Our fourth 10 Acts of Organization Contest winner is Barbara from Abingdon! Barbara won two hours of organizing, working with professionals, Jane Hall and Karin Walker. This is our way of giving back to the community in honor of celebrating our 10th Anniversary. To submit your entry, click here. Read on to learn Barbara’s story:
Letting Go: What is SAFE?
Barbara, a widow for 14 years, lives in a beautifully decorated and maintained home. Her 
greatest challenge is paperwork. The many boxes of papers she has saved are weighing her down, causing her stress and anxiety. She has these papers for various reasons. Some papers she keeps for sentimental reasons, but mostly Barbara just isn’t sure which papers she needs to save and which are safe to get rid of. She has heard all the media stories about people having their identity stolen and she is afraid if she recycles or throws out anything with her name and address on it, someone will use it to steal hers.
Barbara said she was thrilled when she found out she won the two hours of organizing but admits she was very nervous about it. “ All week I was a wreck! I have never let anyone into my home and let them near my personal stuff before.” Barbara decided to enter our contest because she was tired of having the years of accumulated paper weighing on her. She felt it was time to get professional help to clear the backlog and learn how to handle papers going forward.
During the appointment, Jane and Karin showed Barbara which papers she needed to keep and which she could let go. They suggested a few systems so Barbara will be able to keep on top of paper in the future. Barbara decided which system would work best for her and we proceeded to sort through her paper piles. Although 2 hours isn’t very long, with our help Barbara was able to get rid of a large amount of paper that day. It was great to see Barbara with a big smile on her face. She said it felt so good to rip up papers and let them go.
It is Freeing!
“It is very freeing”, she said. “You ladies confirmed that I can throw things away. You provided me with the permission and reassurance I was looking for. It feels wonderful!”
After we finished, Barbara said, “My goodness, I would definitely recommend you to anyone. You all are amazing!!! I feel so good and relaxed now. “
The following day we received this email from Barbara:
| Dear Sappari Solutions,Thank you so much for my 2 hours free with Jane and Karin. I can’t get over how helpful they were and great to work with to cut down on all the paper I’ve been dealing with for years.I definitely will set up an appointment for their help and decisiveness.I feel so relieved to know they are able to help me make decisions without making me feel bad about myself.
Jane and Karin are remarkable. Sincerely, Barbara |
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