Organizational coach attempts to ‘save people from their stuff’

February 3, 2019 | 3:03 am

Updated February 3, 2019 | 4:55 pm

Sara Fort utilizing her organizational skills at Studio Slant | Photo by Daniel Benedict

Sara Kathryn Fort, the professional organizer who owns Neat Relief, is unable to remember a time she wasn’t organizing. As a child, when she went to friends’ houses, she remembers asking if she could clean their rooms and organize their closets — just for fun.

Fort graduated from Daviess County High School, received a business degree from Western Kentucky University in 2009 and moved into the world of 9-to-5 jobs. She has lived in Bowling Green, Louisville and Nashville — sometimes moving back and forth — before settling back in Owensboro.

While living in Nashville and working a corporate job, which Fort said was like being on a hamster wheel, she helped a friend organize her home. Afterwards, she asked Fort a life-changing question, “Why don’t you do this for a job?”

Fort did not believe a job like that existed and she was right. But that still didn’t stop her from quitting her job and jumping into the unknown world of organizing full-time — something she said was “maybe not the smartest,” but something she wouldn’t have done otherwise.

Word of Fort’s skills in cleaning and organizing soon spread through family and friends she had already been organizing for, requesting little or no payment at all. Soon Fort was traveling to different cities to share her love of organization.

“I have good spatial understanding and timing,” Fort said. “I just never thought this could be my job.”

Fort’s profession is self-made and, because of this, she is able to change the model as needed. She uses the term organizational coach to describe what she does, but even that description comes with layers.

“I teach people how to organize,” Fort said. “Once it becomes more natural, they can become more organized. Organizing is difficult, but you can do it.”

She begins each job by first talking to potential clients on the phone and listening to what they need and what they want to accomplish. Fort usually reserves four hours to spend with clients for each session and tailors the pricing for the specific job, because each is different.

In order to determine what each client needs, Fort uses the S.P.A.C.E. acronym, which stands for Sort, Purge, Arrange, Contain and Evaluate.

“It’s funny,” Fort said. “There are all of these container stores and contain is actually one of the last things [to be completed] when organizing. People want to contain and buy all of these containers — and don’t feel organized.”

Fort said that it is not someone’s fault they have acquired so much, making them feel burdened.

“It’s a lot to deal with everything [people have acquired]. Everything you own is taking up space in your head as well,” Fort said. “It’s not just about getting rid of stuff, it’s loving what you have. I am trying to save people from their ‘stuff.’”

One of Fort’s greatest pleasures is in the days following a completed job and receiving a call, text or email from the client that starts with “You have no idea….”

“My favorite is the husband’s reaction because they are usually the most skeptical,” Fort said.

Fort currently works in homes or businesses about 20 hours a week, but said there is a lot of planning prior to arriving and after she finishes for the day.

“[The disorganization] didn’t happen in one day and it won’t get fixed in one day,” Fort said. 

Fort can be reached at [email protected] or 270-302-8769. She can also be followed on Instagram @neatrelief and on her Facebook page.

February 3, 2019 | 3:03 am

Share this Article

Other articles you may like