Consumer Case Studies
NAPO member’s client learns that it pays to be organized
Working smarter, not longer, creates a balanced life
Last year, Kimberly Higby grossed $1,500 a month as a real estate agent. Despite the high cost of living in the Golden State, the single mother of two made do with these minimal earnings.
The real problem was that, besides work, Higby had little time for anything else. Her job often claimed between 12 to 14 hours a day and left her feeling like she could “never get ahead.” Higby had forgotten the meaning of the word vacation because it had been so long since she had taken one.
NAPO Professional Organizer to the Rescue
In addition to her job and children, communication—too much of it—was a major thread in Higby’s life. She figured she spent more than 21 hours a week talking on the phone. When she made the call to better her situation, the person on the other end of the line was a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers.
With the professional’s help, Higby made tremendous progress fast. In less than a year, she had earned her broker’s license, more than tripled her income to $5,200 monthly, and started her own business, Chico Real Estate Management. “There were several levels of growth that we achieved,” Higby says of her work with the professional organizer. “It’s not just money; where you make changes in your life directly affects other aspects.”
Instead of working 12- to 14-hour shifts, Higby learned how to condense her work schedule into more manageable six-hour increments, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. “I’m able to accomplish what most people would accomplish in an eight-hour work day,” she says. “I give my work solid attention, and then I’m able to give my children solid attention. I don’t feel a tug of war inside pulling me in all directions.”
Better time management is crucial to her success. Instead of checking email constantly and answering the phone every time it rings, Higby sets aside time for each specific task. “It makes better sense to focus,” she says. “You’re not scattered throughout the day.”
The extra time paid off this spring, when Higby and her daughters — for the first time in ages — took a weeklong vacation.
For the professional organizer, who worked remotely with Higby, the real payoff was bringing a sense of fulfillment to a client’s life. “Kimberly is a perfect example of someone whose life has been changed by the work that we do,” she says.
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