MY STORY
Hi! I’m Christina Bouchard - NJ based professional organizer and certified by the American Society of Professional Organizers.
But let's back up.... I actually worked as an HR professional for the last 20+ years dedicating my time to business and people strategies across different industries. My job has always been about connecting with people and working with them to solve problems. At home, my hobby and passion has always been organizing and finding a thoughtful place for everything. I have enjoyed sharing my decluttering and organizing skills with family and friends and thought - why aren’t I doing this all the time? I decided I wanted to build a new career doing something I love and that brought me great satisfaction. I would still be able to work with people and help them solve problems but in a different way. And now here I am - the proud (and super excited) owner of The Bouchard Method.
Me!
My pup Mavis!
MY METHOD
1. CLEAN - It is essential to remove all contents from the space in order to start your project. This is a critical step in the process as it allows me to see the space in an empty state and provides a true perspective of what I can get back in there! It also gives me the ability to do a full inventory of the products within the space.
2. SORT - Purge, Donate, Keep. As all items are removed from the space, everything will be put into one of these categories. This will provide a clear understanding of what is left to organize. This is the most difficult part of the process but is necessary to transform the space the way you want it to be. This is the step in which you will need to be involved as I can’t do this without you! I will be asking questions and helping you make decisions for your items. 1 - Have you used this within the last 6 months? 2 - Will you use it in the next 6 months. 3 - Do you really need it? 4 - Do you really love it? Answering these questions honestly will help to get rid of stuff and will free you from too much stuff! I’ve been through this process myself (many times) and it is difficult at first but becomes easier and clearer as you go along.
3. PLAN - Now it’s time for me to put a strategy in place now that I see the empty space and what items are left to organize into it. I will need to understand from you how you like to see (or not see) your stuff and what types of systems and containers will function best and fit in your budget.
4. ORGANIZE - It took a while to get here - I know! But now comes the fun part - putting everything back in a thoughtful (and much different) way. Sometimes this takes a bit of trial and error to see which configuration works best, but it’s fun once it comes together.
5. REVEAL AND SMILE - Okay not really a step in the method but just how I like to end every project :)
________________________