Why hire an organizer? Sometimes projects seem so overwhelming that we need help to get started or we need fresh ideas to tackle a problem that has plagued us for a long time. So much of our daily stress stems from clutter and the time it takes to find things. This often distracts us from spending time with those we love. Marlene believes that an organized environment can maximize your peace of mind!

Marlene organizes kitchens, pantries, closets, garages, offices (both home and business), photographs, memorabilia, children's rooms, etc. She works well with teens, seniors and ADHD clients. Avoid stress using Marlene's proven strategies tailored to your lifestyle to prevent clutter from accumulating in the future.

Do you need help overseeing home repairs while you are at work or out of town? Marlene also specializes in helping people with large or small projects that need constant attention. She can check your home while you are at work to make sure the repairs are being done correctly. On a larger scale she can coordinate all the services needed for larger remodeling projects.

Many times relatives are out of town and there could be a need for someone to go through items left by the deceased and organize them ...photos, memorabilia, etc. Items can be organized for family members or an estate sale. In addition, preparation of assets to be sold (homes, vehicles, etc) can be handled by Marlene's network of services with a full accounting of activities for the family.

   Clutter is the result of our inability to make decisions usually due to our lack of time. Desk tops and filing cabinets become overloaded with paper because we fail to make decisions when that paper arrives on the scene. Why do we postpone that decision? It is most likely because we have nowhere to put it so it goes in a pile. If 50% of your desk top is not cleared off at all times you are not working at your peak capacity!

   Separate your files into two categories, Action and Reference. The Action Files contain papers that you need to work with on a daily basis. They can, however, be divided into short term and long term projects. Reference Files are files that you refer to periodically like maps, passport, and social security info. They do not need to be interfiled with your daily files making those files easier to access. In fact, Reference Files can even be located somewhere else.

   Purge on an ongoing basis. Research shows that 80% of what we keep is never used. If a 4 drawer file cabinet holds 18,000 sheets of paper then the chances are that we are hardly ever using about 14,000 sheets. If you date your incoming documents and purge once a year you will cut down on a lot of wasted space. Archive what you feel you simply can’t throw out.

I met Marlene at a Networking mixer about a month ago. What a difference she has made in my life in that short amount of time. I invited her to help me get every part of my home organized…desk, closet, bedroom, kitchen, etc.

Marlene arrived and spent an hour at no charge just listening to all my concerns. Her approach can be likened to a counselor who understands your feelings and wants to help you get on track. Once I had unburdened myself she gave me a gift which I immediately started using. She then developed a plan based on what I had told her and that I felt would definitely work for me.

I have 2 roommates and no space to call my own other than my bedroom. I, also, have a full time, demanding job and go to school at night. It’s really necessary for me to have a desk but my room is too small. Marlene spotted an area in the living room that could be converted into an office just by moving some furniture around. I bought a desk and when she came back the following week she taught me how to organize my home, work and school files into about a dozen categories. I would have started a separate file for each item ending up with about 50 categories! I was delighted to see that the pile of papers I didn’t know what to do with quickly dwindled away as we put the new filing system into action. She also suggested that I use different colored folders to make retrieval easier and I loved that idea.

Next week she is coming over to tackle my closet. Organizing my surroundings is my first step in getting control over my life and I feel better knowing that I am not alone doing this. Marlene has a comforting way about her and I never felt that I was talking to a stranger I had just met. Since no one ever teaches us these skills I think that everyone should work with a Professional Organizer at least once in their lives. I have already recommended her to several friends and feel that the lessons learned last a lifetime.

-- Stefanie Hadland, Berge Ford Fleet Sales - Phoenix, AZ

In three hours, Marlene Hansen totally re-organized my home office which had gotten out of control. The improvement in how the room looked and how I felt in it were amazing. I never realized how stressful it was for me to walk into a cluttered office and try to work at a desk that was piled with papers. Marlene created a system designed especially for me and my assistant that enabled us to stay on top of our paperwork. She took the time to really listen to our needs and to find out what worked best for each of us. She gently guided us and made a number of suggestions that we implemented. One of the most helpful hints was how to eliminate using scraps of paper when taking calls. We would always lose those sheets of paper only to spend hours looking for them or recreating them. We no longer rely on sticky notes, thanks to Marlene.

Also, we were inundated with flyers that we wanted to keep but never knew where to put them so they stayed on the desk top only to be lost or mistakenly inserted in a file we were working on. We now have an easy and quick way to keep track of time sensitive flyers for workshops, etc. without taking up room on the desk or in the file cabinets.

Marlene immediately makes you feel at ease and can instill a sense of calm in any chaotic environment. She loves doing what she does and it shows. We are excited about the next miracle Marlene plans to perform which is to teach us how we can find anything in our files in 5 seconds!

A Professional Organizer can save you time, money and headaches. This is an investment that more than pays for itself.

-- Janet Conchy, Ahwatukee Home Staging - Phoenix, AZ

I am a very busy mom of three teenagers and I run a small business from my home. My biggest challenge is taking care of the incoming mail, newspapers, magazines, bills and solicitations for 5 people. I found that I never had the time as I walked in the door to go through this stack each day. So the pile grew and grew. My family complained that the kitchen table was always full of paper with no room to eat.

Marlene entered my life and gave me hope that I could conquer the war I was having with clutter. She showed me how I could begin to take control of the situation I found myself in by sorting, categorizing, containerizing and most importantly, tossing. Instead of keeping entire magazines and newspapers she suggested that I tear out the articles I wanted to read and place them in a To Read folder .She also suggested that each family member gets a basket that I can immediately place their mail in. Just doing that lightened my load!

After half an hour she had my kitchen table cleared off and the papers organized and put away. She then gave me a gift she gives all her clients which will keep me from losing my mind. If you want to know what that gift is you’ll have to call her!

-- Becky B. - Phoenix, Az.

Marlene organized my kitchen and created room I never knew I had. Living alone in a small house is a challenge. I hardly have any counter space in the kitchen and so every inch was taken up with appliances I hardly ever used. Marlene used her creativity to find ways to store my appliances that I would never have thought of, thereby, clearing my counter tops. She also helped me de-clutter my closet. It is so hard to make decisions on what to get rid of when you are alone. Marlene asked me several questions that made it absolutely clear what was to go and what was to stay. I am 82 years old and have many memories in that closet but thanks to Marlene’s caring way I feel that I was able make all the right decisions.

-- Dora M.

Marlene Hansen is one of those rare individuals who will deliver on her promises. She clearly understands how to maximize space; she is as detailed in her organizational preparation as she is in her execution. Marlene is full of great ideas, thorough and a joy to work with.

-- Les Taylor - President/CEO of Achievement Solutions, LLC

Complete home or office organizing plan - $99

Hourly, day or project rates available

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