Q: Why did you decide to become a Professional Organizer?
I love organizing. It always seemed to be the first project I was given at every job I’ve ever had. It was a natural progression for me to go into organizing exclusively for my career.
Q: Why should people choose a NAPO professional over other non-NAPO service providers?
NAPO is our professional association. The acronym stands for National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals. Requirements of our NAPO membership include a superior code of ethics, as well as a strong emphasis on continued education. Through these, we provide the highest quality of service to our clients. Anyone can say they are an organizer but for the best service, you’ll want to go with a NAPO organizer.
Q: What types of clients do you work with?
I work with a wide variety of clients. Most often I work with families, seniors, and young professionals/college students. The families I work with are usually overwhelmed with clutter and chaos in their homes. My senior clients are often getting ready to move or have surgery. They need some help getting things in order to make the process less stressful. The young professionals and college students are some of the most diverse job opportunities. We work together to overcome mental clutter, their struggle with time management, life skills, and establishing strong routines.
Q: How would you describe your method of organizing?
Practical solutions. Many people want a “Pinterest Perfect” home or office but for most people that is a bit over ambitious. It can also be very stressful to maintain (and often people feel disappointed when they can’t maintain perfection). With my clients, we focus on the ultimate goal and work backward from there, focusing on what can be accomplished and maintained for the long term.
For example, if you have 3 small kids you probably won’t have a ton of success with a pristine craft room: with all the supplies in individual sections of color-coded pegboard and crayons divided by specific color in glass apothecary jars on beautiful glass shelves. It just isn’t practical for real families with real kids. You can, however, still have a well-organized space where the kids can be creative and still maintain a clutter-free space. Simple tricks like image labels (for kids that can’t read yet), easy open and easy close bins, and low easy-to-reach shelving are just some ideas for making this work.
Q: Can you share one of your favorite organizing products with our readers?
Ahhhhh, there are so many great ones! But I think I can narrow it down to just two. First off, the label maker (I use the Brother P-touch from Amazon with a full keyboard) it is so easy to use and the tape is strong enough to make it through my dishwasher without coming off. An equally great product is the bamboo box drawer organizers set (my favorite are the Seville Classics 5-Piece Bamboo Storage Box Drawer Organizer Set from Amazon). They can so easily be mixed and matched and integrated into almost any drawer for customized organizing.
How to work with Erica:
Erica Herker is a NAPO professional based out of Southfield, MI. She has assisted in several successful All Right Moves™ relocation jobs in locations in and around the Michigan area. Erica is a Professional Organizer and the owner of Erica Organizes. Those who have had Erica work on their relocation job already, can hire her for continued organizing services at a discounted rate by contacting All Right Moves™.
