industry and the home cleaning industry. Am I going to vacuum or mop your closet floor before we put things back to style and organize it–absolutely. I going to clean your windows… not today.
We are also working to educate other potential home organizers to understand that it takes a lot more than just “liking organizing” to be a Professional Home Organizer.
Our clients need help eliminating clutter, getting organized, and being able to fully enjoy their homes. It’s not just about decanting and labeling (although we love those things too), it’s about understanding what is best for our clients, what their needs are, how sustainable the systems are that we put in place. It’s also about listening. Clients come to us feeling vulnerable, and asking for help can be challenging. I try to reassure people that they’ve already done one of the hardest parts which is reaching out for help; after that, they have us as a support system before, during, and after their projects are completed.
On the other hand, we also have clients who contact us because they want Pinterest-worthy closets and Khloe Kardashian inspired pantries, and we help them achieve those goals as well.
Let’s start by telling everyone about who you are, your business, and why you decided to become an organizer.
My name is Jill and I am the owner & founder of Organized Jill Professional Home Organization based in Winston-Salem, NC. I have been organizing for friends and family for 20 years and it was something that I have always enjoyed doing. Before becoming a Professional Home Organizer, I did real estate accounting in Virginia Beach for 15 years and was an administrative assistant in higher education in the Triad for 2 years.
When the pandemic began, there was so much chaos and confusion, fear and uncertainty. I, like so many people, felt totally helpless to do anything of value to help the community. I knew I had to do the only thing I could do to truly help people- help them find calm and clarity through home organization.
In my own home, organization has always helped me feel safe and brought me a lot of peace. It was time to truly explore and research something that I had dreamed about doing for many years and figure out how to make it a reality. Six months after launching my “side- business”, I decided to leave my office job to pursue organizing full time and have never looked back.
Why does a family hire a professional organizer?
There are a multitude of reasons my clients have reached out to me. We’ve helped everyone from the “I want that Pinterest look” client, to the “I need help, I am drowning in stuff, I’m totally overwhelmed” client. A lot of the time, no one in the family will help, knows how to help, has time or interest to help, and people feel alone in their journey. People are busy, and making time to care for their homes is a form of self-care. A lot of the time, people get stuck in “analysis paralysis” and they don’t know where to begin; or they have such decision fatigue from their work and home obligations, that they don’t have the energy to process this amount of decision making alone. Hiring a Professional Home Organizer is like hiring a Personal Trainer, but for your house. It takes a commitment to change to make an impact.
We also have clients who need to declutter before a move, or need help unpacking in their new homes. We have helped clients who have had major life changes- upsizing, downsizing, welcoming little ones, making room for generational living, or saying goodbye to loved ones. Most recently, we have had people who are reaching out to us for our newest offering, custom closet kit installations.
What are your particular areas of expertise?
My favorite place in the home to organize are master bedroom closets. (Although, most of my team says their favorite place is the kitchen) Personally, I love creating art with peoples’ wardrobes. When we categorize and organize a closet, we create a flow and a rhythm through proper placement and eye-catching color arrangement to help people want to keep their closets in order long after we’ve organized it for them. We use visual clarity & simplicity by giving our clients clean sight lines and order. We declutter unwanted clothing and help people curate a wardrobe that represents who they are today and where they are going. We help people look ahead at what is coming to make room for new things by letting go of items that no longer serve their needs and are taking up valuable space.
What types of training have you done?
I am a graduate of the QC Design School and am an Advanced International Organizing Professional. I am also a member of a national professional organization- ASPO, the American Society of Professional Organizers. I take continuing education courses to further my own understanding of how I can best help different types of clients, learn about industry trends, and how to better understand ever-changing technology.
What services do you offer?
We offer everything from traditional decluttering & organizing services, to unpacking & “nesting” for homebuyers, and custom closet system installations. Creating functional and aesthetically pleasing spaces helps people save time by not having to search for misplaced items, and money by not buying duplicate items. For many people, they have described their experience with us as therapeutic and a huge stress relief, as well as a weight lifted off their shoulders. We give people the “permission” they often need to let go of items to make room for what matters most. Decluttering and getting organized gives people more free time to enjoy leisure pursuits instead of having to care for items that no longer bring them joy.
What are the signals to a family that they should hire you?
Whether people are overwhelmed or stressed out by the clutter in their homes, or if they are looking to improve the functionality of their spaces. If they are ready to say goodbye to clutter, get organized, and enjoy their home, they should contact us today. The team at Organized Jill Professional Home Organization brings together function & aesthetics to create systems for every room in your home. If you’ve been dreaming of organized closets, pantries, kitchens, bedrooms, or your whole home, we are here to help.
What is your number one tip for a small family or children’s space organizing project?
As frequently as I recommend cube storage systems for children’s spaces because of the versatility and adaptability, I strongly advise AGAINST the fabric cubes that are made for the space. The fabric cubes become a wasteland for items to be dropped into and forgotten about- out of sight, out of mind. I recommend smaller clear, lidded storage boxes. You can easily add and change labels as inventory changes, it teaches children where to put their belongings back, how to keep “like” items together, and be able to see what is inside. The smaller boxes can help discourage clutter from building up and reduce the likelihood of duplicate purchases. If you feel overwhelmed by the amount of toys, your children do, too.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Later is the best friend of clutter. Get rid of the clutter and you might find that it was blocking the door you’ve been looking for.
Q&A with Organized Jill, Professional Organizer in Winston-Salem, NC
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Thanks for reading!
—Emily
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