Month: December 2022

Meet Nick Williams, Truck Lead and Customer Success Representative

Posted on | by Linda Barrett

We are pleased to introduce you to Nick Williams, another fantastic team member here at 123JUNK.  Learn a little about Nick and follow his journey.

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”  –Henry Ford

What is your role at 123JUNK?

During the work week I am mainly a truck lead, and on weekends I am a Customer Success Representative. I’m three days on the truck and two days in the office. As a truck lead, I am the spokesperson for the company when we meet with a client. I interact with the clients, keep things moving, and make sure the job gets done properly. On the weekends, I answer phones, make calls, and make sure every client has as great an experience as they can—even if they aren’t calling for a job.

What has your journey at 123JUNK been?

When I first started at 123JUNK I was a navigator. I sat in the passenger seat and followed instructions for the first couple of months. But I wanted to become a lead, and the company helped me progress. I became a lead pretty quickly after joining, then was given the opportunity to become a Customer Success Representative.

When did you start working there?

I started in July 2021, so it’s been over a year now.

What did you do before working at 123JUNK?

I worked at a moving company for a couple of years. I was a mover for a while, and then became a lead over there as well to make sure jobs went well. Working for a moving company prepared me for this job. Compared to working for the mover, which was more physically demanding, this seems like a cakewalk! My whole career so far has been in customer service in one way or another.

How did you hear about 123JUNK?

My mother is a Realtor locally. She had a couple of good experiences with the company, and told me about them.

Tell us about your background.

I was born in Fairfax, Virginia and lived here my whole life. I went to Chantilly High School, then Northern Virginia Community College in Sterling for 1 ½ years as a business administrator major. Then I started working and put school on hold. I will go back and finish eventually.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

I enjoy working out, lifting weights, playing video games, and hanging out with friends. I also appreciate the outdoors and love to go hiking.

What is a fun fact about you?

I love motorcycles and trucks. I own a pickup truck and a Harley.

What is an important lesson you’ve learned while working at 123JUNK?

Every day will be different and as long as you keep pushing through, you’ll figure out a way to get through it. Keep a good attitude and every day you’ll find something to look forward to.

What advice would you give to someone just starting at 123JUNK?

Learn from your co-workers, from everyone who’s been here a while. They’ll show you the ropes. Keep pushing forward and you’ll figure it out, and then it all becomes second nature pretty quickly.

Any advice for someone looking to join 123JUNK?

You’re going to get dirty, but as long as you’re OK with that, you’ll be fine.

Working With 123JUNK is a Great Experience!

It’s the great people like Nick Williams who make both working at and working with 123JUNK such a great experience. We hope you get a chance to work with Nick too.

If you’d like to work at 123JUNK, visit our Job Openings.

To schedule a junk hauling appointment, contact our team at 1-800-364-5778 and speak with a live representative. We serve families and business owners throughout Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

 

 

 

 

 

clutter-stress-on-kids

Why the Stress of Clutter is Bad for Kids

Posted on | by Linda Barrett

“Mom—where is my homework? I can’t find it.” “Don’t come down until you clean up your room.” Sound familiar? These are just two of the commonly-heard results of too much clutter in a home. As Americans, we have an abundance of stuff, and sadly, the stress of clutter can be bad for kids.

A team of researchers at UCLA’s Center on Everyday Lives of Families (CELF) explored Los Angeles families and the following is what they discovered. “Walk into any dual-income, middle-class home in the U.S. and you will come face to face with an awesome array of stuff—toys, trinkets, family photos, furniture, games, DVDs, TVs, digital devices of all kinds, souvenirs, flags, food and more. We put our stuff anywhere in the house, everywhere there’s room, or even if there’s no room. We park the car on the street so we can store our stuff in the garage, and pile the dirty laundry in the shower because there’s nowhere else to store it, and no time to wash it.” Their conclusion: we are a “clutter culture.”

The problem is that clutter creates stress. “It’s difficult to find time to sort, organize and manage these possessions. Thus, our excess becomes a visible sign of unaccomplished work that constantly challenges our deeply ingrained notions of tidy homes and elicits substantial stress,” said Anthony Graesch, PhD., co-author of Life at Home, a book based on this study.

How Does the Stress of Clutter Affect Kids?

Graesch surmises that “Dual-income parents get to spend so very little time with their children on the average weekday, usually four or fewer waking hours. This becomes a source of guilt for many parents, and buying their children toys, clothes and other possessions is a way to achieve temporary happiness during this limited time span.”

This clutter has an adverse effect on kids. According to Sherrie Bourg Carter, Psy.D., they experience:

  • Excessive stimuli, causing the senses to work overtime on things that aren’t important
  • Distraction from what the focus should be on
  • Difficulty in both physical and mental relaxation
  • Inhibition of creativity and productivity with the lack of open spaces that enable thinking, brainstorming and problem solving
  • Frustration due to lost items
  • Anxiety from never getting everything done

Another study reports that kids in disorganized homes have more trouble regulating their emotions, and that they can feel overwhelmed by a mountain of playthings and the constant nagging to put them away.

How to Reduce the Stress of Clutter

Dr. Carter offers 8 tips to reducing the stress of clutter:

  1. Don’t tackle the job alone. Get the whole family involved. Start with one room and make each person responsible for a section.
  2. Create designated spaces for frequently-used items. Make them closed spaces like drawers and cabinets.
  3. If you don’t use, want or need it, get rid of it. Toss it, recycle it or donate it. If you use it rarely, store it.
  4. When you take something out of its designated space, put it back immediately after use.
  5. Create a pending folder to clear your workspace.
  6. Don’t let papers pile up. Go through them and toss what you don’t need.
  7. De-clutter before you leave a space.
  8. Make it fun.

Let 123JUNK Help Reduce the Amount of Clutter and Stress on Kids

123JUNK has some advice too—let us haul away your unused, unwanted and unneeded items. As Dr. Carter advises, start in one room and make piles. You don’t even need to sort them for donation, recycling or trash. We’ll do that when we pick them up; it’s part of our service and our 1-2-3 Process of Donate-Recycle-Dispose designed to help the environment. Just make the piles and point our team members to them when they arrive. It’s as simple as that.

With less stuff, you have more room to breathe, relax and enjoy life without the stress of having to clean, organize, manage and worry about the clutter. Your kids will thank you too.

We serve families throughout Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC. To speak to a live representative and schedule your 123JUNK clutter removal, contact us at 1-800-364-5778.