Organized Jane is a one-stop shop for all things organizing. She has videos with tips, provides service to both businesses and individuals, and sells extremely useful products. I had a chance to interview her to learn more.
Why did you decide to write this book? (Decluttering for Dummies, available later this year)I wrote my first book wrote her first book Organizing for Your Lifestyle in 2016 to help friends get more organized. It ultimately gained international attention, and this allowed me to turn her passion into a profitable business, Organized Jane. I travel all around the world working with clients ranging from individuals looking to revamp one space, to large corporations needing a complete business overhaul.
And I’m also passionate about decluttering (yes, you read that right). People often laugh when they realize how much I love talking about the wonders of folding sheets, labeling items, and repurposing clothing, but I’m a firm believer that if we adopt a few everyday decluttering habits into our lives, we can reduce our stress and improve our lives.
I’m so humbled to have been signed with the worldwide successful Dummies series to write the Decluttering For Dummies book where I’ll be sharing my step-by-step process to help you declutter everything - from your home, office space, business processes, digital files and lifestyle in a fun, non-intimidating way. Organizing is not meant to be something you dread, and my goal is to show you how incorporating decluttering strategies into your life can be simple.
Publishing date is November 21st 2019 - I can’t wait to share this book with you!
Besides just having a cleaner space, what benefits are there to decluttering?
Actually, my goal is not to turn someone’s home into a completely clutter-free magazine-perfect image—it is not sustainable. I work around a client’s specific lifestyle, or an aspect of their life they want to focus on and develop a custom organization system from there. A benefit of a systematic home that integrates your lifestyle goals is that it will be easier to sustain and adapt when the time is needed. Everyone benefits from being more efficient at home and at work; we just need to make sure we don’t skip past analyzing our current state and looking at our closets! We can actually learn a lot about our organizing style and lifestyle choices through our closets.
What about when it comes to our personal lives, how do we declutter there?
I try to explain how to declutter using a systematic method, and adding a holistic structure that addresses your entire lifestyles. From home to business, rather than focusing exclusively on organizing possessions or “things.” I also tailor the system to different lifestyles. The structure-orientated MBA may employ a task-based system, whereas the creative entrepreneur might prefer big picture outcomes for their daily planning. I also constantly bring in research to prove that decluttering does reduce stress both with your surroundings and brain. I’m sure you’re heard this before, and I know you’re thinking it’s easier said than done, but de-cluttering your space can help de-clutter your brain, making you less stressed, and more productive. To begin de- cluttering, you need to make some hard decisions about what items are practical necessities, what items are emotional necessities, and what items are just plain trash. Everyone’s definition of what is clutter and trash is different
There are no set rules about what items fall into what category. Going back to my organizing mantra: the most important thing is that the items you keep fit your lifestyle, and if they don’t, they’re better off somewhere else. Start small and give yourself a goal for each room or part of your life. Some de-cluttering gurus suggest tackling categories instead of rooms—for example, starting with all of your clothing, or all of your books. Regardless of where you start, if you’re surrounded by clutter, whether it’s in a work area or a leisure area, then stress will always be lingering.
What sets your book apart from other home organization books?
My truly holistic approach and my first step is a laser focused closet as I strongly believe any organizational plan must begin with the closet, as it’s the first thing most people see after they wake up. The closet sets the mood for entire day. It’s also an ideal place to practice and hone organizing skills that can transfer over to the rest of your organizing goals. I know that if you start your day choosing clothes from a laser-focused closet, you’re well on your way to a structured, system-driven office space. No one’s home or office needs to be perfect. But these spaces should reflect your priorities—the life you want, and the things you want to accomplish.
What do you think is the most surprising decluttering tip you've heard?
Tough question. But I think the most surprising has to do with sentimental items. I once heard you should get rid of them all which is not the case, of course you need to set boundaries of how much stuff to keep but you can of course keep things that bring you and memories if they are properly organized of course.
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