Francie has always been organized, a trait she inherited from her mother. When she was living in Brooklyn, she helped a pregnant friend organize her apartment and convert a study into a nursery. She described the experience as one that “gave her a high for several weeks”. After realizing how much she enjoyed the process, she began to consider turning it into a career. What began as offering services to family and friends in exchange for dinner or a shared glass of wine grew into a lucrative business— one that feeds her soul and allows her to do something that she says is “deeply rooted” in her soul.
A graphic designer for 20 years, Francie was ready for a change after having her baby and moving to the suburbs. She was “good at graphic design, but it wasn’t [her] calling.” Encouraged by her husband, she fought past her own impostor syndrome and transitioned into organizing full-time, using her graphic design experience to market through social media. When the pandemic hit, she saw that people were beginning to re-evaluate the way they lived their lives, and that came with re-evaluating how they existed in their homes. She capitalized on this moment, and her business flourished.
Francie takes an organic approach to organizing, getting to know her clients and understanding their daily routines. She employs various methods like those used by Marie Kondo and The Home Edit, as well as Feng Shui. There are a few things she likes to take into consideration when starting with clients, such as how they move through the house in a day, how their kids live, or who makes breakfast. Understanding how each individual goes about their life allows her to to structure things to match the needs of the family, rather than what organization “should” look like.
For Francie, one of the most rewarding parts job is making a profound difference in someone's home-- the moment when it goes “from utter chaos to processed systems.” She recalls a client with a tiny, chaotic kitchen. Her client mentioned hating the area, and she knew something had to be done. After emptying the room and remaking it with the client by her side, she says the client found joy in cooking again, telling Francie that she felt “more like [herself].”
While organizing your home can be a way to get a fresh start, many people are overwhelmed. “Society tells us that if we start a project we have to finish it,” says Francie. “If the kitchen feels disorganized, we have to take a whole day to do it. If that’s what you really want to do, go for it, but in the real world that’s not how you want to spend your time.” To combat this, she recommends interval timing. PSpend ten minutes a day on a specific area, using two bags for garbage and donations. While it may seem like a large task, breaking it down into small steps daily or weekly makes the process easier. Francie likens it to building a muscle: the more you do it, the more comfortable it becomes.
Organizing is challenging for many, but it can be a specific challenge for clients with ADHD. Every family is different, and knowing their preferences helps her to work with them more easily. Solutions that she recommends are using things like clear bins to put away items that make them clearly visible, as well as organizing using an intuitive approach, meaning things need to “live” where they clients will instinctively look for them rather than where they “should” be.
Throughout her work, Francie says that her biggest takeaway is having awareness. “If people tell you what they need, be able to listen, get to know them, and meet them where they’re at.” She considers herself an empath, and after talking with her, it is clear that her emotional intuition is a strength. She can easily immerse herself in the family's world, and this can help with families who struggle with letting go. Her empathy doesn’t end with clients, but extends out to the objects themselves.
For those who may feel apprehensive or ashamed about the state of their home, Francie welcomes them with open arms. “It shouldn’t be shameful. You do the best you can and you call for help when you need it. Even sometimes just a conversation [can help]. At the end of the day, I learn from my clients. We all become better people when we work on a project together.”
You do the best you can
From utter chaos to processed systems