Z Smith, Productivity Coach & Home Organizer

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​I’m not naturally organized...so how did I become a
Productivity Coach & Professional Organizer?

MY STORY
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​As a kid I struggled with dyslexia - it was a challenge for my parents to get me to school with matching shoes, let alone a backpack with completed homework.  I knew I would be an artist of some sort, and had about a million projects I was cooking up. I ran from one to the other, rarely finishing what I had started and leaving piles of clutter in my wake - organization was the last thing on my mind!

Pastel on paper by Z Smith

Pepito T. Clown, Z Smith

​I ended up in the performing arts for about 15 years and though it was somewhat of a battle, I slowly came to embrace organization; learning how it could help me DO all the things I was excited about while living in a beautiful and fun environment - and all on a small artists budget! ​

The three “ah HA!” moments that I remember​

Life long bike commuter!

1) At age 18 I did a solo bike trip carrying only as many items as could fit on the bike. It bothered me that I could still so easily loose things!  By the end of the trip I had forced myself to organize my bags in such a way that everything had a clear HOME.  Decluttering made a big difference, and informed my future interest in organization.

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Permaculture Herb Spiral

​2) The second Ah HA!  was as I studied sustainable farming in my early 20’s and learned about the permaculture principle of stacking functions - the idea that everything in your garden can serve multiple purposes.  What a winning idea!  Why shouldn't everything in life have stacking functions?!?​

Reading 'Getting Things Done' by David Allen

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​3) The kicker that tipped me into a true organization lover was working through David Allen’s book, Getting Things Done as I started my first business as a performer.  I am NOT a natural business person and it was truly transformational.  Decluttering incoming information (digital, physical & mental) and processing it through the GTD system is what forms the core of Bower Bird's curriculum today.

I now find joy, artistic inspiration, and energy in organization!

Over the last 20 years, I have trained myself  to stay on top of my many projects and have become a “finisher.” I love completing my own projects and am known to take on others' abandoned projects and finish them as well.

​I started Bower Bird because I enjoy helping others harness this powerful energy.

Why the name Bowerbird?