The Smart, Self-Compassionate Choice When Life Gets Busy —or Overwhelming

Let’s be honest—most people don’t dream of spending their Saturday wrestling with clutter. Decluttering sounds simple enough in theory . . . until you start. You open a drawer, find a tangle of half-dead cables, a birthday card from 2015, and a wave of decision paralysis.

You close the drawer. Maybe next weekend.

But clutter doesn’t just take up space in your home—it takes up space in your head. And when life is busy (or downright hard), the idea of decluttering can feel not just unappealing, but impossible.

That’s where a professional organizer comes in.

First, Let’s Debunk a Myth:

Hiring help doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you’re smart.

You hire a personal trainer to reach your fitness goals faster. A tutor to help your child with math. A dog trainer when your puppy thinks every shoe is dinner.

So why not a professional organizer to help you feel better in your home?

✔️ Feeling one of these? Don’t wait to feel buried by it all — let’s make a plan together.

So What Does a Professional Organizer Actually Do?

Here’s what it really looks like to work with a professional organizer — or ‘opruimcoach,’ my favourite Dutch word, because ‘opruimen’ specifically means tidying and is never confused with cleaning:

🎯 Listening — Really Listening
A good professional organizer listens first. You have goals: maybe it’s “I want to love walking into my home,” or “I want to stop re-buying things I already own,” or “I need to clear out my parent’s home and don’t know where to start.”
An effective professional organizer meets you where you are — with compassion, not judgment.

🧠 Helping You Make Clear Decisions
You don’t need a new system for the sake of it — you need to decide what matters most to you (aka Sparks Joy). A professional organizer helps you clarify what stays and supports you in letting go of the things that no longer serve you. Then, together, you create a storage system that works for your lifestyle and your space.

👀 Seeing What You Can’t
An opruimcoach isn’t emotionally attached to your stuff. That neutrality makes it easier to spot where clutter is quietly sabotaging your calm — and reveal creative storage solutions you might not see yourself.

⏱ Keeping You Focused (and Even Laughing)
Left to your own devices, it’s easy to stall out. A good professional organizer keeps the process moving, celebrates your wins, and makes the work feel lighter. You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish together in just a few focused hours.

The DIY Decluttering Trap

But Isn’t This Something I Should Just Do Myself?

You could. You could also cut your own hair during a breakup. Doesn’t mean you should.

When it comes to getting organized, people sometimes confuse simple with easy. Decluttering and organizing may seem simple and straightforward, as no secret codes or elaborate calculations are needed, but they are NOT easy.

Decluttering alone is tough because:

• You’re emotionally attached to your stuff

• You don’t know where to begin, or what to do next

• It’s super easy to get distracted in your own home or work space

• You’ve tried a few times already; it didn’t get done.

Working with a professional organizer trained in the KonMari Method™ means you don’t just tidy up — you learn a practical, principled approach for deciding what truly belongs in your life right now. You’ll clarify what sparks joy for you, let go of what doesn’t — and set up storage that fits how you actually live.

Instead of random purging, you get a method that’s proven, supportive, and tailored to your home and goals. No burnout. No regret piles. Just lasting change — guided with compassion.

Decluttering Is Emotional Work

Especially after loss. Divorce, bereavement, illness—these moments reshape our lives. Our homes often bear the weight of those transitions: wardrobes filled with reminders, piles or boxes we can’t face.

Working with a professional organizer gives you structured support. Someone to help you move gently, steadily, respectfully through the process—without pushing you faster than you’re ready to go.

But Does a Professional Organizer Really Make a Difference?

”Absolutely — hiring a professional organizer makes a tremendous difference. Sure, you could keep trying to tackle it solo. But it’s powerful to have someone beside you: guiding you, keeping you on track, and showing you that what felt impossible is absolutely doable.

I once had a client, halfway through our second session, look around at everything we’d cleared and mumble under her breath, “I would never have done this myself.” That moment — that shift from hopeless to hopeful — is what working with a professional organizer is about.

Even before we finish, clients tell me they are feeling better, thinking more clearly, and feeling lighter. Why? Because once we start, they know it’s really happening. There’s a plan and there’s progress. Their home, or work place, finally starts to match who they are now — not who they used to be, or who they feel they “should” be.  And as Happiness Researcher Gretchen Rubin says, “For most people, outer order brings inner calm,” and that can be begin with the first ‘opruimen’ session.

It’s not about perfect folding. It’s about finally feeling supported and certain that your home will get sorted — and you don’t have to carry it alone.

The Ripple Effect: Beyond the Closet

Once you learn how to declutter with clarity and confidence, that mindset spills into the rest of your life.

• You become more intentional about what you buy
• You say goodbye more easily to what no longer fits—physically or emotionally
• You become proud of how your home, or work space, looks and enjoy it more
• You make space (literally and figuratively) for what’s next

You Deserve a Home or Work Space That Supports You

Not drains you. Not overwhelms you. A organized place where you feel confident, inspired and uniquely yourself.

That transformation starts with a single conversation.

👉 Book your free 45-minute consult
No commitment or cost. Just space to talk about what you need and how I might help.

Need help decluttering? Contact Sheila today to get started in creating a joyful, clutter-free space.  Message via What’sApp or book a free consultation today!