How I Work

My Mission...
is to help you declutter your schedule, space, and mind so you can focus on what's most important.

I believe everyone has the capacity for unlimited personal achievement, including you! I’ve watched all types of people - including corporate executives, professionals, entrepreneurs, and stay-at-home moms - all dramatically change their lives. It IS possible to stop living in "auto pilot," take control, and design a wonderful life. I've observed remarkable transformations take place...starting with my own life!

About Kathy Paauw

Paauwerfully Organized, founded in 1995, offers three primary services:  productivity consulting, business and personal coaching, and training. 

• As a consultant, I specialize in helping busy people learn how to effectively manage time, paper, and electronic information.  One of my favorite productivity tools is Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger software.  I have helped hundreds of people all over the globe to implement the Paper Tiger.  I can assist with implementation by telephone or in person.  Click here for more information.

• As a coach, I help my clients to be more effective at work, live a more balanced life, have more time and energy to do the things they really love, and feel happier, healthier, and more fulfilled in the process. I added coaching to my offerings in 1998 and became a Certified Business & Personal Coach through the Academy for Coach Training. Click here for more information.

• As trainer, I offer several popular teleclasses and webinars, as well as tailor-made presentations for workgroups and organizations.  I am an associate with Inscape Publishing, a company that has developed  outstanding assessment tools (some people call them profiles) and facilitation tools that have been extensively researched and time-tested for accuracy.  I am also an associate with CRK Interactive Learning, which provides outstanding eLearning courses and facilitation tools for work groups.  I often utilize these tools in my work as a trainer and as a coach. Click here for more information.

Prior to starting my own company, I spent 13 years in resource development for non-profit educational and human service organizations.  I hold a BA from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, where I majored in music (vocal performance). My home base is in Redmond, Washington. In addition to running my own company, I am also a wife, mother, singer, and community volunteer for various organizations in the Puget Sound area, as well as for some International organizations.

Organizing Philosophy
Organization for the sake of "being organized" has no value, but it is a vital tool to help you accomplish what is most important to you. Organizational skills and effective systems can improve productivity, reduce stress, and improve the quality of your personal and professional life.

In order to get organized or create order in a meaningful way, it's important to be clear about what is most important to you. I can help you get clear about priorities and create a physical environment that will keep you focused on your most important activities. It's difficult to keep your priorities in clear focus when you are surrounded by an environment that is screaming for your attention through piles of papers, bulletin boards overloaded with paper reminders, and mile-long "to-do" lists that do not reflect activities by order of importance.

I use the metaphor of an iceberg to describe my work. The tip of the iceberg represents the physical work environment-the part we can see and "organize." The base of the iceberg-the largest part which we cannot see-represents the mental part of being organized...that is, being clear about our priorities and how we choose to focus our time, energy and resources. Getting and staying organized requires that we attend to both parts of the iceberg -- what's above and below the water line. In other words, clearing away piles of paper without gaining clarity about priorities is like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic!

The Paauwerfully Organized logo contains a meaningful symbol.  If you look closely behind the name, you will see a diamond.  The four points on the diamond represent balance between the four areas of human need -- physical, mental, spiritual, and social. Keeping these four needs in balance is an essential part of being Paauwerfully Organized.  If any one of these areas of human need is neglected, that imbalance will affect one’s life, both personally and professionally.  For example, if you are physically not well, it affects your ability to function optimally.  If you are mentally off balance or spiritually empty, that has an effect on how you function, as well.  And if you are in an unhealthy relationship, the social friction can take a real toll on your ability to be productive.  Although the diamond is faint, it is an ever-present reminder of the importance of tending to all four areas of human need.

I specialize in working with small business owners, entrepreneurs, and independent professionals who work in office and/or home office environments. I teach and coach individuals and groups how to be more productive and effective by helping my clients to focus, prioritize, and get rid of external and internal clutter. The result: living your personal/professional mission and accomplishing your goals, while reducing stress and finding greater fulfillment in what you do. I call it living an "on purpose life."

My clients include:

Affiliations

Certified Professional Organizer®