The Organized Life: Q&A with Certified Professional Organizer Ellen Delap

What is an organized life? Is it living inside an organized home? Is it clearing your calendar to spend more time doing less? Perhaps you’d like to declutter your home but the thought of tackling those storage areas or that junk drawer or hallway closet makes you cringe. Or, perhaps you feel like you have a solid plan for your day, week, or month, but the roller coaster of life makes it near impossible for you to accomplish your goals. Take heart! We sat down with certified professional organizer Ellen Delap to get her thoughts on how to tackle the clutter in our homes and in our lives one step at a time. Because while organizing our homes and lives might be simple in theory, it’s definitely not always easy!

Simquily: Let’s talk first about an organized home. When we say “an organized home,” what does that mean? Why is organization important in our homes?

Ellen: A simple and organized home means you have what you need, when you need it, and it’s easy to access. For some of us, that is also a beautiful home. My favorite quote, “Have nothing in your home that is not beautiful or useful,” sums up what it means to have an organized home. 

An organized home brings us what we truly want in life—the joy of spending time in relationships and enjoying experiences. It brings us a haven from the rough world we live in, a haven with serenity and joy. The benefits ultimately come back to ourselves and our family.

Simquily: What are three big obstacles to successfully organizing a home? What can be done to overcome these obstacles?

Ellen: The biggest obstacles are time, financial attachments, and maybe/someday syndrome. These are ways we get stuck with our stuff. We are all busy with important responsibilities. Often, the time to organize falls to the bottom of our lists. It’s important to establish a time to organize your stuff and paper every day. It doesn’t require a lot of time, but we often think we need all day to organize. It’s really about using small bits of time effectively.

Financially, we have much we have purchased and much we have inherited. And sometimes it’s easier to buy something than find it in your home, especially with Amazon and other delivery services. Through grief, loss, or transitions, we may have inherited items that may or may not have meaning or value for us or others. 

Finally, we live in unsettled times and experience anxiety about the what-ifs. We keep items we might use just in case. In reality, many of these things can be discarded or grouped together in storage to give room for what you use regularly.

Simquily: What tips do you have for overcoming attachments to items you’re keeping for sentimental reasons or that might have value?

Ellen: Sentimental attachments, like the other big obstacles, require a new perspective on stuff. When an item takes on meaning, it’s from a place of joy or sorrow. There are new perspectives that take time to let go, such as in the grief process. As well, there are ways for us to honor and cherish keepsakes. Time, new life experiences, and new perspectives help us let go of stuff. We all have keepsakes; it’s a matter of how many we keep and how we keep them.

Simquily: Do you notice generational differences in attitudes toward decluttering? 

Ellen: We all know an older family member that kept everything and anything because of the Great Depression. Many Millenials are minimalists because they prize experiences rather than stuff. In working with different generations, there are opportunities to change attitudes and explore options in decluttering.

Simquily: When it comes to decluttering or organizing a space, what is the first step you often advise your clients to take? 

Ellen: Think big picture to start your process. What do you see as the function of the space you are organizing? What will you need to use in that space for that function? What do you want the end result to look like? What is your goal and why? Who will be part of your process, and who is the decision maker in decluttering? These are the questions that will help you accomplish your organizing. Here’s how NOT to start: buy more bins. That’s often what families turn to to get organized. It’s not about more storage. It is about function, beauty, access, and use. 

Simquily: In your experience, what has surprised people the most about the before-and-after of an organized space? 

Ellen: There is a lot of emotion in organizing. Organizing is motivated by an array of energy and emotions, which runs the gamut of sadness, anxiety, fear, overwhelm, frustration, hope, motivation, and joy. What has surprised people is that organization is a freeing solution. The emotions move into positive energy for them and their families. They feel free to live the life they dreamed for themselves.

Simquily: Once a space is organized, what advice do you have for keeping it that way? How do you include your family and keep them on board if they don’t share your same enthusiasm for organization?

Ellen: Routines are key to keeping your home organized. Routines are the daily, weekly, and annual activities of maintenance. Setting up your family routines starts with your family meeting. Together you create routines that you work in collaboration to keep your home organized. Here are some simple ways to get organized: 

• Set a 15-minute “beat the clock” pick up time every night. 
• Decide on a weekly paper administrative time. 
• Twice a year, go through toys in the playroom or clothes in the closet.  
  
• Online grocery order on Saturdays and meal prep on Sundays.  
• Pick laundry days and consider using a laundry sorter.  
• Give yourself a paper command center where mail goes every day and where you can sort incoming mail. 
• Do a quick pick up each afternoon after nap time.  
• Use a shared errand list so when any family member goes shopping, it’s ready and easily available. 

Simquily: Now let’s talk about an organized life. When we say, “an organized life,” what does that mean? Why is it worth working toward having an organized life? 

Ellen: For me an organized life is about time well spent. We have many different values and priorities, which should be how we spend our week at work and at home. We feel value, purpose, and meaning in our lives when we are organized. It’s about being organized enough to fulfill your priorities with joy. 

Simquily: How do time management skills factor into an organized life? What other skills do you focus on when helping clients organize their lives?

Ellen: Because we are so busy, time management is a critical factor for all organizing. When you have your schedule in balance and routines that compliment your priorities, you are able to enjoy your time with family, your hobbies, and all that is joyful. My tagline is “I help you make time and space for what’s important to you.” Both are important for enjoying our blessings.

Productivity plays a role in my clients’ successes. If you feel accomplished, you feel you have confidence, that your job has meaning, and that you have made a difference at work. Productivity includes being efficient at what you do, effective in work you are accomplishing, and prioritizing projects in order to accomplish what’s most important. I partner with clients in their work environments to do this.

Simquily: What is the difference between a productive life and an organized life? 

Ellen: A productive life is the benefit of an organized life. If you are disorganized, typically you can’t accomplish as much as you would like to because you are looking for what you lost or spending time getting organized in order to do your work. Both an organized home and life go together. It’s the ultimate way to do your best.

Simquily: Any parting words to share with those who desire an organized home and life?

Ellen: I’ll share two of my favorite quotes. First, “The best time to start was yesterday. The next time to start is now.” Start now so your future self enjoys the benefits of your work. Second, “What’s the best way to eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” That’s the same for organizing. Take baby steps to accomplish your goals.