Water in the Basement and How Organization Helped to Ruduce the Stress

You have heard about the flooding in the Midwest. Here's what one of my private clients experienced and how organization helped her.

Although our problems were not as extreme as many others, we did have a sump pump die which resulted in water in our entire basement.

About 2-3 summers ago, I hired Paula to come and help me tackle our office and paper clutter. She and I worked together to get my files organized and my space more workable. Admittedly, the office does become a mess from time to time still. However, as the water seeped across my floor, I was able to remove one filing drawer from my desk and bring it upstairs. It contained all of our important documents in great order. I was able to quickly call my plumber (thanks to the file and invoices I'd saved), look up our home owner's policy, and obtain information on what we'd paid for the few things that were damaged by water and required replacing. One drawer contained everything important instead of a mixture of paperwork across multiple cabinets.

Paula did not really work with me on organizing "stuff" that day (that wasn't the job we'd planned), but the thrill of organizing got me motivated to begin putting our personal belongings (decorations, toys, clothing, etc) into well organized plastic bins. Many items were saved because the water pushed past the bins or else because we could quickly retrieve things in manageable containers. The organization bug helped me to help myself.

I have to tell you just how grateful I was for that day we organized together. It was such a relief to know that I had some sense of control and sanity in an otherwise hectic situation. Many of us can organize, but using a resource such as Paula creates a time commitment and provides additional information and tools that the rest of us may not be aware of.

Happy Organizing!

Rachel
Elmgrove, WI