June, 2015:  The extended family has gathered at the Outer Banks for a great family vacation.  The usual ingredients: sun, sand, and a great beach read are all involved, including that "controversial" tome, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.  Discussion ensues.  Opinions become heated, shouts are heard, children scatter.

Don't worry, it ends okay, and it is super funny now, but that vacation will always be, in my mind, the one with the fight about Organizing.

Looking back, kind of an Aha moment for me - I feel passionately about... organizing!  I also feel passionately that there is no one size fits all answer to the process.  This is how I ended up both the one who started it (I questioned the requirement that you find EVERY. BOOK. IN. YOUR. HOUSE.  In a pile.  All at once.) AND the first one to turn tail and run when the whole discussion went south (I mean, if you can get through it in one go and that works for you, you do you, Marie Kondo!!).

So, what works for you?  As an organizer it is my job to figure out what clients want, need, and what works for them!
*One space at a time or one type of item at a time?
*Is considering the "feelings" of your belongings helpful? Or how an item or space makes you feel? (Those items that trigger feelings of GUILT are the most toxic, and letting them go is a HUGE WIN!!)  Maybe you are somewhere in the middle and use phrases like "That dishtowel looks tired."  Work with that!!
*Does it bring you joy?  This is my favorite question, because it drills past all the excuses and is often a pretty simple yes or no, but there are so many other questions out there and if nostalgia or fear of the possibility of future need are recurring hold ups, digging deeper into those concerns and getting to the root of those emotions is more important than flying past them to decide on each item!
*Folding vs. Hanging, Rainbow order, upward slope, etc.  I DO believe a tidy drawer can make you SMILE and an organized closet helps you make decisions, saving time and stress!  And maybe her shirts are "happier" folded... but maybe yours are "cooler" and like to "hang" out!  HA!  And if sorting color or length of clothes is the difference between laundry finding its home or staying in the basket, guess where I recommend sticking the rainbow?  Find what works for you!!
*Only tidy once or you'll be tidying forever?  (This does not mean you never "clean" again!!)  I think decluttering (tidying) breeds decluttering, so I think there is definitely momentum to keep up the system.  But I think most of us let go in stages (especially with emotional clutter) and are inspired with each purge to tidy more and to change our lifestyle to prevent our spaces from sliding back that direction!  I believe in baby steps, and if that is what you can do today, and tomorrow you find out you hadn't actually finished tidying... tidy some more!!  

And if you ever find an organizing guru causing strife on your family vacation, I recommend you all become professional organizers!!

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up is an easy read and is sure to provide "tidying" inspiration!  Available on Amazon
or as an Audiobook on Scribd.com.  I love the all you can read monthly membership on Scribd!  Click here for 2 months free!

​Katie McAllister, Professional Organizer is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

I saw this description of a professional organizer, laughed, and thought, "this IS me!"  

I totally embrace that nerdy side of me that loves to implement the rules and systems that make REAL life work!!  Not the airbrushed, staged, romantic photos with no televisions, bookcases full of décor but no books, and multiple vases of fresh cut flowers.  (There's nothing wrong with any of these, of COURSE, but it is not the way most of us realistically live day to day).

I'm also a firm believer that when we simplify and streamline, we allow space in our lives to bring out those beautiful items we treasure (you know, without the beautiful vases sitting with DEAD flowers for the month following their glorious introduction!).  

I am big picture and thorough, enjoy stability, order, and routine, and love to improve systems. 

BUT, I totally understand that perfectionist side so many of us have that makes it hard to GET STARTED (for me it is the geeky side saying "do ALL the research", "make the 20 year plan before you take the first step", "if I can't complete the entire project today it is not worth starting")!  No!!  Overcoming that debilitating mindset is often still a daily choice for me - setting a clock for 15 minutes, breaking down a project into doable chunks, being okay with BABY STEPS!!  There is so much productivity in the "Just Do It" mantra, and sometimes even more in "Just 10 minutes"!!

Find those personality traits and identify their strengths and weaknesses - and work through hurdles that slow you down or leave you frozen!  You've got this!

Love, The Nerdy (Big) Sister