Cutting through the “clutter” of life
Virtual:
We are also available for phone, e-mail and Skype appointments regarding your organizing projects no matter where you live!
The Organizers charge $50/hour for hands-on professional organizing services. Organizing packages can also be purchased at a discounted rate. Phone/Skype appointments are also available at $35/hour. The Organizers will also develop a step-by-step plan for you to implement for a fee (depending on size of project), with email and phone support included for thirty days.
The Organizers offer package rates to small business owners who need a few hours a month of professional organizing/clerical assistance to keep their business running smoothly. Current packages include The Start-Up (up to five hours a month with phone and email support) $125/mo, The Entrepreneur (up to ten hours a month with phone and email support) $237/mo and The CEO (up to 15 hours a month with phone and email support) $352/mo. See our Virtual Assistant Page for more information about what the packages include or contact us today.
The Organizers also offer senior care management services (see Seniors page for more details). These services begin at $35/hr but monthly packages are also available. Call Melissa or Kelly today for an evaluation of your individual needs.
The Organizers would be thrilled to speak with you about booking them for your next event. To make this process a bit easier for all of us here are the steps you should take in this process.
Before, during and after the event: PRAY! Continually pray for God to bless your event. Pray for every attendee whom God will call to attend your event. Bathe the planning process in prayer that God’s will be carried out and the hearts of the attendees will be changed and refreshed as a result of your efforts to provide a fabulous spiritual event for those who will attend.
1) Select a date. Choose a couple possible dates for your event and confirm The Organizers availability by emailing us or giving us a call at 304-596-6225 anytime between 9 am - 5 pm EST.
2) Select a theme or topic for your event, if you have not done so already. Topics can be viewed on the speaking topics page. If you would like assistance choosing a theme or topic, please email or call us and we will be glad to suggest and discuss ideas with you! If you have an event theme in mind, and would like us to consider speaking on a theme-related topic, please include this information in your correspondence.
3) Submit Deposit. Once an event has been confirmed and event coordinator has scheduled a date with The Organizers, a contract will be emailed or mailed to you, whichever you prefer. A small 10% deposit is requested within 14 days of booking an event. The remaining balance, in addition to travel expenses, will be due on event day, or on the last day of a retreat and can be given directly to Melissa and Kelly.
5) Travel Arrangements (if applicable) We will make all flight and hotel reservations, as needed. Sponsoring church or organization is responsible for airfare, lodging and mileage expense reimbursement, when applicable. It is requested that airfare expenses be reimbursed prior to the event, instead of on event day. Mileage expense is reimbursed at the rate of $0.530 X mileage according to Mapsquest.com round-trip. We ask that you reimburse her for mileage if your church/organization is greater than 50 miles round trip from our office.
6) Keep in touch! Keep in close communication with us leading up to the event to insure success. Let us know if any change of plans occur, including theme, attendance, dates, etc. Event planners are encouraged to call or email at any time. Any change in the event plan needs to be communicated to Organized Life by Design immediately!
Keynote Speaking:
One Session - 45 to 60 minutes in length - $250.00
Two Sessions - $400.00
Three Sessions / Weekend Retreat - $600.00
(Each additional session past three sessions are $100 each.)
If the fee is an issue for your church budget, please do not hesitate to discuss this with us. In addition, when speaking to groups of 25 or less or non profit agencies a lower rate can be negotiated by contacting us.
Travel Expenses: All travel expenses are the responsibility of the host church or organization, including mileage at $0.530 cents per mile, and lodging and airfare expenses, when applicable. Mileage is required when the event is more than 50 miles round trip from our office in Martinsburg, WV (about 90 miles from Washington, DC. Ready to book an event?
Contact us today!
Christian women today are not excluded from the daily struggles of life: keeping it all together, managing it with grace, and still keeping a smile on our faces can be a challenge. That’s why an encouraging message from someone who is in the trenches and keeping it real is so refreshing.
Organized Life by Design and The Organizers , Melissa Smallwood and Kelly Tidwell offer keynote speaking and workshops on organizing and time management from a Biblical perspective.
Contact us for available topics, each topic is an approximately 45 minute - 1 hour speech. Topics can be combined to form 1/2 day workshops, whole day workshops or conferences, or even full weekend retreats:
Available Topics:
Personal-
Professional:
Many more topics and seminars are available and The Organizers are more than willing to work with any organization to develop a presentation applicable to their audience. Contact us today with questions or to book a workshop or seminar!
Let’s face it. Procrastination is a problem- not always, but often. Waiting until the last minute can cause great anxiety and can affect the quality of work when it is attempted. If you have never taken a personality profile (such as the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator) it can be a very valuable tool in understanding yourself and why you do the things you do, including procrastinating. Visit www.multitaskingmama.mypersonality.info to see more about my personality and to take a test to understand yourself better.
I am a planner and am actually uncomfortable with putting things off in most situations. Except when it comes to writing or studying. I have always performed better “under pressure” when there are deadlines ahead of me. We are all different. If procrastination is working for you (meaning important things are getting accomplished in an acceptable timeframe) than you are fine. However, if there are things that need to be done and have needed to be done for awhile and you have consistently just not gotten around to it- then you have a problem with procrastinating.
Why do we procrastinate? For various reasons including laziness, lack of motivation, avoiding an unpleasant task, avoiding potential for “failure”, etc. I put failure in quotation marks because I believe that failure more about not trying in the first place, rather than based on outcome.
Sometimes, as women and moms especially, life can become overwhelming. There are so many demands on our time, our emotional energy, our physical presence, energy and our mind. Procrastinating can become a
crutch- if you don’t tackle a project than you don’t have to face what the task (or decision) is going to require of you, particularly if you are already feeling overwhelmed by life in general.
Sometimes procrastination comes from a place of self-doubt and overanalyzing. Again, this can be identified as an issue for you by better understanding your personality. Here is another test you can take online to better understand the motivations behind your behavior http://www.truecolorscareer.com/quiz.asp. I am a gold, blue. My personality is known as “the organizer” so you can see why this career is such a good fit for me. Understanding yourself, and what motivates you versus what overwhelms you is important in being able to overcome issues like procrastinating.
Procrastination is not always a bad thing, but if putting things off “until tomorrow” is allowing clutter to build up in your home and your life than it is time to confront the habit head on and try a new tactic. Break tasks into smaller segments that feel more manageable and not as intimidating. Give yourself credit for even small successes. Instead of writing clean the kitchen on your to do list, try writing clear/wipe off counters, do dishes, clean out refrigerator, etc. Then check off each task as it is completed. This may help you get a feel for becoming organized and empower you to continue conquering clutter and procrastination.
Happy Organizing!
Organized Life by Design, LLC
184 Equestrian Way Martinsburg, WV 25404 Call the Organizers at: Melissa: 304.676.4760 Kelly: 304.268.1913 Email The Organizers at: Melissa@organizedlifebydesign.com Kelly@organizedlifebydesign.com
An organized life is what most women aspire to have and we The Organizers, Melissa Smallwood and Kelly Tidwell, are no exceptions. It was through our passion for organization, coupled with our desire to help women get the most out of life, that we became professional organizers and purchased Organized Life by Design.
The effects that we have seen personally when our lives are better organized have allowed us to develop and implement ways for our clients to become organized, too! Cutting through the clutter of life allows you to really see what God has in store for you, His perfect design for your life.
Melissa has always been a planner. Even as a young girl, she would spend time daydreaming and planning, often plotting out her plans in drawings and lists on paper. All her friends and family describe her as a perfectionist and typical “Type A” personality. Melissa is often heard saying “Wait, I’ve got to have a plan first!”
Kelly is more spontaneous but likes to tackle all projects with a plan. She is also meticulous about details and her family has dubbed her a perfectionist as well. She is able to accomplish and juggle a lot because of her ability to multi-task!
Melissa started her professional organizing business in January 2007 to assist seniors and their families with the details that are associated with becoming older. This business grew and through word of mouth people began to ask Melissa to organize everything from kitchens to offices. God had plans for her business and talents and has made clear the path of what she should focus on- organizing women in all stages of life.
Kelly joined Melissa as her assistant in October 2007 and became a partner in June 2008. Kelly shared the passion and desire that Melissa felt to help women visualize and materialize goals and plans for their lives.
We are now excited to be following God’s call to change our business from a local focus to a global focus so that we can help women and families all across America (and beyond) find balance and order through the chaos of everyday life. We are ready to reach out to moms and women, in general, by reaching out to those who are struggling and help them to realize God’s design for their lives through organization.
Melissa and Kelly now offer their organizational services via workshops, keynote speaking, inspiring articles and devotions, as well as hands-on consulting, phone/email coaching and our weekly newsletter, allowing women to see God’s design for their own life through organization.
Keeping organized is key for both Melissa and Kelly. Both are busy WAHM’s with lots of other responsibilities and interests.
Melissa has been married to Mike for 11 years. They have three sons, two dogs and two lizards! In addition to operating her professional organizing business, Melissa founded a non-profit for low income seniors in West Virginia. In addition, she was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and is learning how to organize life around a chronic illness. She enjoys helping women become more organized. Her hobbies include riding on the back of her hubby’s Harley and organizing photos.
Kelly is married to Jay for 14 years and has three children, one boy and two girls. Her mother lives with Kelly and her family so she understands the meaning of the new “sandwich generation”. Kelly and her husband are the marriage ministry leaders at their church and Kelly has a special passion for women who are struggling to improve their marriages as well as helping them become more organized. Her hobbies include regular date nights with Jay and watching the shows she faithfully TiVo’s.
Moms United in Business
Dedicated to Supporting Women, Both Personally and Professionally!
http://momsunitedinbusiness.com
