(Photo by Jessica Mullen)
Many people have second acts in their lives these days. And why not? Life can be decidedly more lateral than linear. Not only that, even when we think that we’re done with something, it has a way of turning up again in another form, whether we intend it to or not.
Take Margot Molnar, for example. Her first career was as a mental health counselor. Now, she’s a professional organizer. And while those lines of work may seem like they exist at opposite ends of the spectrum, consider the person closing out the estate of a loved one, who calls upon Molnar to help organize and clear things out. It can be overwhelming to go through the personal effects of someone you love after they pass away; but someone like Molnar, with a Master’s degree in Psychology and certification as a Hospice volunteer, is uniquely positioned to understand “the subtle and the not-so-subtle needs,” as she puts it, of the loved one left behind with a difficult task to do.
Even in organizational projects without that underpinning of poignancy, Molnar’s counseling background enables her to make suggestions to her clients on how to maintain the structure achieved in the project once it has been completed. And she’s sensitive to her clients’ privacy. “I always tell everybody that I don’t share their names or situations with anybody, and I keep things confidential,” Molnar says.
The former counselor was inspired to start an organizing business after speaking to other professionals in the field. A change in her life was in order, she says, and since she’d always been very good at organizing, and loved to do it, it was a logical choice.
She’s fully insured and does all the work herself, except when a mover needs to be hired. Molnar finds the completion of a project to be the most rewarding part, contrasting the satisfaction of finishing a job well done with the never-ending aspects of doing psychological counseling. “It’s satisfying for the clients as well,” says Molnar, “because they’re able to function more easily afterward. They’re also relieved because this project that’s been on their minds has been completed and taken care of, so their spirits are lifted and they’re encouraged to go on.”
Molnar enjoys the variety that the work entails. “It keeps everything very interesting,” she says. Her organizational skills are employed in a number of situations, from a small business where she might go in to set up a filing system and help the owners get their paperwork organized, to a project where someone needs help selling or downsizing their home, and she can assist him or her with clearing out the clutter and presenting the home for sale looking its best.
Sometimes clutter builds up because of work schedules or a physical disability, or sometimes someone just needs help in setting up a new home and wants a little advice on how to do that, says Molnar.
She’s based in Woodstock, but travels all around the area. The price for her services is quoted after a free consultation, where Molnar determines what the job will involve doing. “All organizing projects are different, just like all people are different,” she says. “I address everyone individually, according to their needs.” Sometimes people think that their job is a catastrophe and it’s really not, she says, and other times it does turn out to be something extensive, so she has to see what there is to do before quoting a price.
Molnar says that she hasn’t encountered the kind of clutter problems seen on those television shows where hoarders barricade themselves inside their homes with piles of belongings. “I work with ordinary people who have everyday problems,” she says.
Margot Molnar, professional organizer; (845) 679-6242, [email protected], www.margotmolnar.com.
