Getting a grip on needless clutter

Susan Schell

of the Gateway

Everyone is busy these days. Just ask Kelley Watson, owner of her own home-based Gig Harbor business, Quite Simply Organized.

Today, people have more space, more stuff and less time, Watson said.

“Most of my clients need help with their home offices and paperwork,” she said. “We are inundated with paperwork every day. A lot of people have jobs and kids. I help them create systems to help them deal with all of their paperwork.”

Watson’s business does more than just office work. She said she can help organize households, kitchens, pantries and garages.

“I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty,” she said. “Sometimes it can be pretty intense work. You have to talk clients through things and see if they really need or use a lot of the things they have accumulated.”

Watson has been in the organizing business for two years and said the industry is growing rapidly. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), the premier national association dedicated to the field of organizing.

“Professional organizers are more popular than ever,” Watson said. “There are quite a lot of us out there, especially in Seattle. It’s good to get the word out that we are here to help.”

Watson’s own home office has a bookshelf with at least 20 books about organization. She has a master’s degree in counseling and psychology.

“The counseling background is great for this work,” she said. “I’m a good listener. I know that things happen in life that caused people to get where they are. When I come into someone’s home, I’m not there to judge them — I just want to help them get on track.”

Watson said she sometimes works on a consultant basis, but she prefers to work with clients side by side to better assess their needs.

“Our goal is to teach the client organizing skills to find what they need, when they need it, in a timely manner,” she said. “We try to transfer our skills to the client so they can maintain that organization themselves and improve their quality of life.”

Watson said she averages about one to three clients a week, but she would like to expand. Tax season usually brings fresh faces looking for help, she said.

“One client was very stressed about the tax season, so we started the process right after Christmas,” Watson said. “We made a mad dash and were able to find everything she needed and get it to her accountant on time.”

Watson works with clients in four-hour increments, once a week. She usually works within a one-hour travel radius of Gig Harbor.

“The length of the job varies with each client,” she said. “People need to realize that things take longer than they expect. It usually takes a while for people to get where they are, so it takes a bit of time to sort things out.”

Quite Simply Organized

Call 253-988-5963 or visit www.quitesimplyorganized.com.

Reach reporter Susan Schell at 253-853-9240 or by e-mail at susan.schell@gateline.com.