Organizing a new career

Hui Zi, the founder of Huiliju (Wise Space Organizer), entered the organizing industry after she read Hideko Yamashita's classic book Danshari back in 2013.

"From the moment I read the opening lines I was utterly engrossed by the work and read it several times without pausing," Hui said. "As I learned more, I noticed that organizing is a well-respected and unique profession in Japan. I found myself drawn toward the life philosophy as well, as it matched my expectations for a career."

According to Hui, organizing service is about helping clients plan and use space reasonably. Organizers will sort goods effectively based on their expertise and skills. The service will help people to feel comfortable and relaxed in either a living or working space.

"In the early days, most people's understanding of organizing was limited to the concept that sorting is throwing things away while organizing is neatly arranging things," Hui said. "An excellent organizer can change the habits and mindsets of clients in the most subtle ways."

Established in 2016, the brand has served hundreds of families, companies and individuals with one-to-one, door-to-door organizing, consulting and training services. Its clients include the Fiji Consulate General in Shanghai, governments in Shanghai, Shanghai Women's Federation, Shanghai Disabled Persons' Federation, courts, universities and communities. Fortune 500 companies such as Tesla, Saint-Gobain, Noritz, Syngenta, Manulife-Sinochem, E-House China and OneSmart International Education Group are also clients of Huiliju.

"We take pride in the fact that my company is the first institution in China to provide professional organizing services for public offices. Through our ingenuity and devotion, we have provided services to both public institutions and private companies," Hui said.

Looking ahead, Hui is optimistic about her company's development. The brand's target consumers are high earners born in the 1980s and 1990s who are busy, with less time and energy to devote to other areas of their lives.

"There has been a big gap in the supply and demand for professional organizers. Therefore, (the industry) may face more significant development opportunities with more and more specified and subdivided market demands moving forward."

On Jan 15, 2021, "Organizer" was added to the list of new occupations published by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. The occupation was also identified as the emerging "Diamond Profession" for its potential for high earnings. In addition, some online surveys show that "professional organizer" is becoming one of the most desired emerging occupations for millennials and Generation Z.

Whether a practitioner can make a high monthly salary depends on capacity and development path, according to Hui.

"Becoming a professional organizer is not hard, as long as you love it and can learn. However, excellence requires the accumulation of knowledge and skills in many different areas," Hui said. "It's clear that specialization in organizing is not only about professional skills in sorting and organizing. It also requires some comprehensive knowledge on the design of spaces, environmental art, presentation of goods, matching clothes, psychology, color science and ergonomics. It also requires basic knowledge and life experience if one is to become a professional."