College students can be messy, but we’re not the only ones. Grady Newsource Reporter Mary Grace Fisher learned a valuable lesson about the working world. Dr. Julia Marlowe taught her that there’s absolutely always a way to make money and do the things you love.

 

Clutter can cause more than germs. A mess leads to stress. And when you have to worry about your big exam or tough deadline at work, organizing your shoes or closet is not a priority. For Dr. Julia Marlowe, a retired UGA professor, that’s not true. Cleanliness and order now come first for her. How? She’s a professional organizer. Marlowe is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers. You probably didn’t know there was such a thing. Well, Marlowe and the other members are taking Spring cleaning to a completely new level.

 

Marlowe says, “Someone told me that they had hired a professional organizer to organize their home office and I thought, ‘That’s it!’ and immediately I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”

 

For $50 an hour, Marlowe’s company, Athens Home Organizer, LLC, manages clutter and organization as well as time and money. $50 an hour! Is it worth it? Well, look at the before-and-after pictures, and you tell me. While college students may not be able to afford a professional quite yet, Marlowe says there are ways to keep organized on a budget.

 

Her advice is “If you’re on a limited budget, spend less, buy less! Don’t have a million different products. A lot of products can work for more than one thing.”

 

Marlowe is just one of the 4,200 professional organizers within the national organization.

 

Dr. Marlowe isn’t the only professional organizer in Athens. She’s actually done joint projects with other organizers in the area, so it’s nice to see people from different companies working together.

 

By: Mary Grace Fisher