Organizing for Overseas Military

I arrived at the end of September, and by November, word had spread that there was a Professional Organizer on base.  Hence, I have been inundated with work to date, and while the basics are similar, working inside a military community has offered new challenges to me, as a professional, thereby growth.  I love a good challenge and love to broaden my knowledge.
All of the base housing is the same inside.  This helps expedite the process, because I already know how to maneuver through each house, it’s just different stuff to organize.  As well, the system of their moves is the same.  They send all of their belongings in two shipments, the first is their clothing, personals and must-have daily items.  The second shipment is their furniture and bulk household.  Most of the calls I receive go something like this, “I PCS’d here two months ago and we just got our household goods this week. We are still trying to make sense of it all...I would really like your help.  I am warning you, you will have your hands full!”  Normally, my system is to work with the client, using the process as a teaching tool for their future endeavors and moves; however, this is the first time in many years that I have accepted jobs wherein the client has handed over their keys and booked my days to organize their home, while they are on duty.

This photo is typical in their process - the movers unpack everything for them.  They just arrived and have to start their new job on Monday morning!  For this particular client, she had been here a few weeks and was completely overwhelmed.  We met, she handed me her keys and ventured off for a long weekend in Sao Miguel, and.....

...came home to this!

 Having repeat clients hire me to help decorate, is also something new that has become commonplace here.  Those calls go something like this, “I just feel like I’m in a big hotel room.  All of my stuff is here, and put away, but it just feels so cold.”  Upon my return, I find their wall decor still sitting along the baseboards in each room.  They work full time and each weekend comes and goes with wanting to get things hung and arranged, but they’re tired from the week, as well as trying to acclimate to a new base, and new people, that spending their weekend on task at home feels overwhelming.  Although I have been coaching them along the way, to just hang one piece each weekend, it doesn’t get done, so they just invite me back for a day.  Together, we transform these cold houses into their homes, in a full day, but in entirety of up to 10 rooms.  We learn two things:  First, the desire to get it done hadn’t waned, but motivation only lasts in thirty minute increments.  It gets done because they trust that I understand their “how” and were comfortable letting me go at it.  The client I worked with in this way this past weekend, defined for me the process of this particular client-style.  Toward the end, she smiled and said, “I’m going to go to my bedroom and close the door for a bit.  I may feel to you that I am trying to get away from your constant movement.  While that would be an accurate assessment, it’s meant with great appreciation for everything you’re doing to transform this house into my home.”  We also found that we were equally happy to have booked my first round to work alone.  She was not a process person, but trusted that I understood her lifestyle and aesthetic, loved the results vs. my love for every bit of the process and the results.