Residential Organizing – Home Organization – Organizing Help
Certified Professional Organizer® San Antonio metro area
“Don’t waste our money on a Professional Organizer. You should be able to do this on your own.”
We hear that a lot.
The majority of our clients are women. And they tell us that this is what their husbands say. After getting price estimates, they tell us that they’ll try to talk their husbands into letting them spend the money.
When women get to this breaking point, it’s not easy to express themselves in a way that men will understand. Men process information differently than we do. So even on your best day, it can be a struggle to get your point across. But when you’re tired, frustrated and – sometimes – depressed, communication becomes even harder when you feel this way. This is totally normal.
And we understand how you feel.
You have the weight of the world on your shoulders. You try to be successful at being everything to everyone, and it’s stressing you out.
You’re frustrated because you never have enough time to finish everything on your list.
You’re in a constant frenzy – running around from here to there, go-go-going all day long – yet you don’t feel that progress is made.
We want to help you get out of this “stuckness,” so here are some ways to approach your husband.
- Talk to him on his day off. He’ll be much more relaxed. If you spring this on him at the end of a long day at work, he’ll be tired, cranky, and not in the mood to listen to your problems. After all, he’s got his own problems, and (according to him) he’s dealing with them just fine on his own.
- Talk to him at the end of a good meal. Men listen better when their bellies are full. If they’re hungry, their blood sugar is lower, which means their concentration is lower.
- Make sure the television is off, the music is turned down, and the electronic devices are put away. This will help remove distractions so that his full concentration is on you.
- Do you have kids? If they’re old enough to be unsupervised, arrange ahead of time for them to keep themselves busy for thirty minutes. If they’re too young to do this, arrange for someone to watch them.
Now that you have your husband’s undivided attention when he’s in a good mood, explain to him the benefits of getting organized. Men respond better when you give them numbers. How much money will you save? How much time will you save? They also respond well when you explain what they will get out of it. What’s in it for him?
~ We’ll save money because we won’t have to purchase duplicates or triplicates or quadruplicates when we can’t find what we need.
~ We’ll save money because we’ll develop a system to be on time with our payments.
~ We’ll save money because we won’t have to eat out so much since we’ll be able to cook in our kitchen.
~ We’ll be healthier since we’ll eat at home more.
~ We’ll save money because we’ll know what our inventory is, so we’ll be better shoppers.
~ We’ll save money because we’ll stay home more since we’ll enjoy our organized home – instead of spending money at the mall or the movies or other places when we escape this place we don’t love.
~ With the money we save, we’ll be able to save faster to go to <<enter a fun place you’ve talked about visiting>>.
~ With the money we save, you’ll be able to save faster to buy your <<enter man toy here>>.
~ We’ll never be embarrassed again or have to hide and pretend we’re not home when visitors drop by unexpectedly. We’ll be able to invite them in because the systems and routines we learn will keep our house in shape.
~ We’ll have more time to spend with the kids because we’ll learn how to have more efficient routines.
~ Our home will be safer because there won’t be clutter on the floor anymore since we’ll establish homes for everything.
~ We’ll be less stressed because we’ll learn how to gain control of our days and of our household.
~ If I’m less stressed, I won’t be snapping at everyone all the time.
~ If Mama is happy, everyone will be happy.
~<<Insert other benefits here!>>
Now hopefully he’ll understand how much getting organized will benefit him. But in case he “doesn’t get it” right away, here are some possible reasons he may give for not wanting to spend money on a Certified Professional Organizer®, along with the suggested responses you could give.
“You tell everyone else what to do, so just do the same for you.”
When someone is too close to a situation, objectivity gets lost. I know I can tell my friends how to fix their challenges, but it’s different when they’re my challenges. I can’t make heads or tails. I need someone who knows what they’re doing to help me though this.
“Your problems aren’t that major.”
There are so many things that need to get fixed. I don’t even know where to start. A Certified Professional Organizer® will help me create an action plan that will guide me down the right path so I can implement solutions sooner rather than later.
“You don’t need help. Why can’t you do this?”
I know that you and our family mean well, but it hurts so much when I hear things like “What’s wrong with you?” or “This is easy” or “Why can’t you do this?” I’m stuck, and I need someone who knows how to motivate me without judgment or without making me feel bad about what I’m going through. I need a professional who can push me to my limits, but who knows when to pull back. I need an expert to teach me how to make changes.
“Get your mom or best friend to help you.”
They want to help, but they push me a little too much, or the opposite happens – we just talk and don’t make progress. I feel like I don’t measure up to their standards. I need someone from outside the family. I need a professional who will keep everything confidential and not spill my secrets. We need someone who will keep our private lives private. We need to work with an experienced professional who knows how to get things done faster.
“It’ll be such a waste of money!”
Actually, the sooner we get help from a Certified Professional Organizer®, the sooner we’ll be able to save money. We won’t have to buy duplicates when we can’t find things. We won’t have uneaten food go to waste. The kids won’t grow out of brand new clothes that we didn’t even realize we had before getting a chance to wear them. We won’t pay late fees on bills. It won’t be a “make things pretty” appointment – like I’d have with my mom or a friend – where things go back to the way they were within a couple of days. These sessions will teach us how to get and stay organized. What we could save in just a month or two will pay for my starter sessions.
Hopefully, these ideas will help you have an open and honest conversation with your husband.
If you’re not sure how to respond to one of your husband’s reasons for not getting your family the help you need, please contact us, and we’ll help you with your response.
Helene Segura, MA Ed, CPO®
Author | Speaker | Organizing & Productivity Consultant
Certified Professional Organizer® in San Antonio, Texas
Board Certified since 2009
Insured and Bonded