A client recently told me “No offense, but I’m much more focused and productive when you visit my home versus coaching by phone. I’m more honest when you’re standing in front of me.” I didn’t take offense; she was being clear and honest and knew herself well enough to know what she needed.

Another client has hit a plateau with organizing; she’s achieved her initial goal, yet isn’t really sure she is done with her project. So here, discussing what does “support” look like at the next stage versus how we started out together is important.

And so is deciding when she is “ready” to go at it again. She needs a new goal to get to the next level where but is not ready until she’s ready. Sometimes, it’s important to be there virtually, just ” be there. ”

At work or at home, when you realize you’re ready for a change, think also about what type of organizer support you would do best with, as these two client examples show us.

Here are some questions to answer for yourself. Each approach has different time commitments, spending commitments and accountability to it.

1. Maybe you need not hands-on support or coaching, but new ideas, and a fresh perspective from an outsider who has “seen it all” (or at least a lot).
2. Side by side support to help you as you make tough decisions, not all decisions, but the hardest ones  you have to make. Maybe the rest of your house simplifying has gone pretty well, but you’re down to the toughest, often sentimental decisions. Or the decisions you and your family don’t quite agree on.
3. Is organization a chronic issue for you? A daily struggle? There are organizing specialists in chronic disorganization. What is “chronic?”  You can listen here to a class by the Institute for Challenging Disorganization all about chronic disorganization, or download this free copy of the clutter-hoarding scale (from normal household’s clutter to a hoarding household). Our web site (I”m a subscriber and volunteer) also has a referral service.
4. Do you have ADHD or another neurological/brain wiring difference you need to understand so that your organizing systems work better for you? Again, look for a specialist. That could be an organizer with specialized education in ADHD, or a  Certified Organizer Coach (much of our training was in organizing for those with ADHD or other brain-based challenges).
5. If you were to work by phone with your organizer or coach, how well will you do with action steps to be accomplished in between meetings?
6. Or are you someone who needs the in-person appointment to ensure you have a deadline?
7. Do you need to have someone who can understand that’s it not about ‘the stuff,’ but whatever it is you’re going through or have gone through – a big life change, a recent medical or mental health diagnosis? Or do you want someone to do it for you (the latter is sometimes an assistant to an organizer).
8. Do you need support to get back on track, only for the initial “getting things back into shape?”Something’s happened in life, a big life change, and you’re off kilter – it happens to everyone and impacts us all differently.
9. Or do you need support to maintain what’s put into place?

So when you’re tired of the pain or the struggle, these questions will help you figure out what type of organizer expertise and way of working with an organizer you’ll need so that you can be at your best. And make a change you’ll be able to stick to.

Also discuss what you can do in between meetings. Your action steps in between meetings have several benefits:

• You’ll learn even more about collaborating as you define the support you need from your organizer or organizer coach, asking and defining what you need to succeed;
• You’ll get clear on how to break down your project into smaller steps – a skill which can be used anywhere in your work and home life;
• You’ll feel more in control and more responsible for progress that’s made! I often ask my clients to brag about what they’ve accomplished, before we begin the new meeting. When was the last time you got to brag?

If your action steps do not end up getting done, a professional organizer will collaborate with you to figure out: Was it the steps we defined? Or how we defined them? Was it a time management issue? Was it a crisis that got in the way? Should the organizer/coach have been more supportive in between meetings? In other words, in our relationship, there is no judgment; it’s all about learning from what’s happened and integrating the learning into our next set of action steps.

Don’t let your organizer get away with not working with you on accountability; he/she owes it to you, as you learn or relearn valuable life skills. It’s part of our professional role.