It turns out coaches aren’t just for athletes anymore. For those who have an inability to rid their lives of physical and emotional clutter, or those who have a difficult time saying no to yet one more request on their personal time, Columbus resident and life coach Amy Thaci says she has the answer.

Thaci has worked in the career development field for more than 15 years, holding both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in related areas. In 2003, she felt that her skills “needed a boost,” so she attended a coaching seminar, which led her to study online through the website Coachville.com, with a focus on life development and career coaching. “While the career is such a large part of one’s life, the life coaching is also very realistic because so many life situations can impact the career choice,” she says.

Life coaching focuses on the dynamics of life and personal development. As a life, or personal coach, Thaci helps clients set goals and create a structure to meet their needs, and maintain balance and harmony. She stresses, however, that a personal coach is not about psychotherapy or counseling — it’s about changing habits. “We don’t delve into the past,” she says. “Personal coaching focuses on the present and what you can do in your environment to make life run smoother.”

Thaci works face-to-face with a client, or can conduct phone sessions. Initial meetings generally take on a get-to-know-each-other format, with Thaci asking questions — often deep and personal — to learn what the client is about, what he or she does and doesn’t like in the daily routine and most wants to change. Client and coach then develop a priority list of tasks to achieve the predetermined goals, and a schedule for when the client should complete each one. Thaci keeps the client accountable for completing the tasks, and through weekly or biweekly sessions, reviews the client’s progress and helps keep him or her on track.

A divorced empty nester and late career bloomer, Kate Skerl worked with Thaci to make some needed changes in her life. Learning how to prioritize was most important, she says, and also learning how to manage her time better. “I am a cancer survivor and was beginning to see that what I thought was important and just had to have done perfectly five years ago really isn’t such a big deal now,” Skerl says. “But I needed some help giving myself permission to change and let go.”

Skerl also wanted to learn how to change some bad habits — cluttered cabinets, mail piling up on the table, tossing clothes at night rather than hanging them up and not preparing for the next work day. “I knew if I could get a better handle on the routine at home, I’d be more organized at work, and less stressed because I couldn’t find something,” she says.

Working with Thaci, Skerl learned how to set goals that helped keep life at home better organized, but without an expectation of perfection. She then was able to carry those new skills into her personal and professional life. “If we can keep one part of our life constant — and my home environment is something I can have control over — it opens the door to be more flexible and allow legitimate expectations to be met within our personal life, our job, our friendships,” Skerl says. “Something as simple as organizing my cupboards and closets gave me a renewed direction in other areas of my life.”

Clutter in one’s life is not always physical, Thaci stresses. Often, certain relationships can create clutter. “What are the things you don’t need in your life anymore?” Thaci asks. “It could be a friendship that has grown stale or you have outgrown, or a relationship with a significant other that isn’t working anymore. Determine why you are spending time and energy on something that you just don’t enjoy anymore, and create the ability to prioritize things in your life that make sense for you.”

If you have used Amy Thaci’s services, please get in touch with us to submit a report.