During regular sessions with my clients, I often get asked about how I got started in Professional Decluttering and Organising, so I thought I’d take the time to share my story with you

As with most changes in my career it wasn’t an overnight thing or impulse, but a series of events that made space for me to transition from the corporate world to find what inspires me and puts a smile on my face every day.

The seed was planted in 2017, it started with a weekend away in an Airbnb. 

It wasn’t just the change of scene or the seaside air that weekend, I noticed how much calmer I felt with less stuff around, less to think about, less in the kitchen cupboards and less in the wardrobes.

It was a feeling that stayed with me, but I couldn’t quite figure out what to do with it!

What happened next on my journey to professional decluttering

Then in 2019 Marie Kondo’s Joy of Tidying Up TV show was airing on Netflix. I watched a couple of episodes and was hooked!

I loved the way that she greeted her clients’ homes. That really spoke to me as I too say hello to my home every time I walk through the door.

I liked how Marie Kondo took time to work through categories and explain carefully what needed to be done. 

I set to work on my clothes. Categorising, figuring out what sparked joy (and what still fitted me) and taking loads to the charity shop. Now I didn’t have wardrobes stuffed with clothes, but I did have stuff I didn’t wear.

I then worked through the office the kitchen and any other space that had stuff. My husband could not figure out what had gotten into me.

I was always misplacing my keys, phone or glasses or even on occasion shoes, but gradually all that changed.

I discovered that less stuff = clearer thinking and a sense of freedom I had not found before, maybe I had fallen into the trap of stuff owning me, rather than the other way around!

If my Mum could see me now, she would be shell-shocked. I was that messy teenager with a floordrobe, and no amount of cajoling or threats, veiled or otherwise really made a difference. I’ve pretty much always had ideas about how my life should run.

Later in 2017, we had the opportunity to move house. To downsize. As a family we worked out together what needed to go, what needed to stay, and how we were going to fit the contents of a four-bedroom house into a two-bedroom apartment.

A second round of decluttering commenced with more charity shop visits, selling and recycling. It was a liberating experience, saying thank you and goodbye to some of our stuff, Marie Kondo style.

Knowing that our donations to charity shops would find new homes, and actively choosing to live with less.

Another house move and a relocation

In May 2019 it was time for a further house move! This time relocating back to the UK after 22 years in Australia. International moves take a lot of planning.

What were we going to be able to take with us? What should we leave behind? Working through categories again we whittled down our possessions even further and shipped the treasured few things to the UK, my beloved rocking horse included! Well, things didn’t quite go to plan and our container took longer to arrive than expected.

What was interesting in the first few weeks in our new home, with only a handful of things to keep us going, was how much I enjoyed the space 

Of course, I had planned and already had a basic kitchen kit – coffee cups, cutlery, plates, and chopping board. We left all our electric items in Australia (different plugs, but similar voltage). We had planned to buy a kettle and a couple of other bits and pieces. The TV was on the floor, student style, and we had a sofa bed. Our new neighbours kindly loaned us a spare table and garden chairs.

Unpacking all our things when they eventually turned up, after four months, was fun too. And like most international moves sometimes I would open a box and wonder why I’d packed it. For instance, our beach chairs – now there’s a real example of wishful thinking!

My biggest joy was seeing my much loved Rocking Horse arrive intact, I’ve had him since I was two years old, his name is Dapple, and he must be around 100 years old now! I loved unpacking everything, finding new homes for our all things and looking for new storage ideas.

Discovering Professional Decluttering and Organising was a thing

When we moved to the UK I discovered that there was a Professional Decluttering and Organising industry, purely by chance, I saw an article in a local newspaper.

I’ll confess, I dithered until my husband threatened to bin it unless I did something. I plucked up the courage and rang Marie Bateson from Cut the Clutter and arranged to meet her for a coffee.

I still recall that meeting with great fondness. Marie generously shared her time and knowledge with me, and pointed me in the direction of APDO, the Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers.

It was clear that professional decluttering was my path, my tribe – collaboration not competition. I signed up and booked the training course to find out more and see whether this was really the direction I wanted to go in.

So back in January 2020 I excitedly got the train to London to attend the course. Wow! What a fantastic day, packed full of learning and fabulous people 

With a big smile on my face and happiness in my heart, I headed back up to Lancashire ready to make a go of it. 

That is the day my decluttering business really took shape and to this day I count that training course as my business birthday.

What I love about professional decluttering and organising

What I absolutely love about the professional organisation industry is the diversity of organising niches! Email and Business Productivity, Moving Home, Working with clients with ADHD or Hoarding Behaviours, Downsizing, or Photo Organising. There is something new to learn every day, and the APDO Annual conference has so many interesting speakers.

I spent a year as an APDO volunteer working on their member’s Donations and Recycling Directory this was especially useful to me, as someone who had recently returned to the UK it was super helpful learning about all the options available to recycle or rehome.

Even I’m not perfect and I certainly don’t judge

Clients often say to me ‘oh your home must be perfect’, or ‘I’m so embarrassed by my clutter’ Well although my home is organised (now!) it’s not always perfect. I’m not immune to stuff accumulating in cupboards!

My clients’ clutter genuinely does not bother me – I’m not there to judge in any way shape or form, my job is to be calm (it’s my superpower) and thoughtful. A non-judgmental and supportive person to help carve out time, be an extra pair of hands and come up with ideas of where to rehome, how to recycle or how to store items in the most efficient and space-saving way.

Working with my clients to help them overcome the overwhelm, finding a starting place and watching their progress and the smiles on their faces at the end of each session warms my heart. Being able to find solutions to rehoming things has become a bit of a passion.

If you want to know more I’d love to chat - feel free to book a call here.