Hi, my name is Jen, and I’m a professional home organiser working with busy women and families across Ayrshire, South Glasgow, and beyond.

I’d love to share a little bit of my story with you…

 

The early years

I’ve been organising for as long as I can remember. Even as a child, I recall spending many happy hours rearranging my bedroom. I’d move the furniture, declutter the surfaces and meticulously organise and reorganise the cupboards and drawers. It gave me a lot of satisfaction.

What I didn’t understand at the time however was why it was so difficult to maintain. Why didn’t my efforts last? How come I could spend hours tidying and organising my room one week and a few weeks later be back to square one?

This cycle continued into early adulthood as I started living on my own and subsequently began sharing a home with my husband. Being naturally tidy and organised, I loved looking after our home and was able to keep the living spaces looking nice.

 

Behind closed doors…

Behind cupboard doors and in spaces where no one else would look, however, it was a different story altogether! The spare room, pantry cupboard, hall cupboard and garage became a dumping ground for all sorts of random things. Stuff piled up with no proper place to live and no purpose. It was just an eyesore.

I soon came to realise that it was the constant accumulation of stuff that was contributing to the clutter and chaos in these out-of-sight spaces. Buying things we didn’t need, holding onto things we no longer used and procrastinating about making decisions meant the problem wasn’t going away.

But instead of reducing what I was buying and taking the time to declutter and make those decisions, I had a better idea.

We just needed places to put these things. We needed more storage. Yay! Let’s store all our clutter!

I bought a LOT of storage and it was so much fun. Boxes, baskets and containers of all shapes and sizes, always believing that I was solving a problem and improving our space. Of course, the problem didn’t go away. In fact, over time the storage BECAME the problem! Storage solutions can be clutter too!

 

The solution

I was frustrated and fed up with this same cycle repeating itself over and over again. Cleaning was overwhelming and time-consuming because there was so much stuff to deal with. I didn’t want to spend all day cleaning. I wanted an easy life. I wanted to be able to relax and enjoy my home.

So I began researching how to break the cycle and live clutter free forever…

…and the rest is history!

What I can tell you is that, simply put, it’s not more storage you need, it’s less stuff!

By shopping consciously, reducing what you allow into your home and editing frequently to remove the things that don’t add value to your life, you will create space you didn’t even know existed. Space for the things you truly love. A calmer, clearer, happier space to live in that’s easy to look after.

 

A career in education

As a teenager, I was interested in becoming a primary school teacher so I left school at 18, went straight to university and graduated with a BEd degree in 1995. For the last two-thirds of my career, I have worked on a part-time basis, two days per week, allowing me to run my business successfully alongside my teaching job.

The qualities and skills I possess as a teacher, transfer seamlessly into my role as a professional organiser.

There’s more to decluttering and organising than some pretty boxes and a good clearout. It’s essential that my clients are willing to change habits and learn new ways to do things if they are to keep their things organised for the long term. I work closely with them to provide coaching in new organisation systems and routines that will enhance their life at home. I offer advice on new and existing storage solutions, styling ideas and best practices to improve their living space and make it function well for them.

 

Becoming a professional home organiser

There’s an age-old saying “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” For me, that teacher was Marie Kondo.

Until this point in my life I had always been ‘organised’ and I knew a lot about decluttering. However, in 2017 I was inspired to take the organisation of my own home to the next level after reading Kondo’s book, ‘The Life-changing Magic of Tidying’. It taught me so much about consumerism, the relationship and emotional connection we have with our things and how our upbringing and cultural beliefs can make it difficult for us to part with them.

It was a cathartic experience. The feelings of contentment and satisfaction I got from streamlining my possessions and reorganising my space was indeed life-changing! The idea of it being a once-in-a-lifetime tidy was very appealing. No reverting back to old habits ever again! I loved the whole experience and didn’t want to stop. I felt motivated to do something with the knowledge and skills I had gained from it and became passionate about helping others achieve what I had successfully achieved. What’s more, I knew I was good at it and had the tools to do it.

I worked hard quietly behind the scenes for a few years. I learned, practised and helped family and friends declutter and organise their homes. It gave me such a buzz to be able to help others whilst doing something I love. I had found my purpose and knew that I was meant to become a professional home organiser. My business, Organise With Jen was officially launched in July 2020. I’m proud to say that I’m a verified member of APDO, the Association of Professional Declutterers & Organisers.

You can view some of the projects I’ve worked on since then HERE.