Professional organizers can be a Godsend — my client Sara Rimer recognized that and was grateful for the assistance Liz Ureneck gave her in clearing her clutter and organizing her files. I hired a professional organizer myself when I was dealing with 38 years of clutter my parents left behind. Organizers’ work and Certified Interior Designers’ work can go hand in hand; organizers often focus on systems, and designers focus on the people and their space — both approaches are complementary to create efficient, productive work places. Listeners of our segment called Personal Space on the Brian Lehrer Show, and readers of the New York Times article may want to know how to find Liz — I urge you to seek her out! Click on her name and you will discover why reporter Sara Rimer claimed, “I was awed. I was grateful. Liz was the one!”

The office I work out of – and the one I created for Sara Rimer of the NYT – are both small spaces. My philosophy about offices is similar to Sarah Susanka’s philosophy about homes. Susanka is an architect and author of The Not So Big House series of books, a woman who has achieved an almost cult-like following and who believes bigger is not better when it comes to houses. I have the same belief about offices — there is a lot of waste in most corporate office environments. Offices tend to “creep” — someone leaves, and, instead of clearing out the cubicle or office, papers, boxes, files and broken chairs get stashed and stuffed into the vacant space. No one notices, until a visitor or prospective client is scheduled to take a tour — then there is a mad dash to make the office presentable. An office should be like a cockpit:  everything you need within easy reach, comfortable chair, view out a window (ideally) and no clutter or boxes to trip over. Creating these spaces is not difficult – smaller, efficient, tighter – but offices like this also need to be planned carefully, and include amenities like good task lighting, color, natural light, views to outside or to other people, places to get up and walk, sit and talk. Environments that allow us to do our best work, and be our best selves, do not need to be grandiose or elaborate, they only need to be efficient, well-thought out and designed to support us in our daily work.

My client, Sara Rimer, who is a reporter for the NYT, wrote a piece that is on the front page of the Home section today. She is a writer and journalist who needed a more efficient work space that supported her – and, more importantly – supported her working style. Incredibly creative, she often is juggling many writing projects at once, with deadlines looming daily. The process I used to create her office is the same I use when designing any office – whether it is for one person, 100 people or 500 people: 

1. understand the individual’s (or organization’s) overall goals, mission and vision
2. observe people in their existing environment
3. interview as many people as possible – through focus groups, one-on-one interviews and/or surveys; listen intently and take notes
4. create accurate existing condition floor plans – measure everything
5. draft, draw, redesign, edit, draw some more, brainstorm – share best results with client
6. get input from client, refine and revise plans to create final solution
7. implement plan; visit client 3-6 months after change to assess environment and tweak if necessary

Sara claims that her new office has, “changed her life.” That’s the power of a great space that supports the work you are trying to do. You spend an incredible amount of time working – almost as much time as you spend sleeping – so, just as you are encouraged to invest in a good mattress, go ahead and invest in a great office environment – you deserve it!