Interview With Mary

Morristown, Tennessee resident Mary Pankiewicz says she has been organizing all her life: As a child on Amelia Island, Florida, she delighted in making the family junk room tidy. “I was born with an organizing gene but would love to have the music, art, or other talents my clients have,” quips Pankiewicz.

She honed her skills rearing three sons and four daughters. Then one day while reading an article on how to reduce stress, she saw the term “professional organizer” and realized that people earned money doing what she had done free for family and friends.

“When I work with clients I’m there to help them accomplish their goals,” Pankiewicz says, stressing that she doesn’t decide what to keep or not. “My clients make all the decisions.”

In 2004 Mary was certified by the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD) as a Certified Professional Organizer — Chronic Disorganization. She faithfully attends the NSGCD and National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) yearly annual conferences and has served as a presenter several times. In 2006, Mary begins a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Professional Organizers. She's excited about this opportunity to make the benefits of organizing more accessible to all, and to help increase the education of organizing experts in NAPO. Mary has also been recently appointed to the NAPO Board of Directors. She brings to her clients the expertise from working with hundreds of clients just like you over the past 10 years.

Pankiewicz has a philosophy about her work. Surprisingly, she says, “Life is not about being organized. I’m not a neatnik. Organizing is to support us. But it’s not about being rigid. Life is to enjoy.”

“My business philosophy is Simple is Smart—what is the simplest way we can organize things? Helping people get organized is very satisfying to me, because I am contributing to other people’s quality of life.”

Read more at Mary’s Own Story

Mary's Own Story

When I was a child, our house had a unfinished room that naturally became the junk room. I can remember loving to go in there and organize it. But I often say life is a trade-off, and although organizing is in my genes, I missed out on the music and art genes that so many of my clients have.

As an adult I was determined not to run my household as tightly as my parents did theirs. And raising a large family with seven children certainly helped keep my organizing in check. Our structure had to be more relaxed. I do not believe life is about being a neatnik. Organization should support us in life, not control our life.

Even though I am very successful when working with others’ children (as I remind the Moms, it is because I am not the parent), my own children wanted to do things their way, with no well-meaning interference from me. One day, though, I came home and heard a plaintive “Mom!” from my 20-year-old who was upstairs. Her cry sounded like the world had come to an end. I zipped up to her bedroom and found her in the middle of everything she owned. She had taken it all out to organize it—emptied all her drawers, her desk, and the storage boxes under the bed. Great intentions, but at that point she was desperate to know what to do next. For once my help and advice were welcomed. Do you know the first thing to do in this situation? I used the organizing technique I use when working with a client on overload: start in a corner and work around the area. In this case I started at the doorway as that was as far as I could get into the room. By dinner time her room was in good order.

I can understand how someone can have several bookshelves of organizing books and still not be organized. I have all the gardening books, but to make things look right I need hands-on assistance. Somehow I can't translate a gardening book into reality, so I can understand how organizing doesn't flow for others even if they many organizing books.

At home I enjoy reading, feeding the birds, and being owned by a newly adopted kitten. The birds are no trouble!, but our house now looks like we have a two-year-old because of the kitten. There are toys on the floor and no breakables within his reach. If there is a flower arrangement handy, he loves to jump in and then pull off the flowers. Update: Two more orphans have brought the total to three cats so that means more cat toys. Now the cats out number the people and we have a full house.

About 10 years ago an article in Reader's Digest about a Professional Organizer inspired me to start my business. I thought, “I could do that!” So I immediately joined the National Association of Professional Organizers and have been to every national conference since. In 2003 I presented a workshop on Organizing for Children.

In 2004 I was certified by the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD) as a Certified Professional Organizer—Chronic Disorganization. I am only one of 7 in the country to hold this designation. I faithfully attend the NSGCD annual conferences and have served as a presenter.

I am a member of the National Speakers Association and the TN Nashville chapter and also attend their yearly conferences. Attending the yearly conferences is important because I want to bring the very best available to my clients!

I love my work. Helping people get organized is very satisfying to me, because I feel I am contributing to other people’s quality of life. My business philosophy is Simple is Smart. What is the simplest way we can organize things?