Working with Phil was one of the most satisfying jobs I have experienced in my twenty seven years of organizing. He helped me realize that I want to focus on finding people who have big dreams to help “save the world” who need some help organizing and a framework for achieving their goals. After getting to a point where Phil could sort his possessions himself, I am now coaching him on time management, planning his marketing strategy, and implementing everything he needs to do to realize his goals which he describes in the letter below.
The before and after pictures are not super impressive unless you know a few details. Because he had worked with other organizers before, his papers were already sorted into boxes and bags. His stuff looked fairly neat but whenever Phil went into his storage unit he felt overwhelmed. Phil yearned to restart a very successful business which he had put on hold because he chose a noble path of moving from California to Arkansas to care for his beloved mother.
When his mother died, he inherited many items which were divided among his siblings and quickly put in his storage unit. Some of the items he did not even know were there. I loved seeing his pure delight when he found things that surprised him. The stories he told about items that reminded him of his mother and other relatives were inspiring. He had a lot of happy memories. I hope that sharing them was therapeutic for him. Our goal was to get all kinds of papers, books, and memories organized in a way that he could sort them later. Finding anything related to his business was essential so he could eventually get that project restarted. That time is now!
As we sorted and downsized, Phil told me many stories about his business of helping families, parents, and couples heal their relationships Since that is a passion of mine, of course I was inspired. But my respect for him grew as he told me in an enthusiastic yet humble way about how he had helped people.
I feel honored to be able to help Phil. His willingness to disrupt his life to care for his aging mother and move across country was a big change for him. When she died, there were more things to deal with. I’m so glad I was able to help him tie up loose ends that were keeping him from pursuing his worthwhile dreams.
I’m glad to share Phil’s thank you note that describes the results of our collaboration.
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September 7, 2025
Dear Patricia,
I am writing to say Thanks for all of your help recently.
As you know, I had been trying to find a great professional organizer here in Arkansas ever since my mom passed away. I had spoken to several, and before finding you, I had briefly tried not one, not two, not three, but yes, four other organizers. Each was very nice, but not as good as I needed.
And then, I finally found you, and I am so glad that I did not give up in my search. My storage unit was disorganized and full of chaos when you arrived, and now, I am so impressed with how efficiently you organized my stuff into categories. My important documents, my many books, and all of the priceless
I am so very grateful for all of your organizational abilites, but the other thing that must be said is how grateful I am for your positive professionalism. You always bring a happy and optimistic attitude to your work and this makes organizing with you a TRUE JOY!!
THANKS again for helping me when I was starting to feel hopeless and beginning to think that organizing might be impossible. You have proven that organization is possible and you have given me hope again for reaching my other goals in life, such as helping frustrated families again as I was doing before helping my mom in her last years of life.
Much Gratitude,
Phillip L. Kropp, MA
Founder: The Interpersonal Peace Project
Creator: The Listening Miracle
Creator: The Family Miracle
Creator: The Parenting Miracle
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I feel very grateful to receive this lovely thank you note. Thank you, Phil!
One thing I fall short on is taking before and after pictures. I am so focused on my jobs that I either forget the before or the after! But in my recent job, I remembered to take photos of the finished project and my client had taken pictures before I arrived. So here are the pictures.
The following pictures are ones taken before I helped Phil.
Here are the pictures after I helped . Now the boxes are stacked neatly. Ideally all boxes would be the same size, but boxes are expensive. So we did the best we could, squaring up each box so it was full and easily stacked. I provided some boxes as part of my service.
Every section had a label, and each box had a label. I used blue painter’s tape on the metal wall because masking tape would leave a residue. The blue tape did not show up very well, so I put regular masking tape on top. Now I used green painter’s tape because the label is much easier to see.
I learn more on every job. I used to buy full-back sticky post it notes, and they were fantastic. They would stay on a surface for years. But when the company stopped making them, I had to learn a new way of labeling that would not damage surfaces.
One of the first things I did with Phil was help him set up a sorting area. Since he had three card tables in the storage, we were all set! When I came on the scene, there were many random objects scattered about. I put them in shallow boxes and set them on the table. This made it much easier for Phil to focus on what to do with the items. We set up categories like give, undecided, sort later, trash, and process later. We also found that there were various categories that the items fit into. These we set in boxes that were labeled as such.
Phil needs to bring some things to storage from his apartment. He is going to set up shelves in this empty space which we created so that he can access them easily. We also create a space where he can easily put bookshelves so that he can find his beloved books. Having a tiny apartment with very little storage space makes it difficult for him to have an ideal home environment. Now he has space in storage to put things he wants to keep or sort through. This will help him create a home office that has relevant items at his finger tips. I will be helping him do that via virtual coaching, I’m sure. I would feel very happy to help with that project.
Phil is one happy client! He says he would feel very enthusiastic about talking to anyone about my services if they want to get a recommendation. I am grateful for that!
I love to help clients simplify their lives so that they can fulfill their purpose in life. Simplifying your life is a continuous process. Prioritizing how much to simplify and when to do it take wisdom. I think Phil is doing a great job of prioritizing, and I wish him the best in his new endeavors. I am so thankful that I have this extremely satisfying job. And I can’t wait to share with you when Phil is ready to teach and coach troubled families, couples, and parents how to have healthy relationships in case you need that service.
I’d love to hear your comments in the comment section below. Thanks dear readers, for being with me on my organizing journey.
