July 31, 2024 • 22 mins
Ever wondered how understanding the psychological aspects of organizing can transform your life? Join us as we sit down with Robin Reynolds, a certified professional organizer and president of the Board of Certified Professional Organizers (BCPO), who shares her remarkable journey from a natural inclination for order to founding her own company in 2008. Robin's passion for projects like closet design and home clean-outs is just the beginning. She delves into the fascinating ways our brains are wired differently and why tailored solutions can be the key to conquering chaos. Learn how mental clutter and emotional attachments to items can be significant obstacles and how to navigate them for a more organized and peaceful life.
This episode is especially enlightening for moms feeling the pressure to be perfect. Robin offers invaluable advice on setting boundaries, saying no to unnecessary items, and making meaningful investments in your child's future. We discuss the importance of being intentional with your time and habits, and how celebrating small victories can keep you motivated in your organizing journey. From effective habit-changing strategies to teaching children the value of experiences over material possessions, Robin's insights will help you manage clutter and promote mental wellness, one small step at a time. Don't miss out on these practical tips to enhance your home and life.
Find Robin Here: https://www.facebook.com/robynstacee/
10 Ways to Manage the Clutter in our Minds - http://organize2harmonize.com/10-ways-to-manage-the-clutter-in-our-heads-guide
Mama Mental Wellness Guide: https://www.sydneycrowe.com/mamamentalwellness589191
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, hey, mamas, welcome back to Conquering Chaos
A Mom's Guide to Self-CareInsanity.
I'm your host, sydney Crow, andtoday we have Robin Reynolds.
Robin founded her company in2008,.
Although she's been organizingsince she was a child, she is a
certified professional organizerand a longtime member of NAPO,
the National Association ofProductivity and Organizing
(00:23):
Professionals.
She's played an integral rolein the NAPO Los Angeles chapter
as a volunteer and board memberand as co-chair of the 2012
Organizing Awards, and wasrecently appointed the president
of BCPO, which is the Board ofCertified Professional
Organizers, for the term of the2022 and to 2024.
(00:45):
In addition to being quoted inthe Washington Post, the
Huffington Post, real SimpleMagazine, todaycom, yahoocom,
women's Day Magazine andnumerous other publications,
robin has also worked in atelevision show, hoarders, and
is a published author of of a tozen 26 tips to inspire
(01:08):
organization.
Her clients include everyonefrom the stay-at-home moms to
busy executives, to a-listcelebrities.
Her business has been builtsolely on referrals.
She has been involved withnumerous, numerous different
local charities that are allclose to her heart, including
Dress for Success, souls forSouls, one Warm Coat and Kids
(01:30):
Save.
When Robin is not organizingand harmonizing her clients, she
is spending time with herteenage daughter, whom she
treasures and leads a healthylifestyle.
Welcome, robin.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Thank you, that was a mouthful, it was a bit of a
mouthful.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
I apologize for getting a little tongue tied
there.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Oh, that's okay.
It's like there's so much stuff.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Maybe I need to shorten that you have quite the
resume.
I am very impressed.
So tell me a little bit aboutyour business.
What got you started in theorganizing business?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Well, it was something like I said that I've
always done and I never knew itwas actually a profession.
And then one day I was readinga magazine and I came across a
mention about NAPO and I startedlooking at it.
I was like, oh my God, this issomething I could do for a
living, like I was so thrilledthat something that I just
enjoyed doing was something thatI could make a career out of.
(02:24):
So I immediately went andjoined the organization, had no
idea how to start a business.
I had been an employee myentire life and, kind of trial
and error, figured out how tostart a business.
And here we are all these, manyyears later.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
That's incredible, I mean, and isn't that the goal
for everybody?
To find something that you lovedoing, so that you never feel
like you work a day in your life?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Yes definitely.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
I mean well, congratulations on that.
That is quite a very, very long, long resume.
What would you say?
Speaker 2 (02:54):
your favorite project was Well, I love doing closet
design.
That's one thing that I lovedoing because I, you know, gives
you my creative outlet also ina different kind of way.
But and I like as as weird asit might sound I like home clean
outs where basically I justhave to pack up everything and,
(03:17):
you know, get it wherever itneeds to go, whether it's
donated or things that are goingto be sold or whatever.
But I just like that, maybebecause I can just move a lot
faster with that, because I'mnot necessarily working
one-on-one with clients, but,you know, then they the the
enjoyment also comes from doingsomething with a client that
they never thought of.
(03:38):
That, I think, is the simplestchange and I've completely
rocked their world.
You know, it's like I inventedsliced bread or something, but
it, you know, they just don'tthink about it because everybody
thinks differently, everybody'sbrain is wired differently.
Yeah, it makes a hugedifference for someone else.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
It really can.
I mean, I've had my own mentalblocks around organization,
whether I mean you and I werehaving conversations about the
digital world and organizationprior to getting on this call or
my home and then you justsomebody will say something or
you'll see something and you'relike, why didn't I think of that
?
That's like the simplest thing,right?
Well, it's transformation andyou're like this just made the
(04:20):
world of difference and you talka lot about like not only the
clutter in the house but theclutter in the mind, and I can
really relate to that.
So, when it comes to workingwith your clients, especially
being on the show Hoarders, doyou feel like a lot of what you
are working with in somebody'shome is a mental game?
Speaker 2 (04:38):
A lot of it is because there's a lot of mental.
I mean just the work oforganizing.
I always say it's more thanputting a square peg in a round
hole, because there is a hugepsychological component to every
part of it and mostly to thereasons that people want to hold
onto things.
Because we hold onto things waymore than we need to or
(04:58):
necessarily.
You know, the stuff isn'tnecessarily serving a purpose.
It's just that we haveemotional attachments to it.
May be sentimental, or it wasexpensive, or it was this or is
that.
You know that the reasons thatpeople give are endless as to
why they hold on to stuff.
So it really is.
You know so much more and Iforgot your question at this
(05:22):
point.
What did you say?
There was a point I was gettingto and then I forgot.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Just the emotional or like the mental clutter that
you yeah the mental piece of itLike do you feel like that's the
biggest obstacle that you face?
Speaker 2 (05:37):
I don't know if it's the biggest obstacle, but it is
a, you know, because when yousay mental, it could be two
different things.
It could be mental in thesentimental way, or it could be
mental in how your brain iswired, because organization
really is how your brain iswired.
Why people some people are goodat it and some people aren't,
because everybody has theirstrengths.
(05:57):
You know, as I said to youearlier, don't talk to me about
technology, because my brainisn't wired for that.
I don't care how many times youexplain it to me, I'm just not
going to get it.
Yeah, and the same thing withorganization.
But you can also learn.
When you have systems that areset up the right way, you can
learn to follow the systems, tostay organized.
And that's what we do.
(06:18):
Is we set up systems forsomeone in order to help them to
get and stay organized.
It's not just like OK, becausepeople like well, do I have to
be there?
Or how much of my time do youneed?
And I'm kind of like, well, allof your time or most of your
time, because I can't just makedecisions about your stuff.
(06:38):
One, I can't make decisions onwhat you want to keep and what
goes, and even if you may not bethere the entire time, I have
to walk you through what is doneafterwards so that you know
this is the system for this andthis is how you're going to
continue to do this.
Because, as I joke, I don'tlive with you, so I can't keep
this up for you Like.
(06:59):
You have to make the effort todo it yourself.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Yeah, and it really does come down to the system.
I mean, my daughter has ADHD,and a common trait for people
with ADHD is like they justdon't have that organization
component in their brain and itdoesn't matter how many times I
walk her through the system, itstill is a struggle.
It's still the one thing on herreport card that's like oh, she
needs better organization.
We're like, we're working on it.
(07:23):
It might be something thatwe're going to work on for the
rest of her life, you know, andit will be Like the piece of it
right.
And so I completely understandhow certain brains are wired for
it and not.
So, when it comes to thesystems that you're putting into
place for people, do you findthat people are able to keep
them up or do you have a lot ofrepeat clients?
Speaker 2 (07:46):
able to keep them up or do you have a lot of repeat
clients?
It depends.
There are some people that areable to maintain it once it's
completely set up, but thenthere are people that you know
we do see on a regular basisthat what I call maintenance,
that we may set up the whole.
You know, they may not haveanything in place and then we
set up a whole system foreverything and they were able to
maintain it for a little while,but then it might get a little
derailed because life got busyor something happened in their
(08:09):
world, and then we'll have to goback and kind of do a touch up.
But you know when it reallydepends on the client too and
how much effort they're willingto put into it.
You know, because, again, theyhave to maintain it.
So it really doesn't matterwhat's done.
If they're not going tomaintain it, then it kind of
makes it.
You know it's not going to workat all.
(08:30):
Yeah, yeah, like I alwaysequate everything to dieting.
It's like, yeah, you can lose50 pounds, but if you're going
to go back and eat bonbons onthe couch every day, guess what?
Those 50 pounds are coming back.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
Yes, they will.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
You have to change your habits, you know so and so,
do you like?
Speaker 1 (08:49):
would you classify yourself as, like a habit
changer, then?
Speaker 2 (08:53):
I've been called many things, but that's not one of
them.
But I guess that could be.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
I mean, I mean a lot of what you're seeing in the
mental wellness space now andpersonal development is like
habit changing right.
It really comes to beingeffective with your habits, like
intentional with your time and,like you just said, if you're,
if you're not going to do thework and maintain it, then it
just kind of keeps falling offor the pounds keep coming back.
(09:20):
So it's it's really interestingto me what you do.
I mean I've always been drawnto this industry, like you, as a
.
As a young person, I was alwayswatching, like those, those
fixer upper shows.
I've I've watched hoarders afew times, so it's interesting
to me that you've been on thoseshows.
When it comes to motherhood,what would you say the biggest
piece for moms is what thatyou're working with or that you
(09:42):
see in terms of clutter andorganization in the home.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Well, I think it's twofold.
I think you know one.
Everybody feels that they needto be perfect when they're a mom
, and there's no such thing asperfect.
So it's okay to make mistakes.
I mean I do it with my daughter, you know I I feel like every
day I make a mistake.
I mean she's in college at thispoint, so, like, whatever I've
done, oh well, you know it'sit's done, it's done.
(10:11):
Exactly.
But you know, give yourselfgrace, because no one's perfect.
And every day I'm like damn, Imessed that up, and I messed
that up, and I messed that up.
And then I just pray that it'snot gonna cause her too much
angst or that she's not gonna bein therapy too long or whatever
, because it's hard.
(10:31):
Motherhood is hard, likeraising kids is hard.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Yep responsibility for another life.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Yeah, yeah, raising kids is hard.
Yep, responsibility for anotherlife, yeah, yeah so.
But in addition to that, webring, as I briefly mentioned
before, we get so much stuff andwe indulge, or so many people
indulge their kids with so muchstuff.
And I think, personally, Ithink it's a bad precedent to
start because, yeah, it may be atoy now, but eventually it's a
bad precedent to start because,yeah, it may be a toy now, but
eventually it's going to bedesigner clothes, designer
purses, car, you know whatever.
(11:04):
So I think the biggest thing islearning to say no.
Like you'll have to deal withthe tantrum, You'll have to deal
with the this, that or theother thing, but you know, you
have to teach them that one theycan't have everything they want
because we don't.
That's not real life.
Like we all want stuff that wecan't have.
You know, I want a Lamborghini.
(11:27):
Well, guess what it's going tohave with so much.
Because I go into home sometimeswith one child and they
practically have a toy storeyears old yet and it's just.
(12:00):
You know, it amazes me how muchand I know a lot of it I'll
always hear well, it's mymother-in-law or it's the, you
know, for birthdays and this,that and the other thing you
know what.
Then, instead, talk to you knowfamily about giving either an
experience with the child,because that's what to remember.
Like, do you remember what yougot for your somebody gave you
for your fifth birthday?
Absolutely not, but I remember.
You know what.
(12:23):
I went so-and-so with mygrandmother and we went to the
mall and we did this and we hadice cream or whatever.
It was.
Like I remember the things thatwe did.
I don't remember the thingsthat I got.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
Yeah, and that's a big thing.
Like my husband and I have beenon the experience train for a
while, where you know we'drather do a family vacation and
take the kids somewhere special.
Or you know, even my mom thisyear for Christmas she was like
what should I get the kids?
And I was like just an activity, go do something with them.
So we have an indoor skydivingactivity that we're going to go
do with my kids and I'm likethis is way better, Like they're
(12:52):
going to remember stuff likethat.
And it got to the point where,like my kids are now almost nine
and 11, but we my husband and Iboth come from divorced
families and so it was almostlike we would do four
Christmases, four sets ofbirthdays for this, for that,
and it was just like we'd comehome with all this stuff and
we're like this is great, Likemy kids feel like special
(13:15):
because they got all of thesepresents in that moment, but
then at the end of the day, it'slike they either break, or
we're selling them in a garagesale in a couple years, or we're
passing they lose interest.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
They lose interest very quickly.
Kids are very fickle and ifyou're lucky for two weeks and
then they're on to the nextthing exactly so.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
I'm a big believer in that.
So I mean, when it comes tomotherhood, giving yourself
grace, saying no, learning howto say no and basically setting
those boundaries around what'scoming into your home in the
first place.
Those would be your top threepieces of advice for them, I
think so yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
And the other thing that I say is, especially when
it comes to the family, ifyou're going to spend 20 bucks
on a toy, guess what?
Put that 20 bucks into 529 forcollege, because it's crazy.
When my daughter was born,somebody told me at that time
that college was going to beabout a quarter of a million
dollars for four years of schooland it sounded ridiculous.
(14:16):
Guess what?
It's not so ridiculous becausea private university these days
is about 70 to $80,000 per year.
So you know, in another 10years, when your kids are in
school or another, however much,I mean, it is insane.
So they that you know that $20here, that $20 there, you know
(14:36):
from all those different familymembers, that'll add up and
it'll make a big dent, or atleast help.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
I think it's so great and I mean we're teaching our
kids a little bit about money.
So every time they're gifted acertain dollar amount, we put
half of it into savings and thenhalf of it into a spend jar and
they're able to spend that andthe other half goes into their
bank account.
I'm like you might want thismoney now, but trust me, when
you turn 16 and can buy your owncar, you're going to feel so
good with this money.
So they're like, okay, okay, Iappreciate it.
(15:09):
Now we understand.
So sometimes we'll like dreamup, look at cars, because they
talk about wanting convertiblesand we live up in the mountains
in Alberta, so I'm like you'llhave a convertible for two
months of the year.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
We don't want a convertible up here.
We need to move down whereRobin is in Southern California,
then you can have a Cali, thenyou can have.
It's funny because I'm from NewYork and I had gotten a
convertible when I don't knowwhatever time of year it was,
but it was a warmer day in NewYork, let's say it was 60 or
something, and it was the wintertime, and I was like I had that
(15:42):
top down with my scarf andgloves and the heater cranked
Exactly.
Just that one day I was like Ijust want to, I just want my top
down for today.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
But I froze yes.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Yeah, fair enough, right?
So it's amazing.
I love the tips that you havefor moms.
Now you were telling me aboutyour 10 ways to manage the
clutter.
I don't know why that.
So that word is getting metongue tied on this podcast
today.
Sorry folks.
10 ways to manage the clutterin our heads.
So can you tell the audience alittle bit about that?
10 ways to manage the clutterin our heads so can you tell the
audience a little bit aboutthat?
(16:18):
We're going to drop a link forthis in the show notes, guys,
but just so that you know whatthis is all about.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
I mean, basically, it is what it what.
It is exactly what it says.
It's just a way, because lifeis so busy, we're always
thinking about a million things.
You know, we don't take thetime for ourselves, as mom, to
do anything a lot of times forourselves.
And you know, it's kind of likewhen they say, on a plane, you
have to put on your oxygen maskfirst before you can help anyone
(16:46):
else, cause if you pass outyou're not helpful to anyone
else.
So it's the same thing.
It's just different ways thatyou can kind of give yourself a
reset or a chance to breathe.
You know, I think actuallybreathing is one of them, if I
remember correctly, because wedon't breathe.
You know, even if it's just afive minute.
You know, reset, let me sit.
(17:07):
You know, take five minutes,breathe or step away from the
chaos and just breathe.
Then you're a single parent.
You know, whatever, there's alot of reasons why people work
(17:34):
two jobs and they're stillparenting.
You know, it's endless.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
It really is.
Yeah, and I feel like momsespecially, we carry a lot of
that burden of home life, Like,even if you have a supportive
partner or husband or spouse,moms tend to really carry that
like the the list of all thethings that have to happen,
right Like it's the volunteeringin the school, if they can,
it's the field trip information,it's the lunch and the
(18:01):
groceries and all the things,and so to be able to take that
pause and and have those momentsto it's to not so much self
care but just to supportyourself so that you can show up
for yourself and your kids inthe best way, that's really
amazing.
So we're going to make surethat we put that in the show
notes, you guys.
Robin also has a course calledthe ultimate home organization
(18:24):
program.
Do you want to share a littlebit about that?
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Sure.
So I created a program becauseobviously I can't work with
everyone in the world butalthough I might like to and you
know I do see clients virtually, but I do see clients also,
obviously, in person.
But the thing is is noteveryone can afford to hire an
organizer, so this is a costeffective way for them to be
(18:49):
able to get the benefits and thewisdom of a certified
professional organizer and beable to do it on their own.
And I go into, you know, a lotof the detail of of why we do
things, the way that we do.
You know, like the first moduleis probably the most important
because that's trying to get tounderstand the habits that you
have and why things happen.
(19:09):
And then the rest of it isorganizing pretty much every
single decluttering andorganizing every single area in
your home, from the kitchen tothe office, to the garage, to
the playroom, you know, the kidsrooms, everything, the
bathrooms, you name it, it's inthere.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
I love that and so helpful.
And, like you said, I meanyou're, you probably have a bit
of a team, but you're one person, one organization, so you can't
work with everybody.
So this is a great way for youknow, if you guys are out there
just kind of staring at a bit ofclutter, wondering where to
even start, this would be agreat first step in terms of
getting the ball rolling.
If you are not near Robin orable to afford those full
(19:48):
services to have somebody comein and do it for you.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
So yeah, really, organizers everywhere, you know.
But it isn't you know it's youget what you pay for.
Not going to say that you can'tfind people in all different,
because obviously what I'vecharged when I first started is
very different than what Icharge now, but it's also based
on your experience and yourknowledge.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Really, yeah, yeah, I mean like anything right, the
longer you work at a job, themore experience you have.
Hopefully, the higher paid youare in that industry.
So I won't say it's a blanket,the way that it is all the way
always, but you know you wouldthink that that's, you know, the
right way to do things.
So, Robin, is there any lastpiece of advice or information
(20:30):
that you'd like to give thelisteners today?
What would I like to?
Speaker 2 (20:33):
you know.
If you're going to start theorganizing or decluttering
journey yourself, the only thingI would say is that remember
that it wasn't start, it didn'thappen overnight.
It kind of crept up, just likeyou don't gain 50 pounds
overnight.
So when you're doing theprocess whether it's with my
course or by yourself just do itin little pieces.
(20:54):
Start in one little area.
The only thing I will say isfinish that one room before you
go on to somewhere else, becausewhen you see the progress,
you'll feel more motivated tokeep going into other areas.
So, whether it's a corner,whether it's a tabletop, whether
it's a closet, finish that onearea.
Then go on to something elseand you'll start feeling that
(21:16):
you're making actually someprogress and an accomplishment
and pat yourself on the back andreward yourself for like yes, I
did it.
I finally did it, you know.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Perfect.
Yeah, I mean you.
Everybody needs to celebratethose small wins, right?
No matter how big or small theymight seem from the outside.
If it feels like you'veaccomplished something, I'm a
strong believer in celebratingall your wins.
So, yes, I really appreciateyou being on the show today,
Robin.
Thank you guys for tuning intotoday's episode where we help
you conquer the chaos one day ata time.
Hey, hey, mamas, welcome back to Conquering Chaos
A Mom's Guide to Self-CareInsanity.
I'm your host, sydney Crow, andtoday we have Robin Reynolds.
Robin founded her company in2008,.
Although she's been organizingsince she was a child, she is a
certified professional organizerand a longtime member of NAPO,
the National Association ofProductivity and Organizing
(00:23):
Professionals.
She's played an integral rolein the NAPO Los Angeles chapter
as a volunteer and board memberand as co-chair of the 2012
Organizing Awards, and wasrecently appointed the president
of BCPO, which is the Board ofCertified Professional
Organizers, for the term of the2022 and to 2024.
(00:45):
In addition to being quoted inthe Washington Post, the
Huffington Post, real SimpleMagazine, todaycom, yahoocom,
women's Day Magazine andnumerous other publications,
robin has also worked in atelevision show, hoarders, and
is a published author of of a tozen 26 tips to inspire
(01:08):
organization.
Her clients include everyonefrom the stay-at-home moms to
busy executives, to a-listcelebrities.
Her business has been builtsolely on referrals.
She has been involved withnumerous, numerous different
local charities that are allclose to her heart, including
Dress for Success, souls forSouls, one Warm Coat and Kids
(01:30):
Save.
When Robin is not organizingand harmonizing her clients, she
is spending time with herteenage daughter, whom she
treasures and leads a healthylifestyle.
Welcome, robin.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Thank you, that was a mouthful, it was a bit of a
mouthful.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
I apologize for getting a little tongue tied
there.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Oh, that's okay.
It's like there's so much stuff.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Maybe I need to shorten that you have quite the
resume.
I am very impressed.
So tell me a little bit aboutyour business.
What got you started in theorganizing business?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Well, it was something like I said that I've
always done and I never knew itwas actually a profession.
And then one day I was readinga magazine and I came across a
mention about NAPO and I startedlooking at it.
I was like, oh my God, this issomething I could do for a
living, like I was so thrilledthat something that I just
enjoyed doing was something thatI could make a career out of.
(02:24):
So I immediately went andjoined the organization, had no
idea how to start a business.
I had been an employee myentire life and, kind of trial
and error, figured out how tostart a business.
And here we are all these, manyyears later.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
That's incredible, I mean, and isn't that the goal
for everybody?
To find something that you lovedoing, so that you never feel
like you work a day in your life?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Yes definitely.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
I mean well, congratulations on that.
That is quite a very, very long, long resume.
What would you say?
Speaker 2 (02:54):
your favorite project was Well, I love doing closet
design.
That's one thing that I lovedoing because I, you know, gives
you my creative outlet also ina different kind of way.
But and I like as as weird asit might sound I like home clean
outs where basically I justhave to pack up everything and,
(03:17):
you know, get it wherever itneeds to go, whether it's
donated or things that are goingto be sold or whatever.
But I just like that, maybebecause I can just move a lot
faster with that, because I'mnot necessarily working
one-on-one with clients, but,you know, then they the the
enjoyment also comes from doingsomething with a client that
they never thought of.
(03:38):
That, I think, is the simplestchange and I've completely
rocked their world.
You know, it's like I inventedsliced bread or something, but
it, you know, they just don'tthink about it because everybody
thinks differently, everybody'sbrain is wired differently.
Yeah, it makes a hugedifference for someone else.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
It really can.
I mean, I've had my own mentalblocks around organization,
whether I mean you and I werehaving conversations about the
digital world and organizationprior to getting on this call or
my home and then you justsomebody will say something or
you'll see something and you'relike, why didn't I think of that
?
That's like the simplest thing,right?
Well, it's transformation andyou're like this just made the
(04:20):
world of difference and you talka lot about like not only the
clutter in the house but theclutter in the mind, and I can
really relate to that.
So, when it comes to workingwith your clients, especially
being on the show Hoarders, doyou feel like a lot of what you
are working with in somebody'shome is a mental game?
Speaker 2 (04:38):
A lot of it is because there's a lot of mental.
I mean just the work oforganizing.
I always say it's more thanputting a square peg in a round
hole, because there is a hugepsychological component to every
part of it and mostly to thereasons that people want to hold
onto things.
Because we hold onto things waymore than we need to or
(04:58):
necessarily.
You know, the stuff isn'tnecessarily serving a purpose.
It's just that we haveemotional attachments to it.
May be sentimental, or it wasexpensive, or it was this or is
that.
You know that the reasons thatpeople give are endless as to
why they hold on to stuff.
So it really is.
You know so much more and Iforgot your question at this
(05:22):
point.
What did you say?
There was a point I was gettingto and then I forgot.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Just the emotional or like the mental clutter that
you yeah the mental piece of itLike do you feel like that's the
biggest obstacle that you face?
Speaker 2 (05:37):
I don't know if it's the biggest obstacle, but it is
a, you know, because when yousay mental, it could be two
different things.
It could be mental in thesentimental way, or it could be
mental in how your brain iswired, because organization
really is how your brain iswired.
Why people some people are goodat it and some people aren't,
because everybody has theirstrengths.
(05:57):
You know, as I said to youearlier, don't talk to me about
technology, because my brainisn't wired for that.
I don't care how many times youexplain it to me, I'm just not
going to get it.
Yeah, and the same thing withorganization.
But you can also learn.
When you have systems that areset up the right way, you can
learn to follow the systems, tostay organized.
And that's what we do.
(06:18):
Is we set up systems forsomeone in order to help them to
get and stay organized.
It's not just like OK, becausepeople like well, do I have to
be there?
Or how much of my time do youneed?
And I'm kind of like, well, allof your time or most of your
time, because I can't just makedecisions about your stuff.
(06:38):
One, I can't make decisions onwhat you want to keep and what
goes, and even if you may not bethere the entire time, I have
to walk you through what is doneafterwards so that you know
this is the system for this andthis is how you're going to
continue to do this.
Because, as I joke, I don'tlive with you, so I can't keep
this up for you Like.
(06:59):
You have to make the effort todo it yourself.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Yeah, and it really does come down to the system.
I mean, my daughter has ADHD,and a common trait for people
with ADHD is like they justdon't have that organization
component in their brain and itdoesn't matter how many times I
walk her through the system, itstill is a struggle.
It's still the one thing on herreport card that's like oh, she
needs better organization.
We're like, we're working on it.
(07:23):
It might be something thatwe're going to work on for the
rest of her life, you know, andit will be Like the piece of it
right.
And so I completely understandhow certain brains are wired for
it and not.
So, when it comes to thesystems that you're putting into
place for people, do you findthat people are able to keep
them up or do you have a lot ofrepeat clients?
Speaker 2 (07:46):
able to keep them up or do you have a lot of repeat
clients?
It depends.
There are some people that areable to maintain it once it's
completely set up, but thenthere are people that you know
we do see on a regular basisthat what I call maintenance,
that we may set up the whole.
You know, they may not haveanything in place and then we
set up a whole system foreverything and they were able to
maintain it for a little while,but then it might get a little
derailed because life got busyor something happened in their
(08:09):
world, and then we'll have to goback and kind of do a touch up.
But you know when it reallydepends on the client too and
how much effort they're willingto put into it.
You know, because, again, theyhave to maintain it.
So it really doesn't matterwhat's done.
If they're not going tomaintain it, then it kind of
makes it.
You know it's not going to workat all.
(08:30):
Yeah, yeah, like I alwaysequate everything to dieting.
It's like, yeah, you can lose50 pounds, but if you're going
to go back and eat bonbons onthe couch every day, guess what?
Those 50 pounds are coming back.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
Yes, they will.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
You have to change your habits, you know so and so,
do you like?
Speaker 1 (08:49):
would you classify yourself as, like a habit
changer, then?
Speaker 2 (08:53):
I've been called many things, but that's not one of
them.
But I guess that could be.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
I mean, I mean a lot of what you're seeing in the
mental wellness space now andpersonal development is like
habit changing right.
It really comes to beingeffective with your habits, like
intentional with your time and,like you just said, if you're,
if you're not going to do thework and maintain it, then it
just kind of keeps falling offor the pounds keep coming back.
(09:20):
So it's it's really interestingto me what you do.
I mean I've always been drawnto this industry, like you, as a
.
As a young person, I was alwayswatching, like those, those
fixer upper shows.
I've I've watched hoarders afew times, so it's interesting
to me that you've been on thoseshows.
When it comes to motherhood,what would you say the biggest
piece for moms is what thatyou're working with or that you
(09:42):
see in terms of clutter andorganization in the home.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Well, I think it's twofold.
I think you know one.
Everybody feels that they needto be perfect when they're a mom
, and there's no such thing asperfect.
So it's okay to make mistakes.
I mean I do it with my daughter, you know I I feel like every
day I make a mistake.
I mean she's in college at thispoint, so, like, whatever I've
done, oh well, you know it'sit's done, it's done.
(10:11):
Exactly.
But you know, give yourselfgrace, because no one's perfect.
And every day I'm like damn, Imessed that up, and I messed
that up, and I messed that up.
And then I just pray that it'snot gonna cause her too much
angst or that she's not gonna bein therapy too long or whatever
, because it's hard.
(10:31):
Motherhood is hard, likeraising kids is hard.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Yep responsibility for another life.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Yeah, yeah, raising kids is hard.
Yep, responsibility for anotherlife, yeah, yeah so.
But in addition to that, webring, as I briefly mentioned
before, we get so much stuff andwe indulge, or so many people
indulge their kids with so muchstuff.
And I think, personally, Ithink it's a bad precedent to
start because, yeah, it may be atoy now, but eventually it's a
bad precedent to start because,yeah, it may be a toy now, but
eventually it's going to bedesigner clothes, designer
purses, car, you know whatever.
(11:04):
So I think the biggest thing islearning to say no.
Like you'll have to deal withthe tantrum, You'll have to deal
with the this, that or theother thing, but you know, you
have to teach them that one theycan't have everything they want
because we don't.
That's not real life.
Like we all want stuff that wecan't have.
You know, I want a Lamborghini.
(11:27):
Well, guess what it's going tohave with so much.
Because I go into home sometimeswith one child and they
practically have a toy storeyears old yet and it's just.
(12:00):
You know, it amazes me how muchand I know a lot of it I'll
always hear well, it's mymother-in-law or it's the, you
know, for birthdays and this,that and the other thing you
know what.
Then, instead, talk to you knowfamily about giving either an
experience with the child,because that's what to remember.
Like, do you remember what yougot for your somebody gave you
for your fifth birthday?
Absolutely not, but I remember.
You know what.
(12:23):
I went so-and-so with mygrandmother and we went to the
mall and we did this and we hadice cream or whatever.
It was.
Like I remember the things thatwe did.
I don't remember the thingsthat I got.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
Yeah, and that's a big thing.
Like my husband and I have beenon the experience train for a
while, where you know we'drather do a family vacation and
take the kids somewhere special.
Or you know, even my mom thisyear for Christmas she was like
what should I get the kids?
And I was like just an activity, go do something with them.
So we have an indoor skydivingactivity that we're going to go
do with my kids and I'm likethis is way better, Like they're
(12:52):
going to remember stuff likethat.
And it got to the point where,like my kids are now almost nine
and 11, but we my husband and Iboth come from divorced
families and so it was almostlike we would do four
Christmases, four sets ofbirthdays for this, for that,
and it was just like we'd comehome with all this stuff and
we're like this is great, Likemy kids feel like special
(13:15):
because they got all of thesepresents in that moment, but
then at the end of the day, it'slike they either break, or
we're selling them in a garagesale in a couple years, or we're
passing they lose interest.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
They lose interest very quickly.
Kids are very fickle and ifyou're lucky for two weeks and
then they're on to the nextthing exactly so.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
I'm a big believer in that.
So I mean, when it comes tomotherhood, giving yourself
grace, saying no, learning howto say no and basically setting
those boundaries around what'scoming into your home in the
first place.
Those would be your top threepieces of advice for them, I
think so yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
And the other thing that I say is, especially when
it comes to the family, ifyou're going to spend 20 bucks
on a toy, guess what?
Put that 20 bucks into 529 forcollege, because it's crazy.
When my daughter was born,somebody told me at that time
that college was going to beabout a quarter of a million
dollars for four years of schooland it sounded ridiculous.
(14:16):
Guess what?
It's not so ridiculous becausea private university these days
is about 70 to $80,000 per year.
So you know, in another 10years, when your kids are in
school or another, however much,I mean, it is insane.
So they that you know that $20here, that $20 there, you know
(14:36):
from all those different familymembers, that'll add up and
it'll make a big dent, or atleast help.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
I think it's so great and I mean we're teaching our
kids a little bit about money.
So every time they're gifted acertain dollar amount, we put
half of it into savings and thenhalf of it into a spend jar and
they're able to spend that andthe other half goes into their
bank account.
I'm like you might want thismoney now, but trust me, when
you turn 16 and can buy your owncar, you're going to feel so
good with this money.
So they're like, okay, okay, Iappreciate it.
(15:09):
Now we understand.
So sometimes we'll like dreamup, look at cars, because they
talk about wanting convertiblesand we live up in the mountains
in Alberta, so I'm like you'llhave a convertible for two
months of the year.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
We don't want a convertible up here.
We need to move down whereRobin is in Southern California,
then you can have a Cali, thenyou can have.
It's funny because I'm from NewYork and I had gotten a
convertible when I don't knowwhatever time of year it was,
but it was a warmer day in NewYork, let's say it was 60 or
something, and it was the wintertime, and I was like I had that
(15:42):
top down with my scarf andgloves and the heater cranked
Exactly.
Just that one day I was like Ijust want to, I just want my top
down for today.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
But I froze yes.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Yeah, fair enough, right?
So it's amazing.
I love the tips that you havefor moms.
Now you were telling me aboutyour 10 ways to manage the
clutter.
I don't know why that.
So that word is getting metongue tied on this podcast
today.
Sorry folks.
10 ways to manage the clutterin our heads.
So can you tell the audience alittle bit about that?
10 ways to manage the clutterin our heads so can you tell the
audience a little bit aboutthat?
(16:18):
We're going to drop a link forthis in the show notes, guys,
but just so that you know whatthis is all about.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
I mean, basically, it is what it what.
It is exactly what it says.
It's just a way, because lifeis so busy, we're always
thinking about a million things.
You know, we don't take thetime for ourselves, as mom, to
do anything a lot of times forourselves.
And you know, it's kind of likewhen they say, on a plane, you
have to put on your oxygen maskfirst before you can help anyone
(16:46):
else, cause if you pass outyou're not helpful to anyone
else.
So it's the same thing.
It's just different ways thatyou can kind of give yourself a
reset or a chance to breathe.
You know, I think actuallybreathing is one of them, if I
remember correctly, because wedon't breathe.
You know, even if it's just afive minute.
You know, reset, let me sit.
(17:07):
You know, take five minutes,breathe or step away from the
chaos and just breathe.
Then you're a single parent.
You know, whatever, there's alot of reasons why people work
(17:34):
two jobs and they're stillparenting.
You know, it's endless.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
It really is.
Yeah, and I feel like momsespecially, we carry a lot of
that burden of home life, Like,even if you have a supportive
partner or husband or spouse,moms tend to really carry that
like the the list of all thethings that have to happen,
right Like it's the volunteeringin the school, if they can,
it's the field trip information,it's the lunch and the
(18:01):
groceries and all the things,and so to be able to take that
pause and and have those momentsto it's to not so much self
care but just to supportyourself so that you can show up
for yourself and your kids inthe best way, that's really
amazing.
So we're going to make surethat we put that in the show
notes, you guys.
Robin also has a course calledthe ultimate home organization
(18:24):
program.
Do you want to share a littlebit about that?
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Sure.
So I created a program becauseobviously I can't work with
everyone in the world butalthough I might like to and you
know I do see clients virtually, but I do see clients also,
obviously, in person.
But the thing is is noteveryone can afford to hire an
organizer, so this is a costeffective way for them to be
(18:49):
able to get the benefits and thewisdom of a certified
professional organizer and beable to do it on their own.
And I go into, you know, a lotof the detail of of why we do
things, the way that we do.
You know, like the first moduleis probably the most important
because that's trying to get tounderstand the habits that you
have and why things happen.
(19:09):
And then the rest of it isorganizing pretty much every
single decluttering andorganizing every single area in
your home, from the kitchen tothe office, to the garage, to
the playroom, you know, the kidsrooms, everything, the
bathrooms, you name it, it's inthere.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
I love that and so helpful.
And, like you said, I meanyou're, you probably have a bit
of a team, but you're one person, one organization, so you can't
work with everybody.
So this is a great way for youknow, if you guys are out there
just kind of staring at a bit ofclutter, wondering where to
even start, this would be agreat first step in terms of
getting the ball rolling.
If you are not near Robin orable to afford those full
(19:48):
services to have somebody comein and do it for you.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
So yeah, really, organizers everywhere, you know.
But it isn't you know it's youget what you pay for.
Not going to say that you can'tfind people in all different,
because obviously what I'vecharged when I first started is
very different than what Icharge now, but it's also based
on your experience and yourknowledge.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Really, yeah, yeah, I mean like anything right, the
longer you work at a job, themore experience you have.
Hopefully, the higher paid youare in that industry.
So I won't say it's a blanket,the way that it is all the way
always, but you know you wouldthink that that's, you know, the
right way to do things.
So, Robin, is there any lastpiece of advice or information
(20:30):
that you'd like to give thelisteners today?
What would I like to?
Speaker 2 (20:33):
you know.
If you're going to start theorganizing or decluttering
journey yourself, the only thingI would say is that remember
that it wasn't start, it didn'thappen overnight.
It kind of crept up, just likeyou don't gain 50 pounds
overnight.
So when you're doing theprocess whether it's with my
course or by yourself just do itin little pieces.
(20:54):
Start in one little area.
The only thing I will say isfinish that one room before you
go on to somewhere else, becausewhen you see the progress,
you'll feel more motivated tokeep going into other areas.
So, whether it's a corner,whether it's a tabletop, whether
it's a closet, finish that onearea.
Then go on to something elseand you'll start feeling that
(21:16):
you're making actually someprogress and an accomplishment
and pat yourself on the back andreward yourself for like yes, I
did it.
I finally did it, you know.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Perfect.
Yeah, I mean you.
Everybody needs to celebratethose small wins, right?
No matter how big or small theymight seem from the outside.
If it feels like you'veaccomplished something, I'm a
strong believer in celebratingall your wins.
So, yes, I really appreciateyou being on the show today,
Robin.
Thank you guys for tuning intotoday's episode where we help
you conquer the chaos one day ata time.
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