Vicki Norris: Restoring Order to Your Office

ORDER AND ORGANIZING Disorganization prevents us from living the life we were meant to live, and when you get organized, it clears that way that you can live your true priorities,” says Vicki Norris, professional organizer and author. Vicki believes that you should find your passion and build a business around it. When she was young, she had her girlfriends help her clear out and organize family closets, and in 1999, as an adult, she started her own business, Restoring Order. She has turned her passion for order into a lifestyle brand, helping consumers lighten up so they can live their true priorities. “Disorder is a bondage. Order is meant to free us,” she says. Vicki believes that God wants to bring us into a life of order, so that we may come into alignment with Him. The last thing we’d expect to hear from a professional organizer is to “stop organizing,” but that’s exactly what Vicki advises. She says, instead, we should replace “organizing” with “ordering,” and begin the journey by understanding organizing as a lifestyle, not an activity. “Only when we stop the endless efforts to pick at the problem and embrace an ordered life as an ongoing priority can we see lasting change,” she says. Vicki says organization is not what the marketplace has defined it as quick tips & shortcuts. “There’s no place worth going in life that we can get to by a shortcut,” she says. “We must stop buying all the magazines that promise ‘order in a hurry’ or ‘three quick tips’ because these tricks are disillusioning and don’t work! We must face our disorder realistically, rather than applying tempting (but empty) solutions.” Vicki says there is a spiritual connection with the organizing process – there are no shortcuts – like the spiritual growth process. Organizing is a change process about restoring the quality of life and activates all that God has for you. And, she says, we were designed for order. Vicki says most people waste one hour a day on disorganization, which amounts to six work weeks per year. “God’s plan is for us to co-labor with Him in bringing heaven to earth and to bring His will here,” she says. “If we live unaware of this life purpose, we will live aimlessly wondering why our ceaseless efforts don’t amount to anything meaningful. Only when we trade our agenda for the Kingdom agenda can we be fulfilled.” To live a life of order, it also helps if we understand the causes of our disorder. “Good organizing is like good weeding – we must pull the weed out by the roots (not simply chop the tops off the weed) if we want to eliminate it for good,” she says. “We must understand the contributing causes to our disorganization if we want to see lasting change.” Common causes of chaos are: not prioritizing organizing, taking on too much at one time, and over-accumulating. Vicki says when you understand that an ordered life is simply a means, not an end, you’re on your way to a breakthrough. “Living in order will help you make room for the things that truly matter – a meaningful relationship with God, yourself, and others. An ordered life clears the way for you to live to your full potential and make an impact for the Kingdom.” ORDER YOUR SPACE Vicki says that one of the biggest problems people face when trying to restore order is paper management. If your office or home is buried in clutter or piles of paperwork, Vicki offers some advice about bringing order to your space: Don’t tidy & stop rearranging. Instead of these short term fixes, we need to understand WHY our space gets so packed in the first place and work to resolve those issues rather than endlessly shuffling things. Dig out and dig in. Your organizing journey should begin with digging out so you can get a baseline from which to operate and maintain. We must dig out of chaos and take back real estate for intentional use. Take an aerial view of your space. Where are the heavy traffic areas? What are the clogs? Where to people gather? As you gather this surveyor’s information, you can begin to address the flow within your space. Discover and address clogs. Once you notice a clog (like paper piles throughout the office or items-to-be-recycled stuck on your kitchen counter), then you can begin to create customized solutions that fit your situation. Purpose your space. To avoid general-use areas becoming “dumping grounds,” purpose your space. For example, you can designate a hall closet as a “gift closet” and inside can be gifts-to-give, cards, and wrapping paper. Observe the “ONLY” policy. Once you’ve assigned a purpose to a space, reserve it for that purpose ONLY. Work with your natural habits. For example, if you have a problem with shoes landing all over your floors, you can convert your hall closet into a “shoe bar” and put everyone’s shoes there, rather than insisting everyone return their shoes to their bedrooms and arguing over it when it never happens and shoe piles multiply. Prune, don’t purge. As we prune back our stuff and our commitments, we restore energy to the life source, improve health and circulation, and bring energy back to our daily experience! VICKI'S TESTIMONY Vicki grew up in a loving family who took her to church during my younger years. Even when soccer and dance team took precedence over church attendance, her mom prayed with her at night when she tucked Vicki in. When Vicki was a child she thought God was like those other characters like Santa and the Tooth Fairy. She used to leave stickers under her pillow hoping God would come get them--like the Tooth Fairy left me stuff--but she was disappointed that He never did. Vicki knew ABOUT God but she didn't know Him personally. She didn't have a relationship. A friend of hers on her dance team in high school invited Vicki to her friend's church and Vicki went because her friend made it sound fun. Vicki started meeting other kids and got involved in the youth group. These kids had something special, and she could tell they had a joy and confidence that she did not have. They were so nice and welcoming and weren't at all like the kids from her high school that made her feel on the "outside". Soon after she started attending, she went into service one day by herself and responded to the pastor's invitation to receive Christ. Vicki knelt right there in the sanctuary all alone and invited him into her heart. Vicki remembers turning around and being enveloped by the sunbeam from the windows at the back of the sanctuary and she knew God had heard her prayer. She was 15 years old. MORE ABOUT HER COMPANY Established in 1999, Vicki Norris' Restoring Order is a professional organizing company. Vicki started her company over a decade ago, working hands-on with clients in homes and offices. By 2003, the demand for services encouraged Vicki to hire and train a team of professional organizers. Vicki is pioneering a new business model in the organizing industry. Her company serves a national clientele in home and office organizing. Finding unsatisfactory organizing products in the marketplace, Vicki launched her own line of customizable, retro-style organizing products in 2004. Since 1999, she has taken her company from a sole proprietorship to a six division company with a range of offerings for every life management need and budget. Vicki speaks nationally on the topic of organizing and life management and serves as a resource to the media. She is a keynote speaker and trainer, author of two books (Reclaim Your Life and Get Organized for Good and Restoring Order to Your Home), blogger, business owner, product designer and distributor, and entrepreneur. Nationally, Norris is one of America’s favorite organizing experts on HGTV’s Mission: Organization. In Portland, Oregon, Vicki spent seven years as the professional organizing expert on KATU’s AM Northwest morning talk show (ABC affiliate), and has been a frequent guest on other local programs like KPTV's Better and Good Day Oregon. She is a frequent contributor to national lifestyle publications, including Better Homes & Gardens, Family Circle, Parents, Woman's Day, and Real Simple magazine. Vicki’s priority is leading her dream life with her husband Trevor and sons Nash and Brock on their farm “Dream Acres” in Sherwood, Oregon.