I started by working on the biggest obstacle for my client: shoes and clothes. Each item was grouped by category so my client could clearly see how much he had of everything. He was very efficient at making decisions in respect to what he no longer used or loved. As a result an impressive cull was achieved.

New space was made in the guest room for family and guests to put their clothes away when visiting. Storage solutions (drawer dividers, clear boxes, special hangers) were purchased for bedding, underwear, accessories, trousers and coats. Weekend and casual clothes had their own area, whereas work clothes were given a separate area to make the process of getting ready in the morning short and sweet.

The two en-suite bathrooms were next. Again, all items were grouped by type of use: body, face, hair, teeth. Each group was stored away in a labelled plastic basket. The idea behind this was to make it easy for my client and any guests to find what they need and then put it back exactly where it belongs, preventing things from being misplaced or getting messy.

I moved on to re-organise the whole kitchen. Even though little cooking took place in this flat, there were still utensils, dry food, cutlery and plates that needed to be put away in the right place (by usage). They also needed appropriate storage solutions to make the room inviting and an easy place to prepare meals. I mainly used white IKEA plastic boxes to separate smaller items such as spices, cleaning products and medicine. These boxes and shelving areas were labelled, indicating what each box contained and where all items belonged.

The entrance hallway was the last part of the flat that I streamlined. All the shoes that once clogged the way into the flat now had a proper shoe cupboard. All shoes were arranged by colour and type of use – formal, casual and trainers. The entrance hall gave the first impression my client was looking for.

My working on this project meant that my client significantly reduced the amount of clothes and shoes he had, and gained a more organised home. As well as these obvious benefits he felt happier to be at home, calm and more focused. Proud of his home once more, he gained further clarity about his personal life, and a sense of focus and hope about the future.

I recommended the office to be split by “zones”, which meant each specialist activity had its dedicated area in the office. This enabled my client to easily find and retrieve any needed tool, stock or file required.

A thorough decluttering exercise was carried out, getting rid of old paperwork, magazines and tools that were no longer required.

Brown card boxes were replaced with clear and colourful boxes, allowing more sunlight in and creating a more inspiring environment for the office.

Big card boxes and bottles used for packaging skin care products were moved to the utility room and loft, leaving free space to move around the office and reduce the piles and clutter that were causing overwhelm.

Finally all zones and boxes were labelled, making it easy for all staff to find any item and to ensure all items are stored in the right place, reducing the possibility for things to become messy once again.

My working in this project meant that my client significantly reduced the amount of paperwork and was motivated to move to paperless. The clarity achieved in the office translated into more creativity, focus and calm for my client when spending time at her workspace.

I worked with my client to sort through toys and clothes. Clothes were categorised according to each girl by type of clothes, and all toys were sorted by type/usage.

All the items were boxed, labelled and colour-coded; facilitating unpacking, as well as making it easier to think about new storage needs.

Ten boxes were given away – some to a chosen charity, some to the Recycle Unit, some to family and friends.

My working on this project meant that my clients did not need to take time off work to move. They could also use their time doing all those small but time consuming jobs that moving house brings.

I started by identifying the main roles she had in her life. In her most demanding job I broke down the main activities she performed within the role. I helped her first with her time management skills – by keeping a weekly log of what she did by the hour each day of the week.

This log highlighted how she was spending most of her time. Email and a monthly meeting were overtaking her time and energy. I taught my client the ‘funnel down’ approach for setting goals and objectives. We started by setting a vision for the year, which then fed the monthly goals, which then influenced the weekly activities and eventually the top three priorities for each day of the week.

Once her vision became clear, she learned how to prioritise her time and plan her days and weeks accordingly. I then helped her develop a system to manage her current projects and actions (to-do-list) by implementing a clear desk policy. We cleared out and decluttered all items no longer required on the surface of her desk. Each item was given a “zone”within the desk or a space in the corresponding drawer.

Only current projects were allowed to sit on the desk, on a vertical paper holder. The vertical system made it easy to see and access the projects she was working on. Each project was given a folder, and each project was stored in order of priority – the most pressing at the front and the least pressing at the back.

I explained to my client that emails are “other’s people agenda” and this had a great effect on my client’s approach to email. We set specific times of the day to look at and respond to email and we developed a system that worked for her as to how to flag emails that required a response, action or delegation. This meant that emails no longer took up a lot of time and with this she became more efficient.

Paper was last on the list. My client had inherited a huge amount of paperwork from her predecessor and wasn’t sure how best to file it. A decision was made to completely move to an electronic filing system. As a result a scanner was purchased and I helped my client identify and set up a simple electronic filing system.

My working on this project meant that my client now had more structure – with specific days of the week to work on each role. She knew now how to set expectations for herself, her boss and her family. Planning her time and energy became easier and natural, given that she had a clear vision. Prioritising and knowing what needed her attention was easier now that she had a system to deal with current projects, emails and information (files). She realised it was important to have time for herself and her interests, because she could experience how much more motivated she was to work.

Boundaries between working hours and family time were set. My client could now tell if she could take more work or if she should be letting go of roles that didn’t fit with her vision. She felt relieved and ready to take on the new responsibilities that were coming her way. Her working environment and attitude towards dealing with work became more confident.

My time spent assessing my client on time management, information management and email management meant that my client could grow as a professional and enjoy her personal time without feeling frazzled and stressed.