My Organization Story

As a kid, I maintained a neatly arranged room- bed made, things put away, favorite items on display. This is a habit I continued into adulthood. I was always ready for company, and my living spaces were frequently praised for their appearance. But behind the scenes it was a different story.

For many years I struggled to maintain out-of-sight places such as closets, drawers, and eventually a basement, shed, and garage. These were disaster areas and completely frustrating. There were also places that became unruly as our family grew and spaces didn’t evolve to meet our needs. We were busy with kids and careers so, despite our discontent, we put off dealing with the mess.

When my kids were no longer babies and I had a little extra bandwidth, I started tackling the basement section by section. I donated or sold unwanted items, organized what remained, and added shelving and storage solutions. Eventually, it was done, and we began using the basement as extra living space. Amazing!

Very gradually, I tackled almost every area. This included the shed and the garage, which I had previously written off as hopeless. Each new project gave me the confidence to keep going. Despite the work happening in fits and starts as time and energy allowed, there was always forward progress. Eventually we were in control of our things instead of our things controlling us.

None of the spaces I’ve mentioned are particularly impressive from an aesthetic perspective, though I do enjoy attractive organizing solutions in more prominent rooms. What’s important is that they’re tidy and function well. They support my family’s life so we can do things without having to step over and around piles of miscellany and waste time searching for things. Simply put, we are much happier in our home.

Through this process, I learned that decluttering and creating functional systems is possible for me and for anyone. I’m committed as a professional organizer to helping others realize this possibility for themselves and supporting them on their journeys.

My personal story isn’t over. I still have one major category to go: sentimental items. I’m a sappy person who can imbue just about anything with meaning, so this is a tough one for me. It may be hard for you, too. I’ll get to it eventually, and I’ve given myself permission to hire an organizer to support me when I do.

Please contact me if this resonates with you, and if you’d like help starting down your own path to home organization and peace.

“I learned that decluttering and creating functional systems is possible for me and for anyone.”