Better Organization Leads to Maximized Performance
When it’s time for a study break, you can still find many Logan students and faculty training. But inside the Logan Wellness Center, named for Dr. William M. Harris, they are encouraged to leave their books in a locker and concentrate on their own health.
After 12 years dedicated to helping Logan students and staff practice wellness, the center needed some care of its own. Today, the recently renovated space offers a more aesthetic setting for its visitors to concentrate on their fitness goals. With all of the improvements, the wellness center can’t afford its members the luxury of more time—so Logan’s administration enlisted the help of professional organizer Julie Hough to outfit the center for maximum efficiency.
Up for the Challenge
Her name might be familiar to you. Julie is the wife to Logan’s Chief Information Officer Brad Hough. You may have seen her on local television news stations or in St. Louis newspapers and magazines, which feature her organizational strategies. Then again, Julie also played a key role on the A&E network’s popular show “Hoarders,” where she served as a member of the organizing team helping one woman reduce the clutter and chaos in her life.
As a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and the vice president of its St. Louis chapter, Julie is respected by her peers for her expertise and results. But Logan’s wellness center presented Julie with new territory to tackle. “This project marked my first wellness center, but regardless of space, the same organizational principles applied,” she said.
“When I met with Dr. Elizabeth A. Goodman (Logan’ Dean of University Programs) and the wellness center’s director, Robert Powell, their needs were clear: provide Logan students and staff with a well-organized space where they can spend their time improving their health rather than searching for equipment and supplies.”
Julie began by touring the space with Dr. Elizabeth Goodman prior to construction and reviewing the rehab project’s blueprints. “By working with Logan early in the process, I helped them achieve long-term cost savings by maximizing space and providing ample storage areas to meet current and projected future needs,” she said.
During the construction process, Julie assumed an advisory role. When the space was renovated, she spent nine hours implementing and installing her organizational plans. Her behind-the-scenes work is now front and center when passing by the director’s desk or entering the facility’s closet and storage spaces.
For Julie, the greatest benefit of an organized space will come from what the members find. “When they have dedicated time to take care of themselves—so they can care for others—I don’t want time wasted searching for a Thera-Band or another piece of equipment,” she explained. “My job is to help them reach their health and fitness goals by maximizing their space and experience.”