Monika from Efficient Organization: Don’t Give Up
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Discover the secrets behind organizing your home from Monika Kristofferson – Owner and Lead Organizer of Efficient Organization. Get to know this talented organizing expert as she shares what it’s like running a business and inspiring people to tidy up.
Wondering where to begin? Get our FREE guide, The 30-Minute Organizing Secret, and discover easy ways to overcome the chaos of clutter – even with kids at home!
Meet amazing and Talented Professional Organizers
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a professional organizer? Here at Clutter Keeper®, we are going to feature some of our favorite ones.
These business owners and bloggers are rockstars! They have a serious talent for creating order out of chaos. And that deserves a standing ovation!
Monika Kristofferson – Efficient organization
Meet Monika. She’s a professional organizer and owns Efficient Organization.
Monika is an expert in her field and a busy one at that! She’s an author, coach, and columnist – all while running a successful business.
She currently lives in the greater Seattle area. She is a self-defined cheerleader for change and has enjoyed inspiring people for more than 12 years.
We are thrilled to share some of her secrets with you!
What is the most common question you are asked as an organizer?
“How much do you charge? How much will this cost?”
I put my rates on my website so people can take a look before contacting me. I think some people look and some people don’t. But as far as an overall cost, I have to share with people that it really depends on how much we are dealing with and how quickly they make decisions.
I don’t provide quotes for people because estimating the volume and how long it will take to get through it can be very difficult. Of course on something smaller like a pantry I can usually give a pretty good guess that anywhere from 2-4 hours. So, I charge for a consultation and an organizing plan for clients and they can organize on their own with a check-in from me or they can have me come back to work together.
From there I have pricing for 2 hours, 6 hours or 12 hours and we just get as much done as we can with those hours. They can purchase more after that if they choose to. I typically only work in 2-3 hour sessions so we can get a lot done without wearing out my clients.
What Are your favorite storage hacks?
If you are organizing in an area that isn’t very visible there’s nothing wrong with using items you have on hand like shoe boxes.
Look around for opportunities to stretch space like the back of doors, under beds, utilizing hooks.
Think outside the box-don’t just hang one shelf above your desk if you can utilize the wall for multiple shelves for storage.
Try not to buy anything until you’ve decluttered first because it turns out you may get rid of so much that you don’t need to spend the extra money on the bins, shelves, etc.
What made you really enjoy organizing in the first place?
I’ve always been naturally organized and like the feeling I get from having structure and feeling in control of my environment. From a young age I would clean my room, make sure my bedspread was “just right” before going out to play and would organize the gum displays at the grocery store while in line with my mom.
Don’t feel bad and don’t give up! Just start tackling a little bit at a time and don’t give up.
– Monika Kristofferson, Efficient Organization
Who is your inspiration?
My best friend’s mom is my inspriation.
I met my best friend (and still to this day) in the 5th grade. We would stay at each other’s houses as much as we could and it was common for us to clean her mom’s home. Her mom always teased me that she couldn’t find stuff later.
Her mom is the person who encouraged me to become a professional organizer and I had never heard of that before. It was a few years until I actually looked into it more and followed that path. I credit her for bringing that awareness of the profession into my life as well as the idea of me doing it myself.
What is your favorite way to label things?
My tried and true Brother P-touch label maker is still my go to. I’ve tried other labels like chalkboard but always come back to the label maker.
My daughter sometimes makes labels for me for my own bins on her Cricut and I really do like how they look but don’t feel it’s a practical way for me to label for clients.
I do like to have more than one size on hand depending on the project. Normally I use 12 mm but sometimes 18 mm. I’ll be using 18 mm soon in a storage closet for a business.
What are some of your favorite “must-have” storage products?
Love, love me a Lazy Susan (turntable). They are so versatile to use in so many rooms and spaces for a variety of storage needs. They are a great solution to prevent things from being lost in the back.
I also like to use cabinet shelves to stretch the room in kitchen cabinets and sometimes under bathroom sinks. They really help utilize the height available that is often overlooked and wasted.
For more visible spaces, I love it when my client is on board for all matching baskets or bins. The visual calmness and cohesiveness really make a space look pulled together.
What is the most popular thing you organize?
It seems to vary, I used to sort and organize paper and files a lot and I really enjoy that. Recently, it’s been closets more often. But really my work varies so much.
Sometimes it’s working on a whole house, sometimes just consulting, sometimes teaching through presentations.
Has anything funny or memorable happened to you when you were on a job?
I can’t think of anything specific but I always enjoy talking with my clients, laughing with them, getting to know them. I always have to be professional but there are certain clients that become like friends.
What is one piece of advice you give to people?
Oh, my goodness there are so many things I could say! “Don’t feel bad and don’t give up!” So many people feel discouraged and overwhelmed about how bad they feel things have gotten.
In my experience, it’s often because there were some major life events occurring that needed their time and energy. When those things settle down they look around and realize things have gotten out of hand. Just start tackling a little bit at a time and don’t give up.
How Many office supplies are enough?
If you love collecting pens and markers and can’t stop buying notebooks, then this video from Monika is perfect for you. She shares her professional opinion about where to draw the line (with the pens you just bought!)
The Best Articles from Monika’s Blog
Go check out the Efficient Organization blog. Monika shares all the wisdom she has learned as a professional organizer.
Here are some of our favorite posts:
- 5 Strategies To Clear Your Kitchen Counter Of Clutter
- Look for Time Pockets to Reach Your Goals
- Clutter is Costing You Cold Hard Cash
- 10 Secrets to Organize Your Home Today
- Macro Organizing vs Micro Organizing
Where to find monika
She serves the Snohomish County area in Washington. If you are looking for a professional organizer in Lake Stevens and the surrounding communities look for Efficient Organization.
For some amazing inspiration and organizing tips, you can also follow Monika at:
- Efficient Organization Blog
- Instagram – @Efficient Organization
- Facebook Group – Organizing and Productivity Tips
Struggling to get motivated? Sign up to get our FREE guide, The 30-Minute Organizing Secret, and discover easy ways to overcome the chaos of clutter – even with kids at home!
Influential Home Organization Experts
We are so grateful for all the professional organizers and home organization bloggers out there that are constantly inspiring us in new ways.
Check out the other home organizing experts we have featured. Follow them and pick up a few tips from their years of wisdom.
