Blog by Liana George

At this time of year, it’s normal for service-based providers to share gift ideas with their clients and followers.  Every holiday season they spend hours searching for the best products and resources to recommend.  As a Professional Organizer, I’ve shared countless ideas for Christmas presents, from clutter-free experiences to the best organizing gifts.  So have many of the other wonderful Professional Organizers I know.

But then I wondered, what would a Professional Organizer want for Christmas? They give so much not only at Christmas, but all year long,  so what would they like to see wrapped up under the tree?  To find out, I asked some of my fellow organizers and their answers ranged from the practical to the hopeful!

What a Professional Organizer Wants for Christmas

Here, in no particular order, are the holiday dreams and wishes of some of the best organizing experts around:

“I wish we would choose to travel lighter in life. That we would shop consciously for the things we allow into our space. To gift ourselves the freedom to let go of the things we feel so charged about, but end up in a closet or the garage collecting dust; so that we could live less stressed out lives and spend more time savoring the moments.”  – Elva Fonseca, Sensational Organizing

“A massage!” – Clare Kumar,  Streamlife – Organizing & Productivity – Consulting & Coaching

“Freedom from guilt about letting go of things. No matter who gave it to you, how much it cost, what a great bargain it was, or the story behind it, it is still just a thing. If it doesn’t improve your life, it can go in peace.” – Seana Turner, The Seana Method

“I’d love a weekly cooking service to have our dinners made, grocery shopping included. ‪I can keep my house clean in a cinch but the menu planning, grocery shopping, and all the cooking still take a lot of time. Add that to work, driving kids and all the practices, I feel like a hero for having dinner at the table daily.” – Helena Alkhas, Instructor at National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals

“I wish my clients would make self-care a priority! So many times the “mess” developed when life got crazy and the client has stopped taking time to focus on their own needs and care.”  – Melissa Rogers, Modified by Melissa

“I’d say I want a house cleaning service. We all know there’s a difference between cleaning and organizing and while I love to organize a space, I’m not big on dusting and mopping. And with being so busy with clients my house gets neglected!” – Sarah Soboleski, Classically Organized Counseling

“I’d love for clients to be guilt-free for asking for help. I suppose the other way to look at that would be to be confident enough to ask for help; be proud of themselves for being smart enough to ask for help. Any way you want to word that works for me.” – Debbie Pendell, Down Pineapple Lane

“Tickets to a concert (or any clutter-free gift!)” – Hilda Rodgers, From Overwhelmed to Organized

“Understanding Brain Based Conditions, like ADHD, depression, and bi-polar. With these conditions, it’s all about learning and education.” – Ellen Delap, Professional-Organizer.com

“I want others to be appreciative of what they have, let go of what makes them sad, and recognize that there is joy in their lives regardless of the external factors.” – Sabrina Quairoli, Sabrina’s Organizing

“Tickets to an event/refills of nice soap or favorite hand cream/movie passes (popcorn included)/wine gift cards/chocolate… Also, TIME! Babysitting?” – Debbie Bunze

What a wonderful and varied list! Thank you to all the Professional Organizers who contributed to this post. I hope that your holiday wishes and dreams come true this Christmas!

Liana George is an organizer, writer, and speaker. Her mission is to inspire others in transforming their chaos into lasting order. Currently, Liana serves as the NAPO Houston Chapter President.  When she isn’t organizing something you can find her curled up with a good book, watching/playing tennis, or planning her next dive adventure.