From The Canadian Jewish News – August 31, 2006
Organization is the Key to Success
How many times have you heard the joke that an organized desk is the sign of a sick mind?
But in today's fast-paced world, filled with constantly changing information, organization is the key to success, and no one knows this better than Susan Portnoy, a professional organizer who recently attained prestigious Silver Leaf status with the Professional Organizers of Canada (POC).
As a teacher and mother of four children, she realized that the success of her lesson plans while at the same time running her household efficiently, was dependent on her organizational skills. Portnoy, who has several professional certifications, started her company Organized Success in 1999, specializing in individualized colour-coded filing systems that allow her clients to retrieve any paper in 30 seconds or less.
One of her clients, Barbara Kay, a weekly columnist for the National Post, found working with Portnoy both liberating and motivating. As a freelance writer, Kay needed help organizing all the information she was collecting.
"I called Susan because when I started as a journalist, I saw that the amount of information coming in was not easily filed and it became clear I needed a system," explains Kay, who admits she didn't know how to categorize the articles she was amassing in a way that would give her the easiest access to the material she needed, and this was causing her a lot of anxiety.
"Susan is meticulous, easy to work with, and she promotes the thinking you wouldn't do yourself and adapts a particular system for your needs," says Kay who added that the results have made her feel in control of her life, not overwhelmed, and she can now handle larger inflows of information.
Portnoy and her qualified staff of organizers work with clients to completely arrange and systematize home offices, from the selection and placement of furniture to setting up the computer system. They also help clients organize kitchens, playrooms, closets, makeup and photographs, and will help create a system for budgeting their finances.
Each staff member has a different area of expertise: assistant/personal shopping, computer, financial, photos and designer/home stager.
"We also help people with de-cluttering and home staging when they want to sell their homes," adds Portnoy. "And our newest offering is a joint venture with ORG [a company that builds furniture for garages] where we organize and even build complete garage systems for the perfectly organized garage."
A high-energy woman, Portnoy says she gets a great deal of satisfaction out of her job as she sees first hand how organization can change people's lives.
She says people shouldn't be embarrassed to admit that they were never taught organizational skills, as these skills are learnable at any age.
She also notes that being neat and organized are not the same thing. The test is how long does it take you to find something like a paper clip or a specific piece of paper in your home or office. She adds that someone can be very organized but could never be a professional organizer, since the profession requires being able to relate to people and focus on each person's strengths, not weaknesses.
Frequently, heard on CBC radio, Portnoy has recently been invited to sit on the "Ask the Organizer" panel at the annual POC conference to be held in Toronto in October 2006. As well, starting Oct. 24, she is offering a series of six workshops with topics such as "the Paper Jungle"," "Clutter Busting," and "Getting It Together At Home" (to register call 514-737-6551, ext. 240)
"Organization is not an end in itself," says Portnoy. "It's a means to an end, the end being a less stressful, more productive life."
For a private consultation to start organizing your life, contact Organized Success at 514-733-1533, or e-mail susan@organizedsuccess.com. You can also visit her website at www.organizedsuccess.com.